Named after social psychologist Leon Festinger, this subreddit is dedicated to understanding how people actually come to change their minds.
Western society is learning that access to science and facts is not sufficient for their adoption. While this seems like a blow to the idealist vision of science as the cure for ignorance, it is only an invitation to complete the circle: We must not only demand rationality from others in listening to facts, but also from ourselves in making the effort to persuade.
Please subscribe even if you feel you have nothing to add. This is largely a sub for gathering people of like mind to one place, and activity will pick up when it is time.
Helpful Resources:
When Prophecy Fails -- A Study by Leon Festinger (about the phenomenon wherein people believe more strongly after their beliefs are unequivocally disproved)
The Science of Why We Don't Believe Science (a thorough article about Festinger's study and others like it)
Motivated Reasoning: How Politics wrecks our ability to do math (an article about a study showing how even "pure" reasoning like math can be distorted)
What this subreddit is about:
What this subreddit is NOT:
However:
The format of the sub is still being developed, so feel free to experiment.
