Special report: Living in denial
(Image: Woods Wheatcroft)
From climate change to vaccines, evolution to flu, denialists are on the march. Why are so many people refusing to accept what the evidence is telling them?
In this special feature we look at the phenomenon in depth. What is denial? What attracts people to it? How does it start, and how does it spread? And finally, how should we respond to it?
There are clear lines between scepticism and denial, but telling them apart can be tricky in the real world, says Michael Shermer. Read more
Denialism satisfies deep emotional needs. That makes it easy to encourage and hard to counter, saysDebora MacKenzie. Read more
If the truth is inconvenient, put up a smokescreen instead. It works wonders for big business, argues Richard Littlemore. Read more
It's easy to send a lie flying around the world, and almost impossible to shoot it down, says Jim Giles. Read more
Michael Fitzpatrick argues that calling an opponent a denier is illiberal, intolerant and ineffective. Read more
We must let denialists be heard, and respond with patience, vigilance and tireless rebuttal, says Michael Shermer. Read more
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