People Are Allergic to the Facts

[marmar]

via AlterNet:




Miller-McCune.com / By Tom Jacobs

People Are Allergic to the Facts
New research finds we trust experts who agree with our own opinions, suggesting that subjective feelings override scientific information.

October 8, 2010 |


A clear consensus of opinion emerges within the scientific community on an important issue, such as climate change. But the public, and its elected leaders, remains unconvinced and unreceptive to well-founded warnings.

With this phenomenon growing frustratingly familiar, researchers can be forgiven if they begin to feel like Rodney Dangerfields in lab coats. From their perspective, they don’t get no respect.

Newly published research suggests that’s not entirely true: Americans do believe and trust researchers. But we focus our attention on those experts whose ideas conform with our preconceived notions. The others tend to get discounted or ignored.

“Scientific opinion fails to quiet societal disputes on such issues (as climate change) not because members of the public are unwilling to defer to experts, but because culturally diverse persons tend to form opposing perceptions of what experts believe,” a team of scholars writes in the Journal of Risk Research. “Individuals systematically overestimate the degree of scientific support for positions they are culturally predisposed to accept.” ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/148318/people_are_allergic_to_the_facts/

[Gidney N Cloyd]

1. Too bad facts aren't like cats.

When you're allergic to cats you're always the first person they sidle up to.

[phantom power]

2. It's called Cognitive Reinforcement.

And, although it causes big problems, it's also fair to say that it is a method of coping with the real-world problem that we are all confronted with people who will give us advice and conclusions that are mutually exclusive, and yet all of them will claim to be experts.

Or, even shorter: People Are Funny

:shrug:

[Scuba]

3. Willful ignorance. Fear of admitting to being wrong. Just plain old...

stupidy. These are all reasons for voting Republican.

But what about the millions who decide to NOT vote? All we have to do is get a few of these folks to the polls and we can kick ass.

Many of these people simply feel disenfranchised, disenchanted with the whole process.

The right has been using fear as a weapon for a long time. Well I'm finally afraid. Afraid that they might win, and what will happen if they do.

Please help get these people to the polls.

thx,


Scuba

[joeybee12]

4. Why did reading this post make me sneeze?

:shrug: