http://www.michaelspecter.com/2009/11/boston-globe-review-of-denialism-nov-15-2009/ Michael Specter - Author Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:46:49 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.michaelspecter.com/2009/11/boston-globe-review-of-denialism-nov-15-2009/comment-page-1/#comment-20 Polly Palumbo Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:55:11 +0000 http://www.michaelspecter.com/?p=515#comment-20 Thanks for a passionate argument for the weight of scientific evidence in so many important areas. As a former researcher (trained in psychology) who now reviews and writes about child-related research (and also a mother of three) I am reminded daily of the public's distrust of science. The misinformation permeating the media from BPA to childhood obesity, daycare, and breastfeeding (the effects, as you probably know, are much smaller and most likely more short-term than parents are led to believe ) is dizzying. I've been told by editors of parenting magazines and websites that readers aren't interested in hearing the more sciency details, even in plain English, the things that make all the difference in whether BPA is a deadly carcinogen or a relatively safe chemical. So add to denialism the huge conflict between science and the media. A conflict that will only increase as the demand grows for shorter, more dramatic chunks of information popping up on our tiny screens 24/7. But thank you for your book, it's about time those of us who respect the scientific process become more vocal and ardent in insisting we can and do know many, many things because of science. Thanks for a passionate argument for the weight of scientific evidence in so many important areas. As a former researcher (trained in psychology) who now reviews and writes about child-related research (and also a mother of three) I am reminded daily of the public’s distrust of science. The misinformation permeating the media from BPA to childhood obesity, daycare, and breastfeeding (the effects, as you probably know, are much smaller and most likely more short-term than parents are led to believe ) is dizzying. I’ve been told by editors of parenting magazines and websites that readers aren’t interested in hearing the more sciency details, even in plain English, the things that make all the difference in whether BPA is a deadly carcinogen or a relatively safe chemical. So add to denialism the huge conflict between science and the media. A conflict that will only increase as the demand grows for shorter, more dramatic chunks of information popping up on our tiny screens 24/7. But thank you for your book, it’s about time those of us who respect the scientific process become more vocal and ardent in insisting we can and do know many, many things because of science.

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