Facing facts and their 'alternatives'

摘要

At a recent science communicators' conference, the audience was set a challenge. We were asked to think of ways to convince the arachnophobic delegates in the room to each keep a pet huntsman in their car for a month. Having arachnophobic tendencies myself (for the larger varieties, at least), I was really struck by the futility of confronting irrational thoughts with facts.