I don't agree with this.
As is your right, and I completely respect that.
People have their own subjective feelings, but they are not rationally entitled to believe their own personal set of facts about reality (or subjective "truth"), especially if falsified by the preponderance of evidence.
While this is true, and I agree to some extent, especially when it involves civil matters / issues- but there's no real changing the fact that people are going to hold on to their beliefs no matter how right or wrong they are. Even if convinced by logic down the road, they'll still have held on to them before engaging with the person who convinces them otherwise. There is no changing this. Even if the belief is brought on, and perpetuated by false claims, evidence, or so on; people will hold onto them regardless, and it'd be in vain to try to change this for everyone. It simply wouldn't work, and as I've stated before, we're stubborn creatures who usually become stuck in our ways of thinking. For better or worse. People have a right to hold their own beliefs, they also have a right to defend their beliefs, and if their beliefs are wrong, they may just be so caught up in it to realize. While I get it may be annoying to have to deal with others that may not know or understand the topic on the same scope, it's not like we can invalidate their beliefs and / or feelings. Even if misguided, or wrong, they're still real to the individual, and they'll defend it as such. Even if I or anyone else disagrees with it. Yes, it can be annoying, and frustrating, but I've accepting at this point that you can't expect everyone to have a rational way of thinking and set of beliefs, there's no way to change this except by trying to offer a deeper understanding of the prospect in a manner that's respectable, well-informed, and civil, even if they disregard it then at least you tried. Which is more than a lot of people can say.
What I'm advocating is civil, rational, discourse, where people agree to abide by the rules of logic and to be moved by the weight of the evidence. An implication of this is that anyone involved in such discourse must willingly give up any false beliefs they have brought forth once evidence shows them to in error (this is a crucial aspect of rationality).
I wish this was possible, I really do. But this would mean a near flawless system carried by people who are willing to look past, or set aside their beliefs entirely, and sadly, most people don't have the will nor the patience to do so. I will always advocate for a system like this, and I will always try to discuss things logically, and in a civil manner, but it would be hopelessly optimistic to expect the same from everyone else. I wish that weren't the case, but it is. So I do agree with you, but I just don't see it happening anytime soon.
However, sadly, as seen in this thread, some participants will refuse such stipulations regarding the requirements of logic and evidence and continue to repeat false claims over and over, in spite of evidence to the contrary, seemingly based on a feeling of entitlement to their own version of reality/truth, and it is readily apparent that discussions can never make meaningful progress when engaging with interlocutors employing that strategy.
Which I see your point here. Sometimes one's overattachment to their own beliefs leads to a heavy bias that they are unable to see past. But even so, you can't change someone's nature to abide by their own beliefs. If someone is raised religious, and that belief is sustained into adult-hood, that means they were taught to look at the world a specific way, and that's all they've ever known. But in opposition, someone who wasn't raised religious may view everything about the world on an astronomically different scale. Both of these people were raised differently, have different beliefs, and may disagree with eachother, and we cannot change that if they initially do. This is one of the reasons that I accept people's entitlement to their own beliefs. Situations vary wildly from person to person, and experiences in life often shape the person they become. So even if their beliefs may seem wrong to another person, even if they are objectively wrong, they can't see past that. So of course they're going to feel entitled, and if we approach the situation in such a way that tells them they are not, it breeds nothing but resentment. This goes for everyone, no matter their beliefs, or situation.
But overall I agree with you, but I think I just see it in a slightly different way. I wish we could all lay down our pre-conceived notions and biases and discuss with rational civility. I really do. But I don't think it'll ever happen large-scale, especially with controversial topics. All we can hope for is to convince enough people so that we may be allowed to gain what we feel is needed.
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