Crucial Skills®

I have a question about FACTS. There has been increasing public debate over facts and, it seems, increased disregard for science. I’ve seen this at work and home. For example, my mother-in-law suggested that my wife and I buy a certain crib when our baby was born. When we showed her the crib had been proven to harm babies and was banned, she said, “Well that study is wrong.”

At work people continually speak of “learning styles” even though the initial study that forwarded the idea has been disproven. Again, facts and research will indicate one thing, but people will still rely on their gut feeling.

So, how do you hold a conversation with someone who refuses to acknowledge evidence related to the disagreement? I’m not referring to differences of opinions, but to disregarding facts or evidence. I can see how Seeking Mutual Purpose might help, but the debate over evidence still takes a lot of energy. Where should I start?