Start Date
15-12-2020 3:15 PM
Description
I am proposing that more research be conducted on extinction denialists: a niche group of people who believe that we are not in an anthropogenic mass extinction today. The reasoning behind this scientific rejection varies from questioning the possibility of extinction in itself to denying the human causation of said extinction. Many of these people, particularly those outside of the scientific community, belong to other environmental conspiracy groups as well, such as the climate change denialists. Acknowledging this correlation, I suggest that further research must be conducted to find psychological patterns between these conspiracists. Methodology includes case study, survey, and neuroimaging. I predict that extinction denialism generally derives from teleologic bias combined with higher anxiety, distrust, and social isolation. These results could be useful for those in the scientific community who are trying to prevent the spread of scientific conspiracy as well as its dangers.
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The Psychology of Extinction Denialism and Other Environmental Conspiracies
I am proposing that more research be conducted on extinction denialists: a niche group of people who believe that we are not in an anthropogenic mass extinction today. The reasoning behind this scientific rejection varies from questioning the possibility of extinction in itself to denying the human causation of said extinction. Many of these people, particularly those outside of the scientific community, belong to other environmental conspiracy groups as well, such as the climate change denialists. Acknowledging this correlation, I suggest that further research must be conducted to find psychological patterns between these conspiracists. Methodology includes case study, survey, and neuroimaging. I predict that extinction denialism generally derives from teleologic bias combined with higher anxiety, distrust, and social isolation. These results could be useful for those in the scientific community who are trying to prevent the spread of scientific conspiracy as well as its dangers.
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Mentor: Chelsea Robinson