The Motivated Rejection of Science

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The Motivated Rejection of Science

Posted by Soulskill on Friday September 7, 2012 @05:26AM from the brains-are-bad-at-accepting-their-environments dept.

Layzej writes "New research (PDF) to be published in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science has found that those who subscribed to one or more conspiracy theories or who strongly supported a free market economy were more likely to reject the findings from climate science as well as other sciences. The researchers, led by UWA School of Psychology Professor Stephan Lewandowsky, found that free-market ideology was an overwhelmingly strong determinant of the rejection of climate science. It also predicted the rejection of the link between tobacco and lung cancer and between HIV and AIDS. Conspiratorial thinking was a lesser but still significant determinant of the rejection of all scientific propositions examined, from climate to lung cancer. Curiously, public response to the paper has provided a perfect real-life illustration of the very cognitive processes at the center of the research."

8 of 771 comments (clear)

These so called "experts" - so predictable by sandytaru · 2012-09-07 05:28 · Score: 5, Funny

What do they know about anything??? This study just proves what I knew all along - the scientists are all in collusion with each other AND the government to take my gas and my guns and my cigarettes!!!

--
Occasionally living proof of the Ballmer peak.
1. Re:These so called "experts" - so predictable by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-07 05:32 · Score: 0, Funny
  
  Your post just proved that even liberals can be bigots.
2. Re:These so called "experts" - so predictable by sandytaru · 2012-09-07 05:54 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Probably the saddest thing is that I wasn't posting based on a stereotype, I was posting based on my father-in-law.
  
  --
  Occasionally living proof of the Ballmer peak.
3. Re:These so called "experts" - so predictable by infidel_heathen · 2012-09-07 08:21 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  From my dead, globally warmed hands!!
Capitalism is in terminal decay by For+a+Free+Internet · 2012-09-07 05:30 · Score: 5, Funny

Once upon a time the capitalist system, a tremendous advance over the feudal system of property that preceded it, drove an unprecedented expansion of scientific and technical progress.
Now capitalism is in its imperialist epoch of terminal decay, dragging humankind into a new dark ages. Only the proletariat can save humanity by smashing the power of the bourgeoisie and inaugurating the socialist future! Workers to power!

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UNITE with the Campaign for a Free Internet because today, our future begins with tomorrow!
Absurd! by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2012-09-07 05:33 · Score: 5, Funny

I do not "reject" science as my socialist detractors may claim. Rather, I merely withhold my currency from the marketplace of ideas in order to incentivize the production of science more in line with today's consumer preferences!
Re:Suprising how? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-07 05:43 · Score: 3, Funny

From the mouth of an amateur politician.
Re:Wow by sjames · 2012-09-07 08:08 · Score: 3, Funny

Note that he did not expect them to take out a huge loan in order to be taught to fish.
But I guess you're just that much greater than Jesus eh?