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Does Your Opinion Change With New Information


Jeremy Vaeni

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I probably could have written this in any of the forums, but I'm hoping it fits well here....

For those who spend so much time researching paranormal/mystical/ufological/mysterious phenomena--either to build a case or to debunk--I've got to ask: How many have had to change their minds with new information? 

I've read that well-educated people are the most likely to double down on what they think they know and defend it to the bitter end. You'd think it would be the other way, but apparently not. And yet, I bet most of us tell ourselves we'd be honest enough to admit when we're wrong or to change our minds, even if it meant upending everything we thought we knew, if some greater truth or set of facts presented itself.

Buuuut... would we?

Has anyone here?

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GOOD GOD NO.

The new information must be wrong. :rolleyes:

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I think I'd say people's minds hardly ever change with new information. If it doesn't fit the theory they've already decided on it's just consigned to that handy category, thanks to our good friend Mr. President, of "fake news". Of course, this has always been the case long before the big orange fellow came along, but he's given a handy all-encompassing phrase for anything we don't want to take any notice of. 

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Depends how that information is presented - if it is facts presented as part of 'sell', I'd probably fight more against it, than if it is presented as 'here are the facts (undeniable), make your own mind up'.

But that's probably just my character, I  don't like people telling me want to do or think, which as you can guess generates its own problems.

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If it's something I haven't personally experienced, then I hold it in a kind of Limbo in my mind until I get more information to push it one way or the other. I have a helluva lot of stuff in Limbo! I don't like to discount things outright because there's usually a lot more to the story than we get to know.

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Most of my firm beliefs are based on repeated personal experience, so any new information has to be incorporated into what I already know.

Until a belief is firm, I stay on the fence.

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@Harte  When I was in high school I fell for Von Daniken and Atlantis hook, line and sinker. :lol:

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16 minutes ago, acute said:

....... I stay on the fence.

Not an easy thing for a hedgehog to do! :lol:

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22 minutes ago, acute said:

Most of my firm beliefs are based on repeated personal experience, so any new information has to be incorporated into what I already know.

 

There are people here trying to convince me there is no such thing as earth bound spirits but I saw way too much freakiness to change my mind. 

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3 hours ago, Jeremy Vaeni said:

I probably could have written this in any of the forums, but I'm hoping it fits well here....

For those who spend so much time researching paranormal/mystical/ufological/mysterious phenomena--either to build a case or to debunk--I've got to ask: How many have had to change their minds with new information? 

I've read that well-educated people are the most likely to double down on what they think they know and defend it to the bitter end. You'd think it would be the other way, but apparently not. And yet, I bet most of us tell ourselves we'd be honest enough to admit when we're wrong or to change our minds, even if it meant upending everything we thought we knew, if some greater truth or set of facts presented itself.

Buuuut... would we?

Has anyone here?

Where have you read that?

And more importantly, did you seek out an article that would confirm that for you?

 

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26 minutes ago, GlitterRose said:

And more importantly, did you seek out an article that would confirm that for you?

 

That was confirmation bias at it's extreme! 

:lol:

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Just now, Piney said:

That was confirmation bias at it's extreme! 

:lol:

It was just interesting. 

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1 hour ago, GlitterRose said:

And more importantly, did you seek out an article that would confirm that for you?

Good question.

 

 

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I have to agree with the other posters so far. I am well educated and high iq and all that jazz, but, if I have experienced something and know it to have happened, no, you won't change my mind that it did happen. Now, what it actually was...that can change as I find other data to clarify it more for me. 

I have accepted that there may always be a wall of inability to fully convince between those who have experienced something and those who never have. But, if you keep out insults and ad hominems, you can have some interesting conversations. I have seen a lot of odd things, observed many unusual events, and I have worked my whole life for them. I do not think that has stopped me from being able to back off and discern bs when I run into it. The paranormal is my obsession. A lot of what passes as paranormal is not that at all, though.

Now, Von Daniken, I believed all of that and it got me going into more research about these amazing things nobody ever taught me in school, which is how I learned while the sites were often real, the interpretation was way off. Then, I woke up to the reality that some people won't admit they are wrong if they profit by the wrong data, and I discovered frauds. That was a sad thing to realize about the world as a young teen. 

But, whether you are into science or astrology or Big foot, if you cannot sift results and come to a conclusion that rejects the dross, you have already lost the education wars. I think it is way less than "educated people double down" and more a point of ego and wishing not to lose one's pack mates. 

Not having a pack helps. Not having an ability to sift, though, is damning.

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I can see the doubling down argument if its doubling down to support an ideology rather than a fact based belief. Or if if its to support faith or if its an opinion that can neither be proven or dis proven.

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2 hours ago, Piney said:

I believed that Bigfoot lived in the Pine Barrens as a kid. I once thought I saw him through the window of our cabin. 

*snip*

Any kid that didn’t believe in Bigfoot (or something similar) at some stage was either uneducated, unlucky, or far too smart for their time.

When I was a kid, I swore I saw Santa and his sleigh once in the sky on Xmas eve. Mum and dad would have been happy that I had a magical experience, and I’ll plant plenty of imaginary ideas in my future kids minds. 

Pretty sure that I didn’t see the real Santa. Not sure though...

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6 minutes ago, Timothy said:

Any kid that didn’t believe in Bigfoot (or something similar) at some stage was either uneducated, unlucky, or far too smart for their time.

When I was a kid, I swore I saw Santa and his sleigh once in the sky on Xmas eve. Mum and dad would have been happy that I had a magical experience, and I’ll plant plenty of imaginary ideas in my future kids minds. 

Pretty sure that I didn’t see the real Santa. Not sure though...

That's a great example, I'm pretty sure everyone probably believed in Santa, Easter Bunny,  The Tooth Fairy etc etc until shown otherwise.

Although I never believed in Bigfoot.

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Well, when I was growing up I was pretty entranced with the mysteries of life, the anomalous, the unusual, the hidden and the fantastic. I think we as humans are pretty good at believing what we wish, or even sometimes what we fear. Many people still like to believe that there is a dimension beyond the mundane plane of existence that is every bit as real to them as that which they see in their everyday lives.

I think tho, there comes a point when one has to / and or should start to question some of these fantastical beliefs by using some critical thinking and some basic common sense. I've now come to that point in my life, that without corroboration that supports / confirms such things as the paranormal etc...(things that lay beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding) I now take with a grain of salt. 

 

 

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7 hours ago, Piney said:

I believed that Bigfoot lived in the Pine Barrens as a kid. I once thought I saw him through the window of our cabin. But I spent 35 years tracking  through bush and following up sightings. I decided he is not here and probably doesn't exist.

I also believed the Younger Dryas Impact theory and that the Lenape Stone was real but after searching through "Carolina Bays" in both the Carolinas and New Jersey Pine Barrens I know it never happened. Then after spending time as a Native adviser to a museum and it's archaeologists I realized the Lenape Stone was bogus too. 

That is sort of sad. To think, your childhood was richer for the hope /drive to search. And once investigated (as a grown up, you find its not true), and u literally have ur dreams squashed.

Its horrible to think that innocence can be lost so quickly 

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7 hours ago, ouija ouija said:

If it's something I haven't personally experienced, then I hold it in a kind of Limbo in my mind until I get more information to push it one way or the other. I have a helluva lot of stuff in Limbo! I don't like to discount things outright because there's usually a lot more to the story than we get to know.

Well said. Agreed

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28 minutes ago, DebDandelion said:

Its horrible to think that innocence can be lost so quickly 

Mine was lost from far worse than that and a lot earlier.....:lol:

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40 minutes ago, Piney said:

Mine was lost from far worse than that and a lot earlier.....:lol:

Not the point P...not the point:ph34r:

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