Abstract
An immunizing strategy is an argument brought forward in support of a belief system, though independent from that belief system, which makes it more or less invulnerable to rational argumentation and/or empirical evidence. By contrast, an epistemic defense mechanism is defined as a structural feature of a belief system which has the same effect of deflecting arguments and evidence. We discuss the remarkable recurrence of certain patterns of immunizing strategies and defense mechanisms in pseudoscience and other belief systems. Five different types will be distinguished and analyzed, with examples drawn from widely different domains. The difference between immunizing strategies and defense mechanisms is analyzed, and their epistemological status is discussed. Our classification sheds new light on the various ways in which belief systems may achieve invulnerability against empirical evidence and rational criticism, and we propose our analysis as part of an explanation of these belief systems’ enduring appeal and tenacity.
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1 Introduction
Skeptics of pseudoscience and the paranormal have been amazed and sometimes exasperated about the enduring popularity of beliefs that are either very implausible or impossible from a scientific and rational perspective (Benassi, Singer et al. 1980; Shermer 2002; Hines 2003). Although many of these belief systems have been thoroughly debunked, the critical efforts of skeptics are mostly unavailing. In this paper, we discuss the remarkable recurrence of immunizing strategies and defense mechanisms, which play an important role in the tenacity of these belief systems. We define an ‘immunizing strategy’ as an argument brought forward in support of a belief system, though independent from that belief system, which makes it more or less invulnerable to rational argumentation and/or empirical evidence[1]. By contrast, an epistemic ‘defense mechanism’ is defined as an internal structural feature of a belief system, which has the same effect of deflecting rational arguments and empirical refutations.