I think it has a lot more to do with status quo preservation than truthseeking. If I’m Martha Corey living in Salem, I’m obviously not going to support the continued investigations into the witching activities of my neighbours and husband, and the last reason for that being the case is fear of the exposed truth that I’ve been casting hexes on the townsfolk all this time.
I think a much simpler explanation is that continued debate increases the chances I’m put on trial, and I’d much rather have the status quo of not debating whether I’m a witch preserved. If it were a social norm in Salem to run annual witching audits on the townsfolk, perhaps I’d support debate for not doing that any more. The witch hunting guild might point a kafkaesque finger at me in return because they’d much rather keep up the audits.
Up stands Elizabeth Hubbard who calmly explains that if no wrongdoing has taken place then no negative consequences will occur, and that she is concerned by the lack of clarity and accountability displayed by those who would shut down such discussions before they’ve even begun.
In your example, what makes Alice (Elizabeth) the guru and Bob (Martha) the siren?
I think it has a lot more to do with status quo preservation than truthseeking. If I’m Martha Corey living in Salem, I’m obviously not going to support the continued investigations into the witching activities of my neighbours and husband, and the last reason for that being the case is fear of the exposed truth that I’ve been casting hexes on the townsfolk all this time.
I think a much simpler explanation is that continued debate increases the chances I’m put on trial, and I’d much rather have the status quo of not debating whether I’m a witch preserved. If it were a social norm in Salem to run annual witching audits on the townsfolk, perhaps I’d support debate for not doing that any more. The witch hunting guild might point a kafkaesque finger at me in return because they’d much rather keep up the audits.
Up stands Elizabeth Hubbard who calmly explains that if no wrongdoing has taken place then no negative consequences will occur, and that she is concerned by the lack of clarity and accountability displayed by those who would shut down such discussions before they’ve even begun.
In your example, what makes Alice (Elizabeth) the guru and Bob (Martha) the siren?