Friday, January 22nd, 2010

Michael Specter's 'Denialism'

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What you don't know -- or do know, yet choose not to believe -- CAN hurt you. We'll talk with author Michael Specter about his book 'Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives.' Specter argues that Americans have increasingly come to mistrust institutions, especially the institution of science. When it comes to a range of issues from childhood vaccines to genetically modified foods, he argues, people increasingly have come to maintain personal beliefs even in the face of solid scientific evidence. We'll find out more.

Guests

Michael Specter
Staff Writer, The New Yorker
Author, "Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives" (Penguin Press, 2009)
New York, NY

Related Books

Related Links

Segment produced by:Shelley DuBois

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Support for Science Friday provided in part by the Noyce Foundation
and
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
The National Science Foundation
Research Corporation for Science Advancement