Fact and Prejudice (PDF)

Everywhere you encounter conspiracy myths, superstition, esotericism, pseudoscience and Co. and you want to respond to them - while remaining as factual as possible, clarify your point of view, provide facts, but also not unnecessarily provoke or overload. In addition, you do not want to hurt your counterpart, but to encourage him to rethink. But how do you do that?

If you are asking yourself this question, read "Fact and Prejudice". Understand why we are driven by emotions and most information bounces off us. Read experiences and tips from interviews with professional (science) communicators. Then follow different people through their own rethinking processes: What convinces an alternative medicine practitioner to leave non-evidence-based medicine behind? What was the deciding factor for a former vaccination opponent to have her children vaccinated after all? What helps members of appropriative organizations to get out? What moves a celebrated medium to break away from esotericism?

This book is for anyone who worries about or doesn't know how to communicate with people who have irrational worldviews - whether it's with family, friends, anonymously on the Internet, or at work. The authors give concrete tips on discussions and situations, and also help you decide when it's important to engage and when it's better to withdraw.

Holm Hümmler studied physics and completed his doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich. After longer research stays at CERN, among others, he now works independently as a management consultant. Among other things, he is involved in the skeptics' organization GWUP with lectures and articles.

Ulrike Schiesser studied psychology at the University of Vienna and accompanies people through processes of rethinking and change at the Austrian Federal Agency for Sectarian Issues. She is an expert for conflicts in the field of esotericism, for personality cults, authoritarian and appropriating group structures and conspiracy theories.