[comment]: # (Compile this presentation with the command below) [comment]: # (mdslides docs.md --include dist) [comment]: # (...or by running the Makefile with "make") ### How to explore ideas & beliefs 1. [Establish rapport & informed consent](#/1) 2. [Find & clarify claim](#/2) 3. [Ask for & calibrate scaled confidence](#/3) 4. [Identify main reason](#/4) 5. [Explore & assess epistemology](#/5) 6. [End on a high note, with a good question](#/6) 7. [But first, consider…](#/7) 8. [Share & collaborate](#/8) \ Swipe ↓[about](#/0/1), →[continue](#/1)

#### What is Street Epistemology (SE)? * A way, th­rough dia­logue, to re­flect on the qua­lity of one's rea­so­ning. * A way to have bet­ter con­ver­sa­tions about con­ten­ti­ous topics. * A conversatio­nal tool­box for ex­plo­ring ideas and beliefs. * A community that prac­tices SE in a frien­dly en­vi­ron­ment. \ Swipe ↓[more](#/0/2), →[continue](#/1)

#### What is Epistemology? The field of Philosophy focusing on *how* we know what we know. <br> * *«How do we know if some­thing is true?»* * *«Which methods and tools can we employ to determine this?»* \ With SE we try to bring this out of academia and into everyday life. \ Swipe ↓[more](#/0/3), →[continue](#/1)

#### What is Introducing.SE? * It's a practical in­tro­duc­tion and over­view of Street Episte­mology (SE). * …a site for your phone, with use­ful tips for prac­ti­cing SE. * …a way to [share SE](#/8) with anyone interested. \ Swipe →[continue](#/1)

### 1. Establish rapport & informed consent * Establish a **friendly tone** & maintain it. * Show you're inter­ested & listening. * Show your curiosity; explore their ideas! * Share what you have in common. \ Swipe ↓[more](#/1/1), →[continue](#/2)

#### Politeness & intentions * Share [your intentions](#/7) upfront. * [Describe](#/0) or explain this method, and ask if they are open for this! * Recording? **Ask for consent**. * Offer to set a timer if they have limited time. \ Swipe ↓[more](#/1/2), →[continue](#/2)

#### Patience & practice *Keeping a frien­dly tone is critical for success*. <br> * *Be patient* – You may need to have a few «soft» chats before pro­ce­eding with a con­ten­tious topic. * *Don't offer facts* (also cal­led «topic re­but­tal»), un­less asked. * *Stay cool* – Avoiding *topic rebut­tal* may re­quire practice! * *Practice* – [SE may at first be easier with strangers](#/8). \ Swipe [↓](#/1/3) [→](#/2)

#### Adopt a learner's attitude * Be **Self-directed** – ask about what you find curious or confusing. * … **Open-minded** – there's always something to learn! * … **Single-minded** – focus on one topic until you grasp it. * and **Thorough** – don't just acknowledge, but try to *connect* ideas. \ *«I want to understand in order to explore.»* \ Swipe [↓](#/1/4) [→](#/2)

#### Ask, don't tell * ✅ *«Can you help me under­stand what you mean with…»* * ✅ *«Do I understand you correctly…»* * ✅ *«How do I explain to someone else…»* * ❌ *«Don't you think that…»* * ❌ *«Are you saying that…»* * ❌ *«How do you justify…»* \ Swipe [→](#/2)

### 2. Find & clarify claim * *«Do you have a claim you want to explore?»* * *«... a topic you wish more people knew of?»* * *«Would you mind if we explored this claim together?»* * Aim or a **single topic**. * Phrase the topic in the form of a claim. * Ask if it's a good claim to explore together. \ *Don't rush when considering claims!*

#### Clarifying terms *«True»* vs. *«True for me»* vs. *«True for all.»* <br> * *«What do you mean when you say …?»* * In your own words, **repeat** what you hear. * Have them **confirm** if you under­stand correctly. * Identify, clarify & qualify confusing words. * Use *their* de­fini­tions. \ *Take notes!*

#### Good & bad claims * ✅ Claim is specific & clear. * ✅ …Foundational or im­portant. * ✅ *«I believe …»* * ❌ *«I don't believe …»* * ⚠️ …Trivial or obvious. * ⚠️ Stop if the claim supports a [Safety Net](#/2/3)!

#### ⚠️ Stopping early A *Safety Net* is a belief that pre­vents an individual from doing harm to them­selves or others. \ *«My Belief helped me be­come sober, and without it I would probably drink myself to death.»* \ SE is not always the right tool to use, and **SE is not for therapy**. Please do no harm!

### 3. Ask for & calibrate scaled confidence * *«How **confident** are you X is true?»* 0–100% * *«What would move you up just a bit?»* * *«What would move you down?»* * *«What could change your mind?»*

#### Exploring confidence * At 100%, *«Would any­thing increase your con­fidence even higher?»* * *«How would physical evidence change your con­fidence?»* * At 0%, *«What reasons do you think others have for being higher?»* * Above 0%, *«Why not lower?»* * Below 100%, *«Why not higher?»*

#### Pre-contemplative — or not? * 100% or 0% con­fidence may indicate they are pre-­con­tem­pla­tive. * Maybe explore a «softer» topic first? * …Or ask them if they'd like to re­cali­brate their con­fidence! \ *«If there is still room to be­come more con­fi­dent, what would you re­cali­brate your cur­rent con­fi­dence to?»*

### 4. Identify main reason * **What reasons** and methods did they use to arrive at their belief? * Assess the reliability of these reasons. * What methods were used to determine a reason was sound? * If these methods are un­reli­able, would the as­sess­ment change?

#### Exploring underlying reasons * *«If this reason was un­avail­able to you, would it change your con­fi­dence?»* * *«…if so, how would it change?»* * *«…and if not, **what else** is keeping you at your confidence level?»* * [Switching topic](#/2) or focusing on [another reason](#/4) is fine! \ *«Claim 2 seems to be important for your belief in claim 1. Would you mind if we explore it instead?»*

#### Many small, or a few large * *A thousand small rea­sons, or a few big ones*? — explore to under­stand the back­ground of the claim. * With many small, ask how each in­flu­en­ces their confidence. * Is this influence ad­ditive (& may surpass 100%) or mul­tipli­ca­tive (& may never reach 100%)? * Let them re­cali­brate their con­fi­dence as you explore. \ *When you're done, restate & sum­marize their reason(s).*

### 5. Explore & assess reliablility Is our epistemology reliable? Let's assess. <br> * *«How did you arrive at the reason?»* * *«Was a method used to determine the reason was sound?»* * *«How can we de­termine if this method is reliable?»* \ *«If a method or a reason is un­reli­able, how does this affect our as­sess­ment?»*

#### The key goal of SE * Explore the reliability of methods used when forming a belief. * *How* questions are bet­ter than *Why* & *What.* * Embrace their pauses, allow them to think! * *«Let's go through the steps together.»* * *«How can we be con­fident if our methods aren't reliable?»*

#### Explore reliability I **The outsider test** – *«Would some­one using your rea­sons, but coming from a different starting point reach the same conclusion?»* **The consultant test** – *«How would you evaluate this claim if it was **not** your own?»* **The double standard test** – *«Am I judging other people’s reasoning by a standard I wouldn’t apply to myself?»*

#### Explore reliability II **The conformity test** – *«If other people no longer held this belief, to what extent would you still hold it?»* **The status quo bias test** – *«If your current claim was not the status quo, would you still actively choose it?»* **The selective skeptic test** – *«If the same reasoning supported a different or opposing conclusion, how credible would you judge it to be?»*

#### Recognizing unreliable reasons * ❌ [Informal fallacies](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies#Informal_fallacies), like *Appeals to auth­ority*, *ig­no­rance* or *tradition.* * ❌ [Cognitive biases](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_bias#List_of_biases), like *Con­fir­mation bias*, *Av­ail­abi­lity heu­ris­tic* and *Moti­vated reasoning.* * ❌ Sources don't pass [the C.R.A.A.P. test](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRAAP_test). \ *«If a text only offers thoughts I agree with, how can I know it is truthful?»*

### 6. End on a high note, with a good question * The best endings offer food for thought! * Try to end on a posi­tive note, with *wonder* or *[aporia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aporia)*. * Success? – You have it when **both are happy** to have had the con­ver­sation. * If you can, offer to con­tinue the chat later. * Maybe give them a printed [Introducing.SE card](dist/media/introducing-se-card-2022-01.pdf)?

#### A reason to return Some conversations may re­quire several sessions. Give them reasons to look forward to them! \ *«That was a good ques­tion. You're making me think!»*

### 7. But first, consider… *Before engaging in SE, ask your­self some questions.* <br> * What's your goal? To learn, em­path­ize or help them change their mind? * Are you open to learn and change your own mind too? * What is it you *really* want to achieve? * As you proceed, expect your goals and intentions to show. * Share your intentions upfront!

#### Personal preparations * Expect them to dislike *scripted* conversations. * …or «interviewing». * …or leading questions. * …or overt «messaging». * …or being em­barrassed. * …or made to feel cornered. \ *— Listen actively and without pre­sump­tion.*

#### Practical preparations *Depending on your situation, you may also want to…* <br> * Bring something to take notes with. * Bring a friend! Let them listen in, without par­ti­ci­pation. * Optionally, bring an audio recorder for your own use or for sharing. * Optionally, bring a timer.

### 8. Share & collaborate * [Share this](#/8/1) and your ex­peri­ences with others in the Street Episte­mology com­munity! * You can find the SE com­munity on [Discord](https://discord.gg/sKap3zM) and [elsewhere](https://streetepistemology.com/community). * Practice and learn in a friendly environment! * Find SE videos, blogs, tutorials, books and other resources on [streetepistemology.com](https://streetepistemology.com/). * Looking for another view on SE? Check the [Street Epistemology Basics](https://streetepistemology.com/blog/street-epistemology-the-basics).

[](https://streetepistemology.com) ###### Street Epistemology [](https://introducing.se) ###### Introducing.SE

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