What You Know -- It Just Ain't So: Why Facts Can't Win Arguments

It is truly tempting to believe that if you just found the right argument, the right fact, you could convince the masses. That people are reasonable as a group. If history is any guide, however, that just isn't so. There are some people you just can't reach. Depending on the topic, the number is large.

There are a great number of reasons why this is the case -- you could call it whatever you wish, but what it boils down to is something this blog has discussed previously, in a more limited nature. From "Libertarianism vs. Libertarians:

One element worth noting is, as discussed below, is political bias:

The study was carried out during the pre-electoral period of the 2004 presidential election on 30 men, half who described themselves as strong Republicans and half as strong Democrats. During a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan, the subjects were asked to assess contradictory statements by both George W. Bush and John Kerry. The scans showed that the part of the brain associated with reasoning, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, was not involved when assessing the statements. Conversely, the most active regions of the brain were those involved in processing emotions (orbitofrontal cortex), conflict resolution (anterior cingulate cortex) and making judgment about moral accountability (posterior cingulate cortex)

Notice, especially, “The scans showed that the part of the brain associated with reasoning, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, was not involved when assessing the statements.

This piece specifically addressed political bias when confronting specific statements from the two entrenched parties. At least these people, however, were aware of their biases -- even if they thought of their biases as "the gospel truth." This phenomenon, however, is much more deeply present in society at large, and we all play victims to this unending game. Take, for example, this excerpt from today's article from Classically Liberal:

The study concluded that the state of Arizona took in tax revenue of $1.64 billion from immigrant workers while the amount the state spent on immigrants was approximately $1.41 billion leaving a net benefit of $222.6 million to the state coffers. But that is only what they contribute to Arizona’s revenue. They also pay national income taxes and social security taxes. As Shikha Dalmia, a senior analyst at the Reason Foundation noted: “A stunning two-thirds of illegal immigrants pay Medicare, Social Security and personal income taxes.” And while they pay in, under US law they are forbidden to receive the benefits for which they pay. “The only services that illegals can still get are emergency medical care and K-12 education.”

By way of summary: Illegal immigrants, we are told, drain the economy, steal jobs, and overburden the Social Security/Welfare/Safety Net. Yet they are also responsible, en masse, for massive identity theft problem in this nation. Now, it doesn't take a genius to understand that social security and medicare taxes are automatically withheld when someone is working in a position that requires a registered SSN or TIN (Tax Identification Number). And supposedly a supermajority of illegals, say the identity theft "people", are stealing identities so they can work. Keep in mind, they also work jobs that are typically below the threshold for the income tax, which is typically also automatically withheld. What this results in is simple; in terms of levels of taxation based on income, the 'illegals' are in fact the most highly taxed bracket of the population -- specifically because they can never get those funds back. But you'll never hear an anti-immigration person (note that it's never discussed in the media as "anti-illegal-immigration"?) discuss this. In fact, as discussed at CLS (EDIT: so the anti-immigration position could be refuted), they will tell you things quite different. Read the article to see some of the absurdities tossed about -- such as the idea that 60% of all illegal immigrants are working "highly skilled" jobs, yet don't pay taxes at all on that income. And here's the clincher -- most of the people putting out such information -- originally, that is, rather than just repeating it -- know this; yet were even those people themselves to come forward and admit such, those whom were doing the repeating would disregard them, and continue to believe the canard about illegals ("Damn dirty Mexicans" -- or Cubans if you're in Florida) regardless of any new information.

There is a heart-achingly great lack of reason within this country I love -- America, that is -- and that's the easiest way to put it. If there weren't, you wouldn't have things like this come up:

From Time.com: "Superstitious Americans...have gone to great lengths to secure the triple sevens as their wedding date, hoping the lucky numbers will make them lucky in love...It may well be the most popular wedding day in history."

Since the demand for weddings on this date was high, the price for 7/7/07 weddings should also have been high compared to other dates. Thus, only couples willing to pay a superstitious premium got married on 7/7/07. This could provide a great research opportunity. Are superstitious couples, for example, more likely to get divorced? Do they make as intelligent financial decisions as other couples do?

If you think this is harmless, well -- it is, really. But that doesn't change the underlying point. Here's a simple experiment you the reader can perform to test this hypothesis of this author's out: Walk up to any ten people you know believes that the numbers 777 are lucky, and ask them why.You can include yourself if you really want. Tally up the number of those who give you an answer related to this:

So there you have it. The number 777, and its true significance, is immersed in the Kabbalistic occult sciences, such as gematria. Any other meanings attributed to the number 777, apart from the use of gematria, are based in other superstitions and numerology. They are not founded in scripture, nor in biblical mysticism. In fact, the vast majority of explanations for the number that I hear are ones that people make up off of the top of thier heads. So, good luck with that.

Then tally up the people with different answers. If the number of people who recognize the Kabbalistic origin of the number 777 is greater than the number of people who don't, then congratulations -- you win a cookie. Now, a follow-on question for those same ten people: ask how many of them think that the occult is the work of the devil, without having explained the origin of the number 777 to them. If you get even 1 person who believes 777 is lucky but thinks the occult is of the devil or something like that, then you owe me a cookie. Somehow this author expects he'll have some surplus cookies.

The point is simple; people take to beliefs and ideas without really examining them. Socrates would turn in his grave to see today's culture. While it's nothing new or unique, it is enduring, and it is problematic.

And here's the sad conclusion from this: So long as beliefs come before reason, it will never matter how many facts are on your side. If you disagree with the beliefs, you might as well be the villain of the story. If you disbelieve this, consider the following: there have been -- and you can "google" this for yourself, or use the -- calls to label global warming deniers as criminals, simply for uttering the words. (To be precise, this has occurred in other nations.) Regardless of whether global warming is anthropogenic or not, such behavior is inexcusable; it undermines the entire scientific process.

So, those of you who believe that you have a truth or a fact that the public-at-large disagrees with -- and this author is one such -- here's the million-dollar question; one that both libertarians and transhumanists both face: How do we convince the "unwashed, teeming masses"?

Read More:
-- Can the Environment Survive the Environmentalists?
-- A Martyr Complex Too Many?
-- Secular Morality: Contradiction in Terms, or Best Hope For Humanity?