This episode originally aired on December 9, 2020.
Ever since the beginning of the modern concept of "science" there have been people who denied certain things despite evidence that they are true or factual. From evolution by natural selection to human-caused climate change, and more recently things like COVID-19 and mask effectiveness and vaccine safety, some people refuse to believe what scientists and researchers reach consensus on.
We’re exploring why this happens, especially in our modern world, with Dr. Adrian Bardon, Professor of Philosophy and Scott Family Faculty Fellow at Wake Forest University. His current research focuses on the philosophy, psychology, and politics of ideological science denial. His latest book is “The Truth About Denial: Bias and Self-Deception in Science, Politics, and Religion.”
He presented a lecture on Friday, December 11 as part of the Naples Discussion Group’s 20-21 schedule called “The what, how, and the why of science denial.” but we caught up with him first to get a bit of a preview.