The Backfire Effect: Why Facts Don’t Win Arguments

What should be evident from the studies on the backfire effect is you can never win an argument online. When you start to pull out facts and figures, hyperlinks and quotes, you are making the opponent feel as though they are even more sure of their position than before you started the debate. As they match your fervor, the same thing happens in your skull. The backfire effect pushes both of you deeper into your original beliefs.

Many Martial artist claim I’m not an internet warrior, but in modern era Internet wars are common. Unfortunately, the internet warrior uses the safety of been in a distant to slander. People with big EGO and Flexible moral who like to critic’s others and stand on their shoulders just to seem to be taller.

Mostly it is between open minded teachers that will try any idea, to closed minded teachers. The second will block them self and more sadly their students from opening their mind as its scare them that the students may find that there is more than One solution. An open mind is a mind that is receptive to new ideas and information. Opposed to a closed mind which will reject ideas and is stuck in my way is the only way.

Another Philological effect is the Inferiority Syndrome – Martial artist that believe that what they do is best and Only way. That, leading their minds to The Dunning-Kruger effect – in the field of psychology, the Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias wherein people of low ability suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly assessing their cognitive ability as greater than it is.

It occurs where people fail to adequately assess their level of competency — or specifically, their incompetency — at a task and thus consider themselves much more competent than everyone else. This lack of awareness is attributed to their lower level of competence robbing them of the ability to critically analyze their performance, leading to a significant overestimation of themselves.

In simple words it’s “people who are too stupid to know how stupid they are”.

The inverse also applies: competent people tend to underestimate their ability compared to others; this is known as impostor syndrome.

That get us into internet wars and many times I heard friends say I’m not an internet warrior, but a warrior is a warrior no matter what be the battle field Internet, or any part of life and best example is Socrates

Socrates the Soldier – Most people think of Socrates (470-399 BC) as a, old philosopher.  People are often surprised to learn that Socrates was, in fact, also a decorated military hero, renowned among other army veterans for his courage on the battlefield, and for his extraordinary endurance and self-discipline.  Some scholars believe that it was actually Socrates’ heroism at the Battle of Delium that catapulted him to fame in Athens.

In the Book the Republic he set the first solider or warrior issue –

Solider thinking if we assault and win we can do it even without me any way, as some will loss life even when win, if we loss why should I risk myself? I better stay behind, and we call this moral issue ” fix your shoe ” as one droop and tell his friend I just fix my shoe and join you.

Moral and warrior code didn’t start today on Internet, but for sure the internet can be a stage to equations that are legit, but the sad part is that most internet warriors are only open to slanders and critics others and once get answer they run hide behind backfire effect.

Maybe it’s because “selfish gene” via “altruism gene” that help the once with more selfish and less skills better way and hope to survive.

As I read Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies.” Gore Vidal 

Some time its Human weakness and happiness to see someone fall and fail to feel stronger.

Some Martial arts will ” have Based ” their skills on statistics (BTW without FACTS) and about statistic already said ‘Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.‘ it’s made most to prove your point BUT not a Fact.

It can go into character murder mostly done as a purpose, Understanding the power of Media and Google by using it as business weapon, and direct slanders to try take someone better than you out of the” game”.

While some get slander on line No friends or students or colleague try defending them, and it may part of the bystander effect, or bystander apathy. It is a social psychological phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present and on Internet so many people present so no one feel it’s his obligation to defend his friend or teacher that get slandered.

Using again the “Genovese Syndrome” as 38 people witness murder but No one did anything, the same applies to the Internet. Character murder on people with know that the syndrome will work, and no one will do nothing, mostly for the lack of ” Open Mind “.

Let’s keep open mind and good attitude on the internet. keep open mind and educate our self as what is the meaning of open minds

“” It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

—Attributed to Aristotle

© Copyright 2018 Avi Nardia w/Aleks Nardia & Edited by David Meltzer