The Paranoid Style in American Science


	The Paranoid Style in American Science

Djiezes

5-3-2008 6:37 AM

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tags:

science, denialism, us, usa, skepticism, uncertainty, ideology

1 Comment |

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5-4-2008 10:35 AM

papananook

hmmm, sounds like a coupla people here at CM--i won't embarrass them by naming--you know who you are! Or do you?

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<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://www.clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/e64e35ec-e803-4c85-ada4-60a0776c6154/87A956E5-2ACA-4C99-9769-4E411903DCDD/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179" href="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179" style="font-size: 11px;">www.slate.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179"><H1>The Paranoid Style in American Science</H1></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179"><EM>This is the first installment of a three-part series on radical skepticism and the rise of conspiratorial thinking about science.</EM></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179"><DIV class="multipart_links"><DIV class="multipart_link_header"><SPAN class="multipart_dept">Science</SPAN><BR />entries</DIV><A href="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179/" class="multipart_current">1</A><A href="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189206/">2</A><A href="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189361/">3</A><DIV class="clearing"></DIV></DIV></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179">Like the recent crop of global-warming skeptics, AIDS denialists, and biotech activists, Berlinski uses doubt as a weapon against the academy—he's more concerned with what we don't know than what we do. He uses <EM>uncertainty</EM> to challenge the scientific consensus; he points to the evidence <EM>that</EM> <EM>isn't there</EM> and seeks out the things that <EM>can't be proved</EM>. In its extreme and ideological form, this contrarian approach to science can turn into a form of paranoia—a state of permanent suspicion and outrage.</blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/87A956E5-2ACA-4C99-9769-4E411903DCDD/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content8.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>