The Demand Side of Denial

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We need to keep science in the foreground, and we want people to understand the benefits of science. Who is it that wants them to deny and doubt and why? And who does that serve? It's s seldom serving the individual. As we can tell right now, as people are filling the hospitals once again, that's somehow being duped to think that this is not real. I don't need accinate. The vaccination is going to be more harmful than actually getting the disease. All the erroneous mythology that people have poured into them is just, it's tragic and tat misinformation is killing people right now, right?

Michael Shermer speaks with Gale Sinatra and Barbara Hofer about the key psychological explanations for science denial and doubt that can help provide a means for improving scientific literacy and understanding — critically important at a time when denial has become deadly. Sinatra and Hofer offer tools for addressing science denial and explain both the importance of science education and its limitations, show how science communicators may inadvertently contribute to the problem, and explain how the internet and social media foster misinformation and disinformation. The authors focus on key psychological constructs such as reasoning biases, social identity, epistemic cognition, and emotions and attitudes that limit or facilitate public understanding of science, and describe solutions for individuals, educators, science communicators, and policy makers. If you have ever wondered why science denial exists, want to know how to understand your own biases and those of others, and would like to address the problem, this book will provide the insights you are seeking.