Chapter 2 - Denialism

Question 1

What is the most basic definition of denialism?

Answer 1

• rejection of scientific evidence
• e.g. US supreme court rejecting the teaching of creationism as science

Question 2

What is a common feature among the rejection of scientific evidence?

1.
2.

Answer 2

• overwhelming consensus on the evidence among scientists
• yet there are also vocal commentators who reject this consensus: convincing many people of the public and media that this consensus is not based on “sound science”

Question 3

What are characterisitcs of fake news?

Answer 3

• low facticity
• creation with the intention to deceive (make public believing fake news (i.e. misclassify them as true); make public disbelieving true news (i.e. misclassify them as fake) -> denialism)
• presentation in a journalistic format (only when reference to genre)

Question 4

What are the five features of denialism?

Answer 4

FLICC

• fake experts
• logical fallacies
• impossible expectations
• cherry picking and
• ## conspiracy theoriesrhetorical arguments to give the appearance of legitimate debate where there is none

Question 5

Who are fake experts?

Answer 5

• people presenting unqualified individuals / institutiona as sources of credible information
• e.g. magnifying minority (handful of scientists casting doubt on overwhelming scientific consensous
• e.g. bulk fake experts (large numbers of seemingly experts)
• e.g. fake debate (presenting science and pseudoscience in adversarial format to give false impression in ongoing scientific debate)

Question 6

What are logical fallacies?

1.
2. false analogy
3. ad hominem
4. strawman
5. misinterpretation

Answer 6

1. use of arguments where conclusion does not logically follow from the premises
2. assuming that because two things are alike in some ways, there are alike in other aspects
3. attacking person/ group instead of addressing arguments
4. misinterpretating or exaggerating an opponents positions to make it easier to attack
5. misinterpretating a situation or an opponents positions in such a way as to distort understanding

Question 7

What are impossible expectations?

1.
2. moving goalposts

Answer 7

• demanding unrealistic standards of certainty before acting on science
• demanding higher levels of evidence after receiving requested evidence

Question 8

What is cherry picking?

2. anecdote
3. slothful induction

Answer 8

• selecting data that appear to confirm one position while ignoring all the other contradictonray data
• unsing personal experience or isolated exapmples instead of arguments or evidence
• ignroring relevant evidence when it comes to a conclusion

Question 9

What is a conspiracy theory?

Answer 9

• stating that a secret plan exists to implement a evil scheme such as hiding a truth

Question 10

What are the drivers of denialists?

1.
2.
3.

Answer 10

• greed
• ideology / faith (rejecting everything that is compatible with their beliefs)
• eccentricity and idiosyncrasy (sometimes encouraged by celebrity status on social media)

Question 11

How can we respond academically to denialism?

1.
2.
3.

What has to be kept in mind?

Answer 11

1. engage with opposing argument
2. test its strengths and weaknesses (of differing views)
3. ## expectation: emergence of thruth thorugh debatebut, a meaningful discourse is impossible when one party rejects these rules
   we could expose their tactics they employ, use the 5 tactics as useful framwork