As the nation’s political divide widens and becomes more toxic to civil discourse, the role of science in public debates becomes increasingly suspect. On a wide range of hot-button issues — from the use of stem cells in research to debates about emissions standards and climate change — partisan advocates tend to stake out their positions along ideological lines, with little or no grounding in scientific evidence. And to the extent that they do bring science into their arguments, their reasoning is often wittingly or unwittingly fallacious.
Whatever one’s political stance or party affiliation, it may be tempting to argue that it’s the other side that distorts and rejects scientific evidence. Given, for example, the reluctance of most conservatives to acknowledge the evidence concerning anthropogenic climate change, and given the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent decision to allow chlorpyrifos pesticide to remain on the market (even though the EPA’s own scientists have concluded that it is dangerous to human health), one might conclude that right-learning partisans are responsible for the assault on scientific reasoning. Equally disconnected from science, however, are positions that originated from the left (Berezow & Campbell, 2012), such as the refusal of many parents to vaccinate their children and the movement to put warning labels on all foods that contain genetically modified organisms. We suggest, therefore, that the rejection or inappropriate use of scientific evidence is not strictly a partisan problem. Rather, it resides at the level of the individual.
You’ve accessed your three free articles for this month.
If you are a PDK member, login to read more.
If you are not a PDK member, join for full access, in addition to other benefits. Complete our membership form to join.
Forgot your password? Visit the Member Portal to reset your password.
Having trouble? Contact our member services team at memberservices@pdkintl.org or 800-766-1156.
