I don’t believe we are, because I know of no evidence of the following:
evolutionarily speaking, a big function of system 2 is to function as a decoy/shield mechanism for keeping ideas out of a person. And increasing a person’s skill at system 2 reasoning just increases their resistance to ideas.
Perhaps one or both of us misunderstands the model. Here is a better description of the two.
Originally, I was making a case that attempting to reason was the wrong strategy. Given your interpretation, it looks like pjeby didn’t understand I was suggesting that, and then suggested essentially the same thing.
My experience, across various believers (Christian, Jehovah’s Witness, New Age woo-de-doo) is that system 2 is never engaged on the defensive, and the sort of rationalization we’re talking about never uses it. Instead, they construct and explain rationalizations that are narratives. I claim this largely because I observed how “disruptable” they were during explanations—not very.
How to approach changing belief: avoid resistance by avoiding the issue and finding something at the periphery of belief. Assist in developing rational thinking where the person has no resistance, and empower them. Strategically, them admitting their mistake is not the goal. It’s not even in the same ballpark. The goal is rational empowerment.
Part of the problem, which I know has been mentioned here before, is unfamiliarity with fallacies and what they imply. When we recognize fallacies, most of the time it’s intuitive. We recognize a pattern likely to be a fallacy, and respond. We’ve built up that skill in our toolbox, but it’s still intuitive, like a chess master who can walk by a board and say “white mates in three.”
I was part of a meetup on “alternative energy” (to see if actual engineers went to the things—I didn’t want to date a solar cell) when I got an all-group email from the group founder about an “event” concerning The Secret* and a great opportunity to make money. Turned out it was a “green” multi-level marketing scam he was deep in, and they were combining it with the The Secret. Being naive, at first I said I didn’t think the event was appropriate, assuming it might lead to some discussion. He immediately slandered me to the group, but I managed to send out an email detailing his connections to the scam before I was banned from the group. I did get a thank you from one of the members, at least.
I looked through meetup and found many others connected to him. Their basic routine involves paying the meetup group startup cost, having a few semi-legit meetings, and then using their meetup group as a captive audience.
I admit, I was surprised. I know it’s not big news, but the new social web has plenty of new social scammers, and they’re running interference. It’s hard to get a strong, clear message out when opportunists know how to capitalize on easy money: people wanting to feel and signal like they’re doing something. I honestly don’t think seasteading can even touch that audience, but then again, I’m not sure you’d want to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_(2006_film)