THE WAR ON HOW AND WHY

SCIENCE IS SO
SCIENTIFIC TRUTH O F T E N R E J E C T E D

John Osborne October 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/09/opinion/sunday/trump-epa-pruitt-science.html

“Those who promote fringe scientific
views but ignore the weight of evidence
are playing a dangerous game.”
 DENIALISM
In the psychology of human behaviour, DENIALISM is a person's
choice to deny reality or tested and accepted fact, as a way to
avoid a psychologically uncomfortable truth.
DENIALISM is essentially irrational. It occurs when a person
refuses to accept an empirically verifiable reality and wants to
replace the reality with a lie.
And it’s perfectly understandable that denialism sparks anger and
outrage, particularly in those who are directly challenged by it.

John Osborne October 2020

 DENIALISM IN SCIENCE

SCIENTIFIC DENIALISM is the rejection of basic

facts and concepts that are undisputed, well-
supported parts of the scientific consensus on a
subject, in favour of radical and controversial
ideas.

John Osborne October 2020

 EXAMPLES OF DENIALISM IN SCIENCE
DENIAL OF:
• Climate change and/or its anthropogenic causes
• The safety of Genetically Modified (GM) foods
• The existence of the Covid-19 virus
• The relationship between lung cancer and tobacco
• The existence of AIDS or that HIV can lead to AIDS
• Denial of the usefulness of vaccines
• Evolution by Natural Selection
• The moon landing
• The Earth is round
John Osborne October 2020
 DENIALISTS
There are multiple kinds of denialists:
• Those who resist all established knowledge – their issue is with
the establishment, rather than the knowledge itself
• Those who challenge specific pieces of knowledge
• Those who actively contribute to the creation of denialist
scholarship, often to protect their own theses or interests
• Those who are privately sceptical
• Those whose denialism is bound to some cultural grouping
• Organised opponents who deny science for their own purposes –
business, government, etc
• Those who simply resist change and being removed from their
present comfort or knowledge zone

John Osborne October 2020

 MOTIVATIONS FOR DENIALISM

The motivations and causes of denialism include:

• Religion
• Self-interest
• Economic
• Political
• Financial
• Defence mechanisms meant to protect the
psyche of the denialist against mentally or
emotionally disturbing facts and ideas.
John Osborne October 2020
 SO, HOW CAN WE SUMMARISE DENIALISM?

DENIALISM seems to be a sometimes

inexplicable and obstinate desire, often by
seemingly sane and educated people, to reject
established truth in order not to damage their
psyche and emotional stability, and to protect
their interests and identity.

John Osborne October 2020

 ANOTHER WAY TO SUMMARISE DENIALISM

If P, then Q. But I don't like Q! Therefore,

P must be wrong. This is the logic (or
illogic) that underlies most science
rejection.
This might be called implicatory denial.

John Osborne October 2020

 HOW DO DENIALISTS OPERATE?

DENIALISTS usually employ tactics to give the

appearance of argument or legitimate debate,
when in actuality there is none.

John Osborne October 2020

 THE TACTICS OF DENIALISTS

5 common tactics used to maintain the appearance of legitimate

controversy:
• Conspiracy theories – Dismissing the idea by suggesting
opponents are involved in "a conspiracy to suppress the truth".
• Cherry picking – Selecting anomalous or discredited research
which supports their ideas.
• False experts – Hiring experts to lend supporting evidence or
credibility.
• Moving the goalposts – Demanding some other piece of
evidence or impossible expectations.
• Other logical fallacies – False analogy, appeal to
consequences, straw man, or red herring.
John Osborne October 2020
 THE TACTICS OF DENIALISTS
John Osborne October 2020
 WHY SO MUCH DENIALISM?

Denialism has moved from the fringes to the centre of

public debate, helped by new technology. As information
becomes easier to access online, as “research” has
been opened to anyone with a web browser, as
previously marginal voices climb on to the online
soapbox, so the opportunities for countering accepted
truths multiply. No one can be entirely ostracised,
marginalised and dismissed as a crank anymore.

John Osborne October 2020

 SO, WHY?
Ultimately democracy encourages us all to live a life where we
can have a world view that is in our own making. Denialism is
not really about the establishment of alternative and credible
scholarship, it is more about an individual’s interpretation of
the democratic ideals of freedom of thought, speech and
action, and the freedom to have a personalised world view.
In this sense then, denialism may be placed alongside right-
wing activism, left-wing anarchism, political lie-telling, religous
fundamentalism, rigid and unquestioning political ideology,
adherence to cults and a whole bunch of other, so called,
extremist activities.
John Osborne October 2020
 WHAT TO DO?
Science denialists whose arguments go unchallenged can
harm other people's attitudes toward science. Many people
read without actively engaging themselves, and some may not
recognize erroneous information when they see it. Many people
are not trained to critically analyse what they read and hear.
Without someone to point out how a denialist’s statements are
false or misleading, people are more likely to be influenced by
the denialist’s arguments. Unchallenged repetition of
falsehoods and erroneous arguments by denialists may also
have a subliminal effect until it is often not possible to
distinguish truth from deception.

John Osborne October 2020

 HOW TO RESPOND TO A DENIALIST

There are two basic strategies for countering science denial:

1. by topic (presenting the facts)
2. by technique (addressing the illogical argument).

Rebutting a science denialist with facts and pointing out the

fallacies in their arguments both have a positive effect on
attitudes toward legitimate science. A combination of topic and
technique rebuttals has an even stronger, positive effect.

John Osborne October 2020

John Osborne October 2020
 HOW TO FILL THE GAP
In the face of a denialist, you need to make your science – the valid science -
sticky, meaning simple, concrete messages that grab attention and stick in the
memory.
Simple: Keep the arguments simple and understandable.
Unexpected: If your science is counter-intuitive, embrace it! Use the
unexpectedness to take people by surprise.
Credible: Ideally, source your information from the most credible source of
information available: peer-reviewed scientific research.
Concrete: One of the most powerful tools to make abstract science concrete is
analogies or metaphors.
Emotional: Try to express passion for science. Make it personal.
Stories: Shape your science into a compelling narrative.

John Osborne October 2020

 REFERENCES
Cook, J. The World Economic Forum. 2015, June 16) How to counter science denial. Retrieved from
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/06/how-to-counter-science-denial/
Denialism. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denialism
Kahn-Harris, K. ( 2018, August 3) Denialism: what drives people to reject the truth. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/aug/03/denialism-what-drives-people-to-reject-the-truth
Lewandowsky S, Gignac G, Oberauer K. (2015) The Role of Conspiracist Ideation and Worldviews in
Predicting Rejection of Science. PLOS ONE 10(8): e0134773. Retrieved
from https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0134773
Oreskes, N. Scientific American. (2020, August 1) The False Logic behind Science Denial. Retrieved
from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-false-logic-behind-science-denial/
Pew Research Center (2016, October 4) The Politics of Climate. Retrieved from
https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2016/10/04/the-politics-of-climate/
Sherwood, S. Physics Today 64, 10, 39 (2011, October 1) Science controversies past and present.
Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.1295

John Osborne October 2020

 YOUTUBE EXTRAS
Trace Dominguez: Why Don't Some People Believe In
Science? - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1HrAKGTh0I

John Cook: DENIAL101x FLICC The Techniques of Science Denial Part

1 - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjtMDtA0N7Y

John Cook: DENIAL101x FLICC The Techniques of Science Denial Part

2 - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk4RyUUFxdE

John Cook: DENIAL101x FLICC The Techniques of Science Denial Part

3 - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtFGN6B8lfg

John Osborne October 2020