Dropping Science (AKA Spiritual Peer-Review)

There ain't no cure for stupid, and that's a fact.

But today I read:

"There are also some cases where directness works. Kuklinski’s welfare study suggested that people will actually update their beliefs if you hit them 'between the eyes' with bluntly presented, objective facts that contradict their preconceived ideas. He asked one group of participants what percentage of its budget they believed the federal government spent on welfare, and what percentage they believed the government should spend. Another group was given the same questions, but the second group was immediately told the correct percentage the government spends on welfare (1 percent). They were then asked, with that in mind, what the government should spend. Regardless of how wrong they had been before receiving the information, the second group indeed adjusted their answer to reflect the correct fact."

Ain't that nothing? Hey, Science:

Thanks for the way forward I'd already thought of, hence the name.

I suggest you guys try that experiment again.

But this time, forget about politics and ask your subjects about something of true vital importance to them, like, "Was Jesus a cross-dressing hippy?"

Then get back to me on how you got through to them:

I need solutions that work under real-world conditions,...