In recent years, as I have paid closer attention to how our individual biases influence the way we think about everything from climate change to gun control, I have periodically been overcome with a sense of futility. I blame Dan Kahan for this. His research at Yale, along with the pioneering work of Nobel Laureate Daniel…Continue Reading…
It’s fascinating when someone gets so smitten with a theory that explains EVERYTHING. Lately, Chris Mooney can’t stop purring about “motivated reasoning,” which he discusses at length in this article. It’s even given him insight into his own behavior: Blogs”“and blog commenting”“allow us to respond even more rapidly (without calm reflection) and emotionally (without editorial…Continue Reading…
At what point will climate change advocates wake up to the fact that they are chasing their tails? At what point will the various camps reassess the dominant assumptions that inform their positions, namely: 1) It’s a communication problem. If only scientists would get some media training, if only journalists didn’t do such a crappy…Continue Reading…
It’s our evolutionary brain. When will climate advocates get this? Bill McKibben, perhaps the most eloquent climate change communicator, is at his wit’s end. Like James Hansen, it’s become obvious to McKibben that, Copenhagen notwithstanding, politicians are treating climate change as “just another political problem.” That’s the real impediment, he insists. Thus, facing down man-made…Continue Reading…
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