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Debunker

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A debunker is a person or organization that exposes or discredits claims believed to be false, exaggerated, or pretentious.<ref name=dict>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} "to expose or excoriate (a claim, assertion, sentiment, etc.) as being pretentious, false, or exaggerated: to debunk advertising slogans."</ref> The term is often associated with skeptical investigation of controversial topics such as UFOs, claimed paranormal phenomena, cryptids, conspiracy theories, alternative medicine, religion, exploratory or fringe areas of scientific, or pseudoscientific research.

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, to "debunk" is defined as: "to expose the sham or falseness of."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The New Oxford American Dictionary defines "debunk" as "expose the falseness or hollowness of (a myth, idea, or belief)".<ref>The New Oxford American Dictionary, second edition, 2005</ref>

If debunkers are not careful, their communications may backfire – increasing an audience's long-term belief in myths. Backfire effects can occur if a message spends too much time on the negative case, if it is too complex, or if the message is threatening.<ref name=DHand/>

EtymologyEdit

The American Heritage Dictionary traces the passage of the words "bunk" (noun), "debunk" (verb) and "debunker" (noun) into American English in 1923 as a belated outgrowth of "bunkum". The first recorded use of the words was in 1828, apparently related to a poorly received "speech for Buncombe County, North Carolina" given by North Carolina representative Felix Walker during the 16th United States Congress (1819–1821).<ref name="ahd">Template:Cite book</ref>

The term "debunk" originated in a 1923 novel Bunk, by American journalist and popular historian W. E. Woodward (1874–1950), who used it to mean to "take the bunk out of things".<ref name="bunk">Template:Cite book</ref>

The term "debunkery" is not limited to arguments about scientific validity; it is also used in a more general sense at attempts to discredit any opposing point of view, such as that of a political opponent.

Notable debunkersEdit

AncientEdit

  • Cicero debunked divination in his philosophical treatise De Divinatione in 44 BCE.
  • Sextus Empiricus debunked the claims of astrologers and dogmatic philosophers (c. 160 CE)
  • Lucian wrote a book named Alexander the False Prophet against mystic and oracle Alexander of Abonoteichus (c. 105 – c. 170 CE) who led the Glycon cult then widely popular in the Roman Empire. He described Alexander's alleged miracles as tricks, including the appearance of the god Glycon being an elaborate puppet.<ref>Joseph Hilarius Eckhel, Doctrma Nummorum veterum, ii. pp. 383, 384</ref> Lucian also describes him as using thuggery against critics to silence them, including himself.<ref>"Alexander the False Prophet," translated with annotation by A. M. Harmon, Loeb Classical Library, 1936. [1]</ref>

ModernEdit

  • Stephen Barrett founded Quackwatch and writes on medical quackery.<ref>"Area parents seek answer for Autism", Times Leader, April 1, 2002, "That is coincidence, said Dr. Stephen Barrett of Allentown, a veteran debunker and operator of Quackwatch.com."</ref>
  • Adam Conover hosted the television series Adam Ruins Everything which debunks several misconceptions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Dorothy Dietrich is a professional magician and Houdini expert and historian. Has been put in charge of Houdini's grave site, and is the founder of The Houdini Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Stanton Friedman has debunked both supposed UFO cases and debunking attempts on other UFO cases.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Martin Gardner was a mathematics and science writer who extensively debunked parapsychology in his magazine articles and books.<ref name= SI10>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She has focused her skeptical activism at debunking celebrity "psychics" such as Sylvia Brown, Chip Coffey, Tyler Henry and Thomas John.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was known for being the most fierce critic of Sathya Sai Baba and his frauds.<ref name="BBC Premanand" />

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Notable organizationsEdit

Backfire effectsEdit

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The authors of the Debunking Handbook warn that a failed debunking can actually worsen misconceptions. They recommend simple, positive, and emotionally sensitive education (e.g., bolstering the learner's ego, or avoiding threatening words).

Australian Professorial Fellow Stephan Lewandowsky<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and John Cook, Climate Communication Fellow for the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland (and author at Skeptical Science)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> co-wrote Debunking Handbook,<ref name=DHand>Template:Cite book</ref> in which they warn that debunking efforts may backfire. Backfire effects occur when science communicators accidentally reinforce false beliefs by trying to correct them,<ref>Silverman, Craig (June 17, 2011). "The Backfire Effect: More on the press’s inability to debunk bad information". Columbia Journalism Review, Columbia University (New York City).</ref> a phenomenon known as belief perseverance.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Cook and Lewandowsky offer possible solutions to the backfire effects as described in different psychological studies. They recommend spending little or no time describing misconceptions because people cannot help but remember ideas that they have heard before. They write "Your goal is to increase people's familiarity with the facts."<ref name=DHand/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> They recommend providing fewer and clearer arguments, considering that more people recall a message when it is simpler and easier to read. "Less is more" is especially important because scientific truths can get overwhelmingly detailed; pictures, graphs, and memorable tag lines all help keep things simple.<ref name=DHand/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The authors write that debunkers should try to build up people's egos in some way before confronting false beliefs because it is difficult to consider ideas that threaten one's worldviews<ref name=DHand/><ref>Template:Cite journal Pdf. Template:Webarchive</ref> (i.e., threatening ideas cause cognitive dissonance). It is also advisable to avoid words with negative connotations.<ref name=DHand/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The authors describe studies which have shown that people abhor incomplete explanations – they write "In the absence of a better explanation, [people] opt for the wrong explanation". It is important to fill in conceptual gaps, and to explain the cause of the misconception in the first place.<ref name=DHand/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The authors believe these techniques can reduce the odds of a "backfire" – that an attempt to debunk bad science will increase the audience's belief in misconceptions.

The Debunking Handbook, 2020, explains that "backfire effects occur only occasionally and the risk of occurrence is lower in most situations than once thought". The authors recommend to "not refrain from attempting to debunk or correct misinformation out of fear that doing so will backfire or increase beliefs in false information".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

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