How To Talk To People With Radically Different Beliefs
Understanding 'Delusions', Conspiracy Beliefs, and Epistemic Justice with Lisa Bortolotti
In everyday life, we might label irrational, illogical, or absurd beliefs as ‘delusional’, and dismiss the person who expresses them on these grounds. This tendency is common when it comes to conspiracy beliefs or beliefs held by individuals labeled with psychosis, where such views are frequently pathologized. But can beliefs themselves really be pathological? What if they can also be meaningful, informative, and important? We all hold some beliefs that, to others, might appear “delusional.” Communicating more effectively with those whose beliefs differ radically from our own is a crucial skill to develop.
Lisa Bortolotti, philosopher and author of “Why Delusions Matter” advocates for a more compassionate approach—one that respects the agency of those with unconventional beliefs. Especially in a world of increasing political divide and a loss of trust in our broader systems, media, and government, it’s crucial to be able to find some common ground and develop the capacity to listen well.
In this episode we discuss:
The roles of curiosity and compassion when engaging with those who hold fundamentally different beliefs
Why delusions in clinical and everyday contexts share significant similarities
How conspiracy thinking often stems from a legitimate loss of trust and can serve adaptive purposes
The potential value and meaning embedded in delusional beliefs
Why epistemic justice is essential
Lisa Bortolotti is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham, working in the philosophy of psychology and interested in belief, agency, self-knowledge, and mental health. Her latest book is Why Delusions Matter (Bloomsbury, 2023) and she is the editor in chief of Philosophical Psychology (a Taylor and Francis journal). Lisa is the founder of the Imperfect Cognitions blog, and of The Philosophy Garden, a virtual philosophy museum gathering resources to bring philosophy to everyone. Currently, Lisa is co-investigator in project EPIC, a six-year project funded by a Wellcome Discovery Award, investigating epistemic injustice in healthcare.
Links
Launch of project EPIC: What interests me about epistemic injustice. (Project EPIC, 2024). Brief video.
Delusions and Philosophy (Awais Aftab's Mixed Bag Psychiatry at the Margins series, 2023). Online article.
How to give young people agency in mental health. (McPin Foundation, 2021). Podcast.
Why Delusions Matter by Lisa Bortolotti
The Mad Studies Reader: Interdisciplinary Innovations in Mental Health is out now!
The last few years have brought increased writings from activists, artists, scholars, and concerned clinicians that cast a critical and constructive eye on psychiatry, mental health care, and the cultural relations of mental difference. With particular focus on accounts of lived experience and readings that cover issues of epistemic and social injustice in mental health discourse, the Mad Studies Reader brings together voices that advance anti-sanist approaches to scholarship, practice, art, and activism in this realm. Voices from these groups confront and challenge standard approaches to mental difference.
This collection will be of interest to mental health clinicians; students and scholars of the arts, humanities and social sciences; and anyone who has been affected by mental difference, directly or indirectly, who is curious to explore new perspectives.
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Sessions & Information about the host: JazmineRussell.com
Disclaimer: The DEPTH Work Podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Any information on this podcast in no way to be construed or substituted as psychological counseling, psychotherapy, mental health counseling, or any other type of therapy or medical advice.