The Psychology of Science Denial | Dr. Rick Lindroth

Why do smart, good-faith people reject well-established science? In this second installment of his Friday Night Lecture series at Upper House, Dr. Rick Lindroth turns from the history of American science to the psychology behind its rejection. Drawing on the "tobacco playbook," the FLICC framework of denialist tactics, and Jonathan Haidt's moral foundations theory, Lindroth shows how distrust in science is rarely about the data itself — it's about identity, tribal belonging, and perceived threat. He traces how 300,000 years of human evolution wired our brains to prioritize belonging over truth, and why denialism shows up on both ends of the political spectrum, just aimed at different targets. Part two of "Can Science Be Trusted?"