#203 How to Talk to a Science Denier w/ Lee McIntyre
The Road to Now
Benjamin Sawyer
4.8 • 628 Ratings
🗓️ 2 August 2021
⏱️ 55 minutes
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Summary
The rejection of scientific expertise has been one of the most consequential social trends of the 21st century and, for those of us who remain committed to the scientific method, it may also be the most frustrating. After years of being bombarded with evidence (and often having their intelligence insulted), science deniers seem even more committed to alternative explanations of the world and the leaders who promise to undermine science-based policy. How did we get here and how can we make things better? In this episode, we get answers to those questions from Dr. Lee McIntyre, who shares what he learned from studying the ways that science deniers see the world, how we can use those insights to fight that worldview, and why a little bit of good faith goes a long way in communicating with others.
Dr. Lee McIntyre is a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University. His book How to Talk to a Science Denier: Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason (MIT Press, 2021) hits shelves on August 17, 2021.
(You remember that study that said confronting people with evidence that disproved their position only made them more convinced of their beliefs? It didn't hold up in subsequent experiments. There's more on that in this episode.)
This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.
The Road to Now is part of the Osiris Podcast Network.
Transcript
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| 0:24.6 | Try Monday Sidekick. |
| 0:26.2 | AI you'll love to use on Monday.com. |
| 0:29.7 | This podcast is in the loop, the Legion of Osiris Podcasts. |
| 0:33.9 | Osiris is creating a community that connects people like you with live experiences and podcasts about artists and topics you love. |
| 0:41.3 | Get in the loop at osirispod.com. |
| 0:49.3 | I'm Ben Sawyer and this is the road to now. |
| 0:53.3 | Today's episode is the road to now. |
| 0:59.7 | Today's episode is entitled How to Talk to a Science Denier with our guest, Dr. Lee McIntyre. |
| 1:00.7 | He's written a book on this topic that's coming out at the end of the month. |
| 1:04.4 | If you are looking at the title of this episode or you just found out what it is when you |
| 1:10.0 | auto-played it, I realize that some of you |
| 1:12.4 | guys may not feel like you have the energy for it. I know that in the last few years, we've seen |
| 1:19.9 | the science denial be a problem with climate change. I know we have seen that edge become even |
| 1:24.9 | sharper with the folks who have refused to acknowledge the weight of the coronavirus and the way their actions relate to that. |
... |
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