I am sure you know someone who explains everything away as ‘false science’…..if not then you are very fortunate for they are everywhere and rattling on about everything.

How do these ‘people’ come by their misguided belief that all science is ‘false’ of ‘fake’?

Anti-science beliefs are built on four foundations, or bases, the authors said. These foundations are: thinking scientific sources lack credibility; identifying with groups that have anti-science attitudes; a scientific message that contradicts a person’s current beliefs; and a mismatch between how a message is presented and a person’s style of thinking.

“What all four of these bases have in common is they reveal what happens when scientific information conflicts with what people already think or their style of thought,” said co-author Richard Petty, professor of psychology at Ohio State.

For starters, industries are degrading trust in science by hijacking scientific credentials, using “sciency” sounding claims to bolster their clout for profits; pharmaceutical companies have most certainly given us plenty of reasons not to trust them. What’s more, science doesn’t always get things right, and large factions of the media are stoking sentiments against “elitist” experts and bolstering anti-science views.

All this doubt, conflict, and information overload are eroding people’s trust in scientists, and those of us often responsible for conveying scientific information to the public, like the media and government officials, are fairing even worse on the trust scales.

This distrust of the source of information is one of the four main barriers to accepting science Philipp-Muller and colleagues identify in their review.  

When information challenges a person’s core beliefs, challenges the group they identify with, or doesn’t match their learning style are the other main barriers the team highlighted.

“What all four of these bases have in common is they reveal what happens when scientific information conflicts with what people already think or their style of thought,” explains Petty.

https://www.sciencealert.com/distrust-in-science-is-causing-harm-but-these-researchers-have-a-plan

We need to fight for the science….but this will be an uphill battle for social media is a powerful tool to be used by the anti-science faction.

All we can do is ask question….question everything and look for the answers….not just something that agrees with your misguided perceptions….

Do you want to know what is true?

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”