Jul 112021
 

Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”

This article presents material of importance – and it is presented in such a way that I don’t have to think too much about being confident it is good information and sharing it accordingly. That’s a very good thing when I have just lost essentially three days of preparation time. See what you think about it.
================================================================

Science denial: Why it happens and 5 things you can do about it

Are you open to new ideas and willing to change your mind?
Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Barbara K. Hofer, Middlebury and Gale Sinatra, University of Southern California

Science denial became deadly in 2020. Many political leaders failed to support what scientists knew to be effective prevention measures. Over the course of the pandemic, people died from COVID-19 still believing it did not exist.

Science denial is not new, of course. But it is more important than ever to understand why some people deny, doubt or resist scientific explanations – and what can be done to overcome these barriers to accepting science.

In our book “Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It,” we offer ways for you to understand and combat the problem. As two research psychologists, we know that everyone is susceptible to forms of it. Most importantly, we know there are solutions.

Here’s our advice on how to confront five psychological challenges that can lead to science denial.

Challenge #1: Social identity

People are social beings and tend to align with those who hold similar beliefs and values. Social media amplify alliances. You’re likely to see more of what you already agree with and fewer alternative points of view. People live in information filter bubbles created by powerful algorithms. When those in your social circle share misinformation, you are more likely to believe it and share it. Misinformation multiplies and science denial grows.

two seated men in discussion
Can you find common ground to connect on?
LinkedIn Sales Solutions/Unsplash, CC BY

Action #1: Each person has multiple social identities. One of us talked with a climate change denier and discovered he was also a grandparent. He opened up when thinking about his grandchildren’s future, and the conversation turned to economic concerns, the root of his denial. Or maybe someone is vaccine-hesitant because so are mothers in her child’s play group, but she is also a caring person, concerned about immunocompromised children.

We have found it effective to listen to others’ concerns and try to find common ground. Someone you connect with is more persuasive than those with whom you share less in common. When one identity is blocking acceptance of the science, leverage a second identity to make a connection.

Challenge #2: Mental shortcuts

Everyone’s busy, and it would be exhausting to be vigilant deep thinkers all the time. You see an article online with a clickbait headline such as “Eat Chocolate and Live Longer” and you share it, because you assume it is true, want it to be or think it is ridiculous.

Action #2: Instead of sharing that article on how GMOs are unhealthy, learn to slow down and monitor the quick, intuitive responses that psychologist Daniel Kahneman calls System 1 thinking. Instead turn on the rational, analytical mind of System 2 and ask yourself, how do I know this is true? Is it plausible? Why do I think it is true? Then do some fact-checking. Learn to not immediately accept information you already believe, which is called confirmation bias.

Challenge #3: Beliefs on how and what you know

Everyone has ideas about what they think knowledge is, where it comes from and whom to trust. Some people think dualistically: There’s always a clear right and wrong. But scientists view tentativeness as a hallmark of their discipline. Some people may not understand that scientific claims will change as more evidence is gathered, so they may be distrustful of how public health policy shifted around COVID-19.

Journalists who present “both sides” of settled scientific agreements can unknowingly persuade readers that the science is more uncertain than it actually is, turning balance into bias. Only 57% of Americans surveyed accept that climate change is caused by human activity, compared with 97% of climate scientists, and only 55% think that scientists are certain that climate change is happening.

man with book looking off into distance
How did you come to know what you know?
ridvan_celik/E+ via Getty Images

Action #3: Recognize that other people (or possibly even you) may be operating with misguided beliefs about science. You can help them adopt what philosopher of science Lee McIntyre calls a scientific attitude, an openness to seeking new evidence and a willingness to change one’s mind.

Recognize that very few individuals rely on a single authority for knowledge and expertise. Vaccine hesitancy, for example, has been successfully countered by doctors who persuasively contradict erroneous beliefs, as well as by friends who explain why they changed their own minds. Clergy can step forward, for example, and some have offered places of worship as vaccination hubs.

Challenge #4: Motivated reasoning

You might not think that how you interpret a simple graph could depend on your political views. But when people were asked to look at the same charts depicting either housing costs or the rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over time, interpretations differed by political affiliation. Conservatives were more likely than progressives to misinterpret the graph when it depicted a rise in CO2 than when it displayed housing costs. When people reason not just by examining facts, but with an unconscious bias to come to a preferred conclusion, their reasoning will be flawed.

Action #4: Maybe you think that eating food from genetically modified organisms is harmful to your health, but have you really examined the evidence? Look at articles with both pro and con information, evaluate the source of that information, and be open to the evidence leaning one way or the other. If you give yourself the time to think and reason, you can short-circuit your own motivated reasoning and open your mind to new information.

Challenge #5: Emotions and attitudes

When Pluto got demoted to a dwarf planet, many children and some adults responded with anger and opposition. Emotions and attitudes are linked. Reactions to hearing that humans influence the climate can range from anger (if you do not believe it) to frustration (if you are concerned you may need to change your lifestyle) to anxiety and hopelessness (if you accept it is happening but think it’s too late to fix things). How you feel about climate mitigation or GMO labeling aligns with whether you are for or against these policies.

Action #5: Recognize the role of emotions in decision-making about science. If you react strongly to a story about stem cells used to develop Parkinson’s treatments, ask yourself if you are overly hopeful because you have a relative in early stages of the disease. Or are you rejecting a possibly lifesaving treatment because of your emotions?

Feelings shouldn’t (and can’t) be put in a box separate from how you think about science. Rather, it’s important to understand and recognize that emotions are fully integrated ways of thinking and learning about science. Ask yourself if your attitude toward a science topic is based on your emotions and, if so, give yourself some time to think and reason as well as feel about the issue.

[You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter.]

Everyone can be susceptible to these five psychological challenges that can lead to science denial, doubt and resistance. Being aware of these challenges is the first step toward taking action to meet them.The Conversation

Barbara K. Hofer, Professor of Psychology Emerita, Middlebury and Gale Sinatra, Professor of Education and Psychology, University of Southern California

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

================================================================
Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, the synod of the Lutheran Church in which I was raised (the Missouri Synod) was, heaven knows, narrow minded enough in many ways (unlike, for instance, the ELCA, which is quite progressivee), but somehow I managed to learn growing up that God no longer speaks directly as he did in and through the Bible, and a big part of why not is that, having discovered science and the scientific method, we are now able to make our own discoveries about his wonderful creation, and no longer need to be spoon-fed, like children, with visions such as St. Peter’s vision in Acts 10 (a vision which, if correctly interpreted, OUGHT to inform all Christians that LGBTQIA people are just fine, thanks, and are not any kind of junk.) Sadly, that’s not the message that science deniers are getting today from their churches, parents, even teachers. Of course that’s not the whole problem, but it definitely contributes. If you ladies, or anyone reading this, have any suggestions on how to deal with that, I’m listening.

The Furies and I will be back – on our new day.

Share

  4 Responses to “Everyday Erinyes #274”

  1. Thanks Joanne.  I am also aware of the research that finds that all our decisions are made based on emotion, not just about science, and then we find our non-emotional reasons to justify the decision we already made–often unconsciously (Action #5).
    #4 is among the reasons journals require the authors of research papers being published disclose possible conflicts of interest that could bias presentation and interpretation of findings along with recommendations.
    Knowledge and experience filter all new that we encounter and thus what we have or do not have will always bias us (#3).
    #2 Kind of like reading great literature via Readers Digest condensed books.  Boy do you miss a whole lot.
    #1 may not work if people have gone down the rabbit hole of conspiracies no matter what commonality you find.

    (Although different thread, also glad the vaccine did not give you the problems that are possible for people with certain allergies, etc.).

  2. It all makes sense, but, I am beyond debating with fools, do not tolerate fools well.  There are certain people, like a friend’s neighbor, for instance, who are so lost in bigotry, so enamored of Tucker C., and TOT, that their mere presence can spoil a good social gathering, as happened the other night on a friend’s back patio, when that neighbor decided to “join the party.” 
    There are others with whom I have agreed that we will not discuss, e-mail, or otherwise engage politics.  

  3. I’ve got both a scientific mind and a leftist outlook on life (and I think there may be a correlation between the two, but that may be my personal bias 06) and see the merit in each of the five points made here. In my younger years, I have taken it upon myself to try and change people’s opinions with open discussions without nagging or becoming pedantic and coming away with new insights myself.

    I always thought that an open, respectful discussion would benefit all parties involved, but at this stage of my life, I find myself in the same position as Mitch. As I’ve grown older, so have my social contacts and we all have become more set in our ways. I can no longer suffer fools nor can I bring the energy to the table to try and have them at least look at another point of view, let alone to even want to learn anything from them. Die-hard bigots and climate-change deniers just have me change the subject or leave the conversation altogether.

    But a scientific mind never stops learning and adjusting. Mask wearing is one of the areas I’ve changed from “it doesn’t do much good” based on the first research available to “it works, especially together with other preventive measures” based on later, more in-depth research as more data became available.

  4. I think the correlation you feel is real, but rather than being between science and the left, it’s between scince and the down (anti-authoritarianism.)  At this  oment in the US andmuch of the “Western” world, that also corelates with leftist ideas, but at times and places where leftist economic theory goes with authoritatianism, not so much.  Also, I think it’s the authoritarian in us, not the rightist, who comes out and gains strength as we age.  But that doesn’t have to be so. 

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.