Just don’t believe it. It’s a convenient thing to say when the reaction to your accusation happens to be anger. If they don’t get angry it must be true also because, um, they knew already and it isn’t surprising, etc. Also, if they run away that means they are a witch and if they stay they are a witch.
That is certainly true. Taking such a saying to heart can basically make you just another crank ranting about how this is just like what happened to Galileo.
But it is often useful to remember that making a more moderate statement can actually get you in more trouble, precisely because it seems more believable to someone who’s far away from you on the inferential chain. Thinking about it again, I see that the original quote will be more often employed in the first meaning than in this one.
Does anyone have a good quote that captures the spirit I wanted to convey?
Just don’t believe it. It’s a convenient thing to say when the reaction to your accusation happens to be anger. If they don’t get angry it must be true also because, um, they knew already and it isn’t surprising, etc. Also, if they run away that means they are a witch and if they stay they are a witch.
That is certainly true. Taking such a saying to heart can basically make you just another crank ranting about how this is just like what happened to Galileo.
But it is often useful to remember that making a more moderate statement can actually get you in more trouble, precisely because it seems more believable to someone who’s far away from you on the inferential chain. Thinking about it again, I see that the original quote will be more often employed in the first meaning than in this one.
Does anyone have a good quote that captures the spirit I wanted to convey?