notes:Skeptical 2019 Program - San Francisco:science_communication_and_conspiracy_theorists
Skeptical 2019 Program - San Francisco
Science Communication and Conspiracy Theorists
Science Communication
Science Promotion
Science Explaining
A cautionary Tale
Chemtrails
So do I understand Rainbows?
quantum physics? No
Maxwlls equations - a little
Huygens principle - sort of
* fermats principle - maybe, but I dont like it
Snells law - yes
Sunlight on raindrops - reasonable
What this Rainbow Experience Taught ME
Leonard Tramiel knows more physics than me
Most people will never really understand rainbows
Explaing “Whhy…” is a rabbit hole, dont go too deep and get lost!
Focu on “what” and “when”, and not “how” and “why”
What to tell the Sprinkler Lady?
What to tell conspiracy theorists
tailor to the individual
Determine your shared reality, your common ground, basic points of science agreed on
What did they miss?
Keep it as simple as possible, but no simpler. Leverage existing knowledge
Don’t over-explain
Show, don’t tell
Keep the science at hand, just in case
Chembows
Popular in chemtrails program as evidence of things being sprayed in the air
Halos and arcs
atoptics.co.uk/halo
Oily Chembows
More swear colors, like oil on pavement
Described as “insane oily” “spill” looking type clouds in the sky
Rainbows three ways
Diffraction is not interference (or is it?)
Woodcut from 1500’s
sundogs - sideways halos next to the sun
drawing of halos and Coronas
these things have been seen for thousands of years - Aristotle in his book on meteorology
These things have existed for a long time - this effective technique, especially for chem trail people
books on clouds and weather - descriptions match what they are seeing and calling contrails.
Show them its not new
showing them it is real, is a part of the journey - its not near
Green Flash on Flat Earth
Science Communication and Conspiracy Theorists
Science Communication
Science Promotion
Science Explaining
A cautionary Tale
Chemtrails
So do I understand Rainbows?
quantum physics? No
Maxwlls equations - a little
Huygens principle - sort of
* fermats principle - maybe, but I dont like it
Snells law - yes
Sunlight on raindrops - reasonable
What this Rainbow Experience Taught ME
Leonard Tramiel knows more physics than me
Most people will never really understand rainbows
Explaing “Whhy…” is a rabbit hole, dont go too deep and get lost!
Focu on “what” and “when”, and not “how” and “why”
What to tell the Sprinkler Lady?
What to tell conspiracy theorists
tailor to the individual
Determine your shared reality, your common ground, basic points of science agreed on
What did they miss?
Keep it as simple as possible, but no simpler. Leverage existing knowledge
Don’t over-explain
Show, don’t tell
Keep the science at hand, just in case
Chembows
Popular in chemtrails program as evidence of things being sprayed in the air
Halos and arcs
atoptics.co.uk/halo
Oily Chembows
More swear colors, like oil on pavement
Described as “insane oily” “spill” looking type clouds in the sky
Rainbows three ways
Diffraction is not interference (or is it?)
Woodcut from 1500’s
sundogs - sideways halos next to the sun
drawing of halos and Coronas
these things have been seen for thousands of years - Aristotle in his book on meteorology
These things have existed for a long time - this effective technique, especially for chem trail people
books on clouds and weather - descriptions match what they are seeing and calling contrails.
Show them its not new
showing them it is real, is a part of the journey - its not near
Green Flash on Flat Earth
Sometimes happens right as the sun is setting. Supposedly a proof of flat earth
Someone explained because light bends down, red is at the top, but in this green is on the top, that is supposed to mean light is bending upwards, to give optical illusion, that earth is flat.
Use prism - black out one side of it. Fake sun, round globe light.
Nathan Thompson - very hardcore
He took the prism and held it upside down, and made the light bend the other way.
Told him “look at the prism it is the key to everything”
He admitted it got him thinking - “I will admit you got me thinking about the green flash argument I’ve been using this prism you gave me. I’m going to test it more.
Just getting the first step out of the rabbit hole is a victory
Biology
Covering, physics, biology, chemistry
What color is blood
carmine? Burgundy? Chili red?
what about boston marathon bombing 2013
several photos had blood on ground
it looks candy apple red, as if it is paint - conspiracy theorists say this means it was staged
color depends on the oxygen content
Wikipedia article on different colors of blood
books on hematology
Newton and 9/11
Conspiracy theorists claim laws of motion were disproved.
Head of architects for 9/11 truth. He thinks he is demonstrating with cardboard boxes - he is over simplifying
Chemtrails - aluminum + barium + strontium = ?
They test for this because they think it is a signature.
Problem is that these are common elements in natures crust.
Examples:
sandstone - composed of all kinds of chemicals
map of the United States and amounts of aluminum in the rocks
difference between aluminum in compounds, and in metals
what is different between elements and compounds? Very confusing explanations on the internet. Very confusing.
What are elements, substances, molecules
Trying to make simplest explanation possible
aluminum as metal, as rock, as atoms tested
Abundance of elements in earths crust
Not practical to teach conspiracy theorists in short time. Show dont tell.
Summary
science education is idea
but not always practical in sound bite
eseciall for conspiracy theorists
show, dont tell
explain what and when, not how and why
but keep the science close, use as much as possible
it does work (in my experience)
thank you!