Denying Science

About the Book

The denial of scientific knowledge has become respectable in today’s society, to the point that it threatens the health of the public and the stability of our society as climatic changes due to global warming occur. So the growth of science denial goes much further than just a lack of interest in learning about the world about us. Today, some people go out of their way to try to convince legislators and the general public that scientists are not doing objective, reliable work but instead are crying wolf about imagined problems. The efforts to discredit scientific studies are funded by the fossil fuel industry and are facilitated by the existence of social media, which enable anyone to say nearly anything without being asked for evidence or for their qualifications. The topics covered in this book highlight some of the differences between reputable studies and the public relations efforts of groups that reject scientific studies in order to advance their own agendas.

About the Author

Pascal de Caprariis is Emeritus Professor of Geology at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IN). He has degrees from Boston College (BS, MS) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Ph.D). His teaching experience includes undergraduate courses in Environmental Geology, Structural Geology, and Geophysics. He developed and taught an on-line course in Environmental Problems. He has taught graduate courses in Hydrogeology, Environmental Modeling, and Data Analysis in the Geosciences. His publications include articles on Development of Folds in Layered Media, Sampling Theory, Heat Flow in Lakes, Mathematical Analysis of Aquatic Ecosystems, and Statistical Analysis of Crack Growth in Solids.