The Science of Why We Don’t Believe Science


The article The Science of Why We Don’t Believe Science by Chris Mooney could have the subtitle, “Why Steve’s Politics Blog is completely ineffective.”  Perhaps the solution is to follow the prescription at the end of the article:

You can follow the logic to its conclusion: Conservatives are more likely to embrace climate science if it comes to them via a business or religious leader, who can set the issue in the context of different values than those from which environmentalists or scientists often argue. Doing so is, effectively, to signal a détente in what Kahan has called a “culture war of fact.” In other words, paradoxically, you don’t lead with the facts in order to convince. You lead with the values—so as to give the facts a fighting chance.

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