The Science of Corona Virises

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The public, on the one hand, am you know, wanted the scientists to figure this corona viris out in five minutes. And was extremely frustrated by the flip flopping back to that idea of the changing recommendations of public policy around emerging science. But at the same nutth same time, later on, when they did know more, they were sceptical of of the overwhelming knowledge. So we we have to get public understanding of the nature of science itself.

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.