An interesting article about how facts don't help, link from Julian below. One of the cultural things I like about the community around mySociety is our susceptibility to facts. It's key to our non-partisanship. More fundamentally though, it's a built in geek trait.
We admit when we're wrong. I think that as a quality it is a little unsung. It might be useful to be a bit more explicit about championing it, if only to make it spread more. And also, as the article shows, to know the facts of its limits. << This effect is only heightened by the information glut, which offers — alongside an unprecedented amount of good information — endless rumors, misinformation, and questionable variations on the truth. In other words, it’s never been easier for people to be wrong, and at the same time feel more certain that they’re right. >> ----- Forwarded message from Julian Todd <[email protected]> ----- Maybe we could trace down the actual academic studies on this one: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/07/11/how_facts_backfire/?page=full Found this article following Clay Johnsons tweets Julian. ----- End forwarded message ----- Francis _______________________________________________ Mailing list [email protected] Archive, settings, or unsubscribe: https://secure.mysociety.org/admin/lists/mailman/listinfo/developers-public
