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CSS colloquium: Andreas Christiansen & Bjørn Gunnar Hallsson, University of Copenhagen

Disagreements about the facts: Patterns, causes, challenges, and remedies

Info about event

Time

Wednesday 8 May 2019,  at 14:15 - 15:45

Location

Aud G1 (1532-211) NEW ROOM

Abstract

In many cases, sizeable sections of the public disagree with scientific experts about basic matters of fact—think, for example, of global warming, side effects of the HPV vaccine, or health and environmental risks of genetically modified food. We outline the basic patterns of factual disagreement and polarization concerning science and technology, and present evidence that the phenomenon is largely caused by politically motivated reasoning—people’s tendency to assess evidence through the lens of their basic cultural or ideological worldview. We the offer some reflections on what challenges factual disagreement presents for democratic governance of scientific and technological issues, and how these can be remedied.

Coffee/tea, cake and fruit will be served at 2 pm.