Divergence in Climate Change Beliefs based on Scientific Intelligence

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As scientific intelligence increases, there is a significant correlation between political views and beliefs about climate change. At lower levels of scientific intelligence, both conservatives and liberals show around 30-40% agreement on climate change. However, as scientific intelligence increases, the correlation becomes stronger. In the top 1% of scientifically intelligent individuals, there is a stark divide, with Democrats almost unanimously agreeing on climate change while conservative agreement drops to around 20%. This challenges the notion that increased education in science and critical thinking would lead to universal agreement on the truth.

Mom, apple pie, and rationality — all things that are unquestionably good, right? But rationality, as much as we might value it, is easier to aspire to than to achieve. And there are more than a few hot takes on the market suggesting that we shouldn’t even want to be rational — that it’s inefficient or maladaptive. Julia Galef is here to both stand up for the value of being rational, and to explain how we can better achieve it. She distinguishes between the “soldier mindset,” where we believe what we’re told about the world and march toward a goal, and the “scout mindset,” where we’re open-minded about what’s out there and always asking questions. She makes a compelling case that all things considered, it’s better to be a scout.

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Julia Galef received a BA in statistics from Columbia University. She is currently a writer and host of the Rationally Speaking podcast. She was a co-founder and president of the Center for Applied Rationality. Her new book is The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don’t.

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