slowmutant wrote:
What views are we talking about? Religious views?
It doesn't matter.
It could be something as simple as "Coke v. Pepsi" or as complex as "String Theory v. Quantum Chronodynamics" or as foundational as "Theist v. Atheist."
If someone wants to change my views, then they need to provide, on demand, a practical demonstration of their beliefs, do so repeatedly, and be prepared to accept a critical examination of every aspect of their demonstration.
Thus, the burden of proof is always one the asserting party (and not on any person that merely requests evidence), and the grandiosity of the evidence must match the grandiosity of the claim.
Example of the Grandiosity Principle: If someone tells me that he can hook me up with
any woman of my choice, and is willing to bet money on it, then I am going to choose the most unwilling woman I can think of, while still maintaining a
reasonable level of accessibility. Of course, she would have to be alive, living nearby, free to refuse, and nothing illegal or immoral could take place (no drugging or kidnapping, for instance).
(I used to win that bet about twice a year while in the military - every time we'd get a new rotation of enlisteds. There was always one guy who thought that he was First Pimp to the World.)