Flavors of
Uncertainty: The Difference between Denial and Debate
During the
pilot episode of Comedy Central’s late night television show
The Colbert Report, satirist Stephen Colbert coined the term
“truthiness”—truths that feel right regardless of evidence or reason. Using
sardonic wit he deadpanned, “Face it, folks: We are a divided nation. Not
between Democrats and Republicans, or conservatives and liberals, or tops and
bottoms. No. We are divided between those who think with their head and those
who know with their heart.”1 Using satire, Colbert captured the essence of an
issue that has many people deeply concerned: the denial of scientific evidence
on the basis of gut-level emotions.
Science
denial sometimes occurs around environmental health issues. For example, some
people catch and consume fish from polluted streams despite posted warnings.
Some tan themselves without adequate protection against ultraviolet radiation.
Others smoke cigarettes or live with secondhand smoke and believe they won’t
succumb to illness. Still others burn garbage in barrels, ignoring laws and
warnings regarding human health risks.
read more:
image: