Beating "Street Epistemologists": Stay At The Higher Level Frame
An example from PU on "staying at your higher level of choice":
Losing the high-frame
Epistemologist: how do you know God exists
Believer: it's in the scriptures
Epistemologist: what if someone showed that the scriptures have inconsistencies and lies, would you then agree that it's fair to call into question that they're word of God
Believer: they don't have inconsistencies
Epistemologist: oh, about that, let me show you...
The believer here never had any frame to go into.
He just followed.
And he's following from higher, to lower.
Now he'll have to defend single lines against an opponent who's prepared his onslaught in advance, which is next to impossible and will him make him seem illogical, obstinate, and... Defensive.
And defensive people look wrong.
Holding to the higher-level frame
Much better is:
Epistemologist: how do you know God exists
You: I just know
Epistemologist: I get it, I get it, I've also read the Bible, and.. . (trying to take you from high-level, to lower-level specifics)
You: Look man, I see what you're doing, but you got this all wrong. This is not something you can prove or disprove, rationalize or work your way into with logic (denies the validity of his approach) It's a force that you can feel (stays at his higher level of choice). And it's either you feel it, or you don't (power move).
I'm sorry for you if you haven't been blessed yet, and I pray for you that you will soon (and ends with a power move 🙂
Then never budge from that higher-level frame: there is no proving or disproving, I believe and I know because I feel, you don't (yet).