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Religion & Law

: Thoughts in a Haystack

Accommodating Incompatiblism

By John Pieret

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Dr. Steve Novella has a discouraging post about science denialism at Neurologica. Perhaps of particular interest to those who have followed the accommodationist / incompatiblist debate is this*:

The second study is, in some ways, even more disturbing than the first, because it strikes right at the heart of skeptical activism. Researchers find that when people are confronted with scientific information that directly challenges a cherished belief, their typical response is to argue for the impotence of science ? science is unable to prove or disprove my belief. That much is predictable, and any skeptic can tell you that this is a common response. However, the study takes it one step further ? they found that people also, after being confronted, shift their belief toward thinking that science in general is impotent. This probably is a mechanism to reduce cognitive dissonance, but in any case confronting people with disconfirming scientific evidence tends to reduce their confidence in science in general.

Some "New Atheists," not least among them Jerry Coyne, have insisted that the accommodationist programme has not been working. There could be demographic reasons why that may be true. But now there may be empiric evidence that the incompatiblist approach is also ineffective. Worse, the incompatiblists could be contributing to science denialism in other areas, such as climate change. Of course, it would take more than one study ... especially one I haven't read ... to reach that sort of conclusion.

Still ... food for thought.

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*That study is behind a paywall. If anyone has access to it, I would greatly appreciate a copy.
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Full post as published by Thoughts in a Haystack on May 28, 2010 (boomark / email).