Candidate 2 would require a rewiring of humans about the system how status is perceived.

I know it's possible, since I've rewired myself in this way, and it wasn't particularly difficult. Am I really that weird?

Candidate 3 just does not work. Talk with people about the image they have what scientists do all day. It is bad. Especially when you go to New Agers.

You don't have to use the word "science". As Darmani put it, "If it moves, you can test it." Follow up with an explanation of why a particular claim is testable, and how to test it. For example, if someone claims that he can tell the difference between an empty water jug and a full water jug with a dowsing rod, then it's easy enough to test it.

I've used this exact approach on quite a few people, and it seems to do a pretty good job of banishing their claims that whatever we're arguing about is untestable. I wouldn't bet on them generalizing this lesson, though.

seek out good counterarguments for whichever position you find

The sticking point here is "good". Most people settle for really crappy counterarguments, including straw-man counterarguments concocted by people who agree with them.