"But isn't it okay if people are spreading conspiracy theories about data centers as long as it gets them fired up about billionaires or the environment? Can't you just let people enjoy harmless entertainment like astrology? Does it really matter if people are using homeopathy or chiropractors as long as they're happy? Isn't it rude to call out people whose religious beliefs are obviously disproved by science because it's their faith? What's the problem with people believing in ghosts and aliens even if they have no evidence?"
How many woo-woo-to-fascism pipelines do we have to create before we accept that any system in which we agree to prioritize what makes people feel good and comfortable over objective, observable reality is inherently prone to radicalization. How many times are we going to act shocked that people who refuse to accept scientific evidence in regards to crystal energy and repressed memories then move on to refusing to accept scientific evidence in regards to vaccines and chemotherapy. How many times are we going to hold people's hands and tell them of COURSE it's okay to believe things just because they Feel Right and not because you have even a shred of evidence and then act shocked when they start believing the people who tell them that all their problems are caused by minorities?
Everyone start developing basic epistemological consistency right fucking now, I am no longer asking
> any system in which we agree to prioritize what makes people feel good and comfortable over objective, observable reality is inherently prone to radicalization [and radicalization is icky so we can't let people base their politics on their feelings]
I have a few issues with Ben Shapiro's epistemic hygiene, actually.
Yes, people becoming radicalized based on their feelings about things that are *literally not true* is extremely bad, and yes, Ben Shapiro is the poster child for "radicalized because he believes a bunch of shit that is demonstrably untrue".
The conservative rallying cry of "facts over feelings" is in fact a correct worldview, it's just that conservatives have incorrectly identified themselves as being on the "factual" side of the equation when they are driven almost entirely by their feelings (about things that are. and I cannot stress this enough. demonstrably untrue.)


















