A generation ago, the flat-earther at the end of the bar or the anti-evolutionist in front of a congregation could be ignored. But today's science deniers—climate change skeptics and Covid anti-vaxxers—threaten all of us: solutions to both global catastrophes require the public's collective buy-in. Drawing on the latest academic research and his own experience speaking with those doubtful of established facts—including at a recent Flat Earth convention in Denver—McIntyre outlines the common themes and psychological roots of science denialism, illustrating a throughline from the disinformation campaigns created by tobacco companies in the 1950s to today's climate deniers, anti-vaxxers and Covid-deniers. Importantly, he also offers tools, techniques, and reasoning strategies that are effective in mitigating the effects of scientific disinformation. When science denial becomes a public health threat, all of us—laypeople and experts alike—have a responsibility to help combat it
https://centerforinquiry.org/video/how-to-talk-to-a-science-denier/
Here's my theory- with the advent of the internet, the truth about corporations/governments/billionaires' dirty history is public knowledge. It's impossible to cover up because if you shut down one website ten more springs up in its place. So instead, government agencies and corporate boards of directors spend lots of money to propagate all sorts of conspiracy theories in order to cause the average people to not know what to trust/be distracted by nonsense.
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