The 5 characteristics of scientific denialism
A fascinating paper well worth reading is Denialism: what is it and how should scientists respond? (Diethelm & McKee 2009) (H/T to Jeremy Kemp for the heads-up). While the focus is on public health issues, it nevertheless establishes some useful general principles on the phenomenon of scientific denialism. A vivid example is the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, who argued against the scientific consensus that HIV caused AIDS. This led to policies preventing thousands of HIV positive mothers in South Africa from receiving anti-retrovirals. It’s estimated these policies led to the loss of more than 330,000 lives (Chigwedere 2008). Clearly the consequences of denying science can be dire, even fatal.
5 characteristics common to most forms of denialism:
Conspiracy theories
Fake experts
Cherry picking
Impossible expectations of what research can deliver
Misrepresentation and logical fallacies
http://www.skepticalscience.com/5-characteristics-of-scientific-denialism.html
Tags: Climate change, climate talks, ClimateGate, environmental, global temperatur, Global Warming, IPCC, UNFCCC
