630 million threatened by rising seas. Study blames climate change for 37% of worldwide heat deaths.

Fossil fuels must stay underground. Despite the headlines, and 97% of climate scientists agreeing that

human activity is one of the major causes of climate change, just seven in ten Americans believe

that climate change is real, and only six in ten consider human activity to be a leading cause.

As a survey of beliefs, these statistics are concerning. The bigger problem, however, is that they aren't held in a vacuum,

but are formed within and contribute to the functioning of democratic societies.

If we want a genuinely democratic state, how can we establish public policies

informed by our very best science if a sizable minority of people reject the science,

what can be done, descriptively and ethically, to change the minds of those who hold what experts

might consider unreasonable beliefs. According to Robin McKenna, lecturer in philosophy at the University

of Liverpool, these questions demonstrate the role and importance of contemporary epistemology.

Drawing from the latest empirical research on how we form beliefs and how and why we change our

minds, McKenna argues that we can improve our epistemic situations by creating environments

in which we are more likely to form beliefs that align with the science. To bring about a better world, people must recognize that the beliefs aren't formed in an

ideal and an impartial state.

To protect democracy and the natural world, says McKenna, we must combat misinformation and

political bias through ethical and effective marketing.

Hello and welcome to episode 114 of the Panpsychast, hindering your epistemic capacities. I'm Jack Symes. I'm joined once again by the ideal epistemic agent, that is Rose de Castellan. Hello. And the master messenger, that is Dr. Robin McKenna. Hi. Welcome to the show, Robin. It's a pleasure to have you with us. Great to be here. That was a great intro, Jack. Can you write blurbs for my books please? That would be great. That was absolutely perfect.

Before we jump into it, in addition to all of our patrons, we'd like to say a big thank you to the University of Liverpool's Philosophy and the Future Project for making this episode possible.

This is the four for five collaborative episodes for the University of Liverpool's

Philosophy and the Future Project, exploring the ethical, political, social, metaphysical

and spiritual implications of climate change, technological and scientific developments,

...