How to talk to an ignorant person

[Craig234]

We're all ignorant about a lot of things. Some people recognize that.

But sometimes, we encounter people who are ignorant, and don't realize it. More often, they're 'partially informed'.

So to make up an example, you tell someone 'I hope you're vaccinated against Covid', and they say 'the vaccine doesn't work, it's killing millions of people'.

How do you respond to that sort of thing?

It might sound obvious, but two words, "you're ignorant", to begin a perfectly accurate correction tend not to have the desired effect.

One option is to decide not to talk to the person. Some argue that's best. Another is to try to politely provide corrected information. Sometimes that works, but how often? Another is to ask them for evidence they can't provide. What suggestions are there for talking to someone in that situation, where they are ignorant and that's the roadblock to any sensible discussion on something? The situation seems to to happen on rare occasion...

 

[Queen Margo]

I admit to being ignorant on many topics. I often read and don't comment UNTIL someone comments off topic and then I chime in to that comment. Then someone comes back and accuses me of deflecting, gaslighting, trolling etc. Some ask why I didn't read the article. Not only me being ignorant at times!!

 

[noonereal]

So to make up an example, you tell someone 'I hope you're vaccinated against Covid', and they say 'the vaccine doesn't work, it's killing millions of people'.

How do you respond to that sort of thing?

I say, "you prefer politics to science? Not me."
Then, if and only if, the person is open minded I explain to them that the top health departments the world has ever known, in all countries around the global indorse vaccines.
At that point if they don't stop and thing, they are simply "gonners." Nothing to be done with them but stay away.

 

[grip]

We're all ignorant about a lot of things. Some people recognize that.

But sometimes, we encounter people who are ignorant, and don't realize it. More often, they're 'partially informed'.

So to make up an example, you tell someone 'I hope you're vaccinated against Covid', and they say 'the vaccine doesn't work, it's killing millions of people'.

How do you respond to that sort of thing?

It might sound obvious, but two words, "you're ignorant", to begin a perfectly accurate correction tend not to have the desired effect.

One option is to decide not to talk to the person. Some argue that's best. Another is to try to politely provide corrected information. Sometimes that works, but how often? Another is to ask them for evidence they can't provide. What suggestions are there for talking to someone in that situation, where they are ignorant and that's the roadblock to any sensible discussion on something? The situation seems to to happen on rare occasion...

It's those that express their opinion as though it's unimpeachable and beyond reproach that I find difficult to have a discussion with. You try and go with the facts, and sensible answers, and know what you know but you can still be wrong. I welcome corrections, new information, and facts based on truth.

 

[PoliSciPulse]

Sometimes you can kind of play into their ignorance. For instance, I was once asked by an Uber driver, "Why do you wear a mask if it doesn't work." I answered, "Assuming that what you said was true, I wear it so I will feel safe." He dropped the issue.

 

[Bullseye]

We're all ignorant about a lot of things. Some people recognize that.

But sometimes, we encounter people who are ignorant, and don't realize it. More often, they're 'partially informed'.

So to make up an example, you tell someone 'I hope you're vaccinated against Covid', and they say 'the vaccine doesn't work, it's killing millions of people'.

How do you respond to that sort of thing?

It might sound obvious, but two words, "you're ignorant", to begin a perfectly accurate correction tend not to have the desired effect.

One option is to decide not to talk to the person. Some argue that's best. Another is to try to politely provide corrected information. Sometimes that works, but how often? Another is to ask them for evidence they can't provide. What suggestions are there for talking to someone in that situation, where they are ignorant and that's the roadblock to any sensible discussion on something? The situation seems to to happen on rare occasion...

'ignorant" has such negative connotations I'd choose "uninformed" or "ill-informed". Call some one "ignorant" and you've lost him.

 

[dmpi]

People are a lot smarter than you think. But the deal is if the results of ones 'knowledge' has no bearing on ones life then there's no penalty for being wrong. Also if you're talking about controversial subjects that are undoubtedly unverifiable then there's no way of determining an absolute truth. Bottom line...Enjoy the process of arguing but don't convince yourself that you actually know more than anyone else.

 

[SNOWFLAKE]

There is ignorance, and then there is willful ignorance:

And we know the kind of folks who practice willful ignorance, don't we

 

[The Old Soul]

We're all ignorant about a lot of things. Some people recognize that.

But sometimes, we encounter people who are ignorant, and don't realize it. More often, they're 'partially informed'.

So to make up an example, you tell someone 'I hope you're vaccinated against Covid', and they say 'the vaccine doesn't work, it's killing millions of people'.

How do you respond to that sort of thing?

It might sound obvious, but two words, "you're ignorant", to begin a perfectly accurate correction tend not to have the desired effect.

One option is to decide not to talk to the person. Some argue that's best. Another is to try to politely provide corrected information. Sometimes that works, but how often? Another is to ask them for evidence they can't provide. What suggestions are there for talking to someone in that situation, where they are ignorant and that's the roadblock to any sensible discussion on something? The situation seems to to happen on rare occasion...

We need to define the type of ignorance to know how to deal that particular person or group. Ignorance that can be overcome by using one's reason (vincible ignorance), and ignorance that cannot be overcome by using one's reason (invincible ignorance).

Seems that politically (partisan mostly), Invincible Ignorance takes the lead, and trickles down to any one of a number of sub-topics like guns, abortion, and sexuality, where invincible ignorance often prevails. Dealing with the I.I. is impossible, but seems the horse that most reasonably well informed and logical jump on, to the detriment of the topic.

 

[TobyOne]

Fear not. People have learned to talk to you.

We're all ignorant about a lot of things. Some people recognize that.

But sometimes, we encounter people who are ignorant, and don't realize it. More often, they're 'partially informed'.

So to make up an example, you tell someone 'I hope you're vaccinated against Covid', and they say 'the vaccine doesn't work, it's killing millions of people'.

How do you respond to that sort of thing?

It might sound obvious, but two words, "you're ignorant", to begin a perfectly accurate correction tend not to have the desired effect.

One option is to decide not to talk to the person. Some argue that's best. Another is to try to politely provide corrected information. Sometimes that works, but how often? Another is to ask them for evidence they can't provide. What suggestions are there for talking to someone in that situation, where they are ignorant and that's the roadblock to any sensible discussion on something? The situation seems to to happen on rare occasion...

 

[Craig234]

We need to define the type of ignorance to know how to deal that particular person or group. Ignorance that can be overcome by using one's reason (vincible ignorance), and ignorance that cannot be overcome by using one's reason (invincible ignorance).

I think there's another category, that COULD be fixed if they were rational, but they're not, they're brainwashed by propaganda. That fits my example of the vaccine misinformation.

 

[PatrickOlinger]

We're all ignorant about a lot of things. Some people recognize that.

But sometimes, we encounter people who are ignorant, and don't realize it. More often, they're 'partially informed'.

So to make up an example, you tell someone 'I hope you're vaccinated against Covid', and they say 'the vaccine doesn't work, it's killing millions of people'.

How do you respond to that sort of thing?

It might sound obvious, but two words, "you're ignorant", to begin a perfectly accurate correction tend not to have the desired effect.

One option is to decide not to talk to the person. Some argue that's best. Another is to try to politely provide corrected information. Sometimes that works, but how often? Another is to ask them for evidence they can't provide. What suggestions are there for talking to someone in that situation, where they are ignorant and that's the roadblock to any sensible discussion on something? The situation seems to to happen on rare occasion...

Anti Vaxers aren't very smart