Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet and Threatens Our

[cleanhippie]

Finished it last week. Blew my mind. I never realized how much the ignorant really control things.

[MountainLaurel]

1. Sounds great

I'm heading to the mall today. May have to see if I can find this one.

Thanks for the recommendation! And welcome to DU!

[izquierdista]

2. Is he off on the other extreme?

I went and read the review at Amazon.com, and there was this snippet:

Ironic, is it not, that a book entitled Denialism appears to be in denial about the substantial damage that scientists themselves, through arrogance or unethical behavior, have done to the field of knowledge that appears to be our only route towards solving the enormous challenges mankind currently faces. The solution to denial will be a multi-factorial one, and involve movement of both sides toward each other, rather than a merciless beating down of the recalcitrant "denialist".

How accepting is the author of radium watch dials, thalidomide, X-ray shoe fitters, asbestos, and numerous other examples of "progress" that turned out to be anything but?

[cleanhippie]

3. Not sure, I will have to look into those things.

But what I do know, it what I read and knowing what I know about the subjects he discussed, revealed a whole other side I did not know existed.
He did, in my opinion, a good job of exposing a weakness in ourselves and how we can allow irrational thinking to get in the way of progress.

Have you read this book? If not, perhaps you can get and read it. At the very least, it will be interesting. I do read authors with whom I disagree, if only to see what they have to say now.

[izquierdista]

4. I'll have to

That way, when I get ready to smack down the denialists, I can smack down the overaccepting on the backswing.

[cleanhippie]

5. Agreed!

I too, have to be careful of the "over-accepting backswing."

[HuckleB]

8. Read the book.

It's very illuminating. Challenge yourself.

[alarimer]

10. Anyone can write a review on Amazon.

They trash all kinds of good books there.

Denialism is far more dangerous than anything else.

[Bigmack]

6. Didn't read EVERY word, but

while he makes some very good points, it felt to me like he tended to overlook, or to gloss over, the fact that what is scientifically "true" at one time becomes scientifically questionable in another. SOMETIMES to question "science" isn't to deny "truth" but rather is to point out that there are rather few "final words" in scientific "findings." Ms Bigmack

[cleanhippie]

7. Agreed.

But isn't that what the "scientific method" is all about?

[HuckleB]

9. You're ignoring that he addressed the difference between science and politics.

You're failing to make that distinction.