The Science of Why We Don't Believe Science
Tuesday, May 03, 2011 - Filed in: General Interest
Cold hard facts and scientific evidence seldom change the minds of those who already hold a strong opinion.
Chris Mooney writes an interesting article on “motivated reasoning.” He argues “reasoning is actually suffused with emotion.” He says “people tend to gravitate toward information that confirms what they believe, and they select sources that deliver it.” He concludes that “given the power of our prior beliefs to skew how we respond to new information, . . . if you want someone to accept new evidence, make sure to present it to them in a context that doesn’t trigger a defensive, emotional reaction.” In other words, “you don’t lead with the facts in order to convince . . . you lead with the values--so as to give the facts a fighting chance.” Here is the link to the article. Enjoy.
