According to Simon Hill, the primary goal of a pseudoscientist when engaging in public discourse is not to be held accountable to facts, logic, and science, but rather to tell stories that support their narrative, position themselves as a guru, and often, to sell products or services.
This video discusses the challenges and futility of engaging in debates with pseudoscientists. Simon Hill shares a personal experience debating a doctor who advocated for an all-steak diet and explains why such debates are often unproductive, highlighting the pseudoscientist's tendency to avoid direct answers, use anecdotal evidence ("storyland"), and employ tactics like the "Gish Gallop" to overwhelm opponents with misinformation. The video also touches on the importance of expertise, understanding the opponent's tactics, and having a moderated environment for a debate to be potentially successful.
Simon Hill believes two essential conditions are necessary to consider debating a pseudoscientist:
The "Gish Gallop" is a debate tactic, named after creationist Duane Gish, where one person rapidly presents a large number of misconceptions, false claims, or misleading statements.
It's effective for pseudoscientists in debates because:
Here are some examples and metaphors used in the video:
The video also uses the following examples and metaphors: