Virtual Talk | Can Science Be Saved: Moving Beyond Climate Denial | April 22 at 4 pm EST
WE ARE for Science
Science and Values in Climate Risk Management
“Can Science Be Saved: Moving Beyond Climate Denial”
4 p.m., April 22
Naomi Oreskes, Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science, Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University
Zoom registration:
https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mlwu7fUeRfG_6gd2ySoRHA
Group discussion with Professor Oreskes, 11 a.m. April 23 (15-person registration cap)
Zoom registration:
https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YEV7ncrWQcK8AqR0Nd9i3w
Abstract: During the COVID-19 pandemic, public debates about the validity of scientific findings and the value of science have intensified, as some Americans have actively resisted and even denied the legitimacy of scientific guidance about how to address the disease. What are the social and psychological drivers of public skepticism about science? How can skeptics be convinced otherwise? How do we evaluate the role of facts, of political affinity, and of personal identity in the rejection of scientific advice? According to Naomi Oreskes, Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University, most people who reject science won’t be persuaded with more technical facts. They deny scientific findings because they do not like the implications of their veracity—what Oreskes terms “implicatory denial.” However, addressing those perceived implications—and answering the concerns or fear involved—can help us to make progress. This holds true in a range of domains, from COVID-19 denial to climate change.
Upcoming events:
May 6, 4 p.m.
Wendy Parker (Virginia Tech)
"Not so radical after all? A re-framing of value influences in science"
Zoom registration:
https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7Reax17VQlO_PhLfy4Fvhg
May 7, 11 a.m.
Group discussion with Professor Parker
Zoom registration: