What, Me Worry? (Part 2 of 2)

We’re all puppets controlled by the winds of social conformity.

~ Dr. Joe Hanson, host, It’s Okay to be Smart

Last time we looked at equality bias and its role in climate change denial.  Here are two more reasons that rational arguments alone won’t convince people.    

2.    The way our brains are wired

The American Public Broadcasting System (PBS) Digital Studios has a nifty channel on YouTube called It’s Okay to be Smart.  I featured their segment, Climate Change: What you need to know, in my Global Warming 101 post. 

In his short video (below), host Joe Hanson talks about our wiring, among other things.  He talks about PAIN, the role of uncertainty, and how a need to belong shapes our beliefs:

So you can see that a number of subtle influences disrupt our objectivity.  Still, after equality bias and our wiring, a third contributor to climate change denial is our posse.  I have a great pun to insert here, but out of respect for Jay Heinrichs and my denialist friends, I shall restrain myself. 

3.    Our Tribe

Who’s your tribe?  Who are your homeys?  This is big. 

Climate change denial isn’t not knowing, or refusing to know. It’s about choosing not to notice or talk about it, so they don’t rock the in-group boat. 

~ Stanley Cohen, sociologist

Jay Heinrichs has written a ground-breaking, masterful, and entertaining book on rhetoric that is being used widely in universities like Harvard and elsewhere.  Thank You for Arguing will teach you the art of persuasion and make you laugh while you learn.  Jay has consulted with NASA, the US Department of Defense, Harvard, Walmart (don't hold that against him), Southwest Airlines, and more. 

Jay, who is the big brother of my childhood friend, has launched a video channel on YouTube called ArgueLab.  ArgueLab is a video forum in which “rhetorician Jay Heinrichs, and YouTube star Christina Fox, reveal the secrets of rhetoric, the art of persuasion.”  Its short videos offer entertaining tools for talking. 

In a recent segment, Jay talks about tribal identity using the anti-vaccination movement as a backdrop.  The parallel to climate science is exact. 

Equality bias, our brain’s wiring and tribal identity all work to muddle the facts.  You can't blame it on your brain though, because now you know.  In future posts we'll look at positive feedback loops, and how bad will be it anyway?  

Next time:  When Positive Feedback is a Bad Thing