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the more things change…
1923
2012
1902
2006
2007
2012
the more they stay the same.
the more things change…
human beings are still human.
“”The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.
Isaac Asimov
prove scientific consensus, out-reason them all!
more facts! better education! science literacy!
let’s just ignore them… maybe they’ll disappear.
so, the problem with science communication must be…
people are in denial
people are misinformed
people are irrational
the problem is…
that’s not how it works.
Denial?
http://www.desmogblog.com/2012/11/15/why-climate-deniers-have-no-credibility-science-one-pie-chart
24 reject global warming
hierarchical
egalitarian
communitarianindividualist
gun control
HPV vaccine
compulsory health measures
evolution
climate change
nuclear power
abortion
Cultural Cognition of Scientific Consensus
Source: Kahan, Dan M., Jenkins-Smith, Hank and Braman, Donald, Cultural Cognition of Scientific Consensus (February 7, 2010). Journal of Risk Research, Vol. 14, pp. 147-74, 2011
“Is this a knowledgeable and credible expert on…”
respondents who agree the author is an expert
Cultural Cognition:
“Individuals form risk perceptions that are congenial to their values.
Cultural cognition shapes individuals’ beliefs about the existence of scientific consensus.”
Denial? People generally trust science but our perception of scientific expertise is colored by our values.
Misinformation?
“How much risk do you think climate change poses?”
perceived risk
science literacy
egalitarian communitarian
hierarchical individualist
Prediction:better informed
more agreementwith consensus
“How much risk do you think climate change poses?”
perceived risk
science literacy
egalitarian communitarian
hierarchical individualist
Result: for some, better educated
more polarized views opposing consensus
Misinformation?
People don’t process information in a vacuum; simply providing more, better information doesn’t get people on the same page.
Irrational?
“All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the big bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell.”Rep. Paul Broun R-GA & member the House Science Committee
maybe this is a rhetorical design problem.
“”Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.
Herbert Simon
How do you design for people who don’t already agree with you?
“”Where ever there is design, there is rhetoric.
Kenneth Burke
design
human-centered
FACTS
doubt &
controversy
LOGIC
INFORMATION
hierarchical
egalitarian
communitarianindividualist
communitarianindividualist
Interference from outsiders limits
personal freedom.
Collective assistance and
welfare structures hold us back.
Freedom and competition lead to
human resourcefulness and
innovation.
People should fend for themselves and leave others alone.
Human interaction and compassion are important.
People have a responsibility to take care of each other.
Collaboration and solidarity make
strong, safe communities.
Everyone should be willing to both help
and depend on others.
hierarchical
egalitarian
It’s ok to acknowledge and even emphasize
differences.
It’s ok to distribute wealth and duty according to class or
expertise.
Roles should be differentiated in a traditional manner.
Policy and social conventions should support traditional hierarchies and
stability.
Discrimination is harmful.
Everyone deserves equal representation in duty and fair distribution of wealth.
Everyone should have access; non-traditional roles
are ok.
Everyone should be allowed to participate; diversity is
good.
hierarchical
egalitarian
communitarianindividualist
hierarchical
individualist
Hierarchical - Individualist
“Personal ambition is a virtue, not a vice.”
Values:
Risks:
Personal freedom within a traditional social structure
Unrestricted opportunities to compete & pursue private interests
Destabilization of traditional social and family structures
Outsider interference and externally imposed restrictions
hierarchical
communitarian
Hierarchical - Communitarian
“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”
Values:
Risks:
Strong community values in a traditional social structure
Conventions that support the good of the community over individual needs
Policies that threaten traditional family and social hierarchies
Behaviors that challenge social norms
egalitarian
individualist
Egalitarian - Individualist
“Everyone should be free to choose his or her own path.”
Values:
Risks:
Personal freedom & individual rights for everyone in all contexts
Unrestricted opportunities for individuals to compete as desired
Patriarchal social conventions & government oversight
Intrusions or restrictions on personal freedom and choice
egalitarian
communitarian
Egalitarian - Communitarian
“One for all and all for one!”
Values:
Risks:
Community stewardship
Equal access & participation for everyone, regardless of class, gender, race, age, or status
Restrictions on participation or access for certain populations
Conventions that reinforce social inequalities or undermine community
hierarchical
egalitarian
communitarianindividualistmost people
extreme stereotypes
So how do we use this information? Let’s try it out…
Part I: Gaining familiarity with the different worldviews and their values
Part II: Applying this knowledge to the communication process
Homework: Try it on your own.. And report back!
Part I:Gaining familiarity with the different worldviews
“The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson
“I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world, that's completely inconsistent with the world we observe, that's fine. But don't make your kids do it. Because we need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future. We need engineers that can build stuff and solve problems.”
Bill Nye
“Science and art belong to the whole world, and before them vanish the barriers of nationality.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts.”
Richard Feynman
“We can no longer allow America’s dependence on foreign oil to compromise our energy security. Instead, we must invest in inventing new ways to power our cars and our economy. I’ll put my faith in American science and ingenuity any day before I depend on Saudi Arabia.”
John Kerry
“Science is like a blabbermouth who ruins a movie by telling you how it ends! Well, I say there are some things we don't want to know! Important things!”
Ned Flanders (The Simpsons)
“We oppose the teaching of...critical thinking skills and similar programs...which have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.”
Republican Party of Texas 2012 platform
“While it is evident that the human right to produce and use energy does not extend to activities that actually endanger the climate of the Earth upon which we all depend, bogus claims about climate dangers should not be used as a justification to further limit the American people’s freedom.”
Ron Paul
“We should make all forms of energy bear their full costs. Many forms of energy produce side effects, like pollution, that are a cost to society. The producers don’t bear those costs; society does. There has to be a way to level the playing field and cause those forms of energy to bear their true costs.”
George Shultz, Secretary of State (Reagan Admin)
“The Apostle Paul says in Romans 1 that the Creation itself reflects God’s eternal power and divine nature. Good science searches the order of that Creation; faith informs our response to that data. Bob Inglis tells me that the Energy and Enterprise Initiative will be a place of science that understands man cannot live by data alone, but also by awe, wonder, and action. That’s a good objective.”
Russell Moore, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
hierarchical
egalitarian
communitarianindividualist
What about you?
Exercise:
Which worldview or values would you expect each story to resonate with the most?
Part II:Applying this to science communication
case study: vaccination
Why should I? communitarian & egalitarian
Why would I? hierarchical & individualist
Why wouldn’t I? debunking & de-biasing
Will I? choice
metaphor: seat belts
What resonated most?
“”The part about vaccines being a _________.
I never thought about it that way.
Exercise:
Identify a scientific topic of your choice. (the field you study, something you are passionate about, a recent article you read, etc.)
Write a brief statement about that topic & its significance for society in… four different versions: one each that appeals specifically to each of the cultural worldviews.
be brief (edit as desired: aim for a few sentences to a paragraph)
use all of your skills (storytelling? cultural cognition? your own knowledge?)
audience = general public (non-technical readers)
How do we combine multiple framings into a unified message?
Five canons of classical rhetoric• inventio• dispositio• elocutio• memoria• pronuntiatio
inventio:
The system or method used for the discovery of arguments in classical rhetoric, which is considered an art of invention and discovery.
Inventio is the central, indispensable canon of rhetoric, and traditionally means a systematic search for arguments.
Inventio comes from the Latin invenire, meaning "to find" or "to come upon.“ The same Latin root later gave us the English word inventor. Invenire is itself derived from the Greek heuriskein, also meaning "to find out" or "discover" (cf. eureka, "I have found it").
Sound familiar?
search for arguments …
tablecloth
curtain
pizza
package
cupcake
fridge
screen
mouse
leg
stomach
dancer
nurse
nail
garden
bridge
sand
palm tree
camel
room
pajamas
socks
dog
dinosaur
subway
sandwich
record
sun
sock
television
book
magazine
bag
monkey
adult
train
chocolate
pond
river
jam
engine
bookcase
continent
planet
rocket
star
wallet
children
population
dress
lipstick
bus
sandwich
rectangle
waterfall
horse
seat belt
car
swing
sprinkler
currency
hammer
light bulb
highway
bumper cars
insulation
tree
ocean
bear
bottle
kidney
street
bowl
boot
pillow
knee
shadow
flowers
soil
daisy
fertilizer
weed
weapon
armor
spoon
elbow
watch
eye
skin
toe
frown
foot
lettuce
paper
floor
tractor
elephant
shoe
shoulder
tongue
train
lungs
toenail
child
nose
caravan
__(topic)__ is like (a) ___________ because...
Exercise: Unify with Metaphor
After exploring as many metaphors as possible for each version of your statement, choose one with potential to serve multiple interpretations (think “seat belt” example). With this metaphor, try to unify for your message into a single piece.
Frame the message so there is room for interpretation
Avoid threatening or alienating a particular worldview
Try to appeal to all four worldviews (incorporate your previous four statements…)
p.s. This is hard! Give it your best shot… it gets easier with practice.
Homework
Try applying these strategies to your own work and topics you are asked to communicate about, especially when there is some aspect of your message that could be controversial or polarizing.
EpilogueKahan, Dan M. and Jenkins-Smith, Hank C. and Tarantola, Tor and Silva, Carol L and Braman, Donald, Geoengineering and Climate Change Polarization: Testing a Two-channel Model of Science Communication. Annals of American Academy of Political & Social Sci. (2014, Forthcoming).
From the Abstract:
…the logic of the cultural cognition thesis suggests the potential value of a distinctive two-channel science communication strategy that combines information content (“Channel 1”) with cultural meanings (“Channel 2”) selected to promote open-minded assessment of information across diverse communities…
…we found that making citizens aware of the potential contribution of geoengineering as a supplement to restriction of CO2 emissions helps to offset cultural polarization over the validity of climate-change science…
…we found that subjects exposed to information about geoengineering were slightly more concerned about climate change risks…
Epilogue
“The key, then, is to clear the science communication environment of the toxin of antagonistic cultural meanings that now envelop the climate change issue. The advent of public discussion of geoengineering, the CCP study implies, can help to achieve this desirable result by seeding public deliberations over climate change with meanings congenial to a wider array of cultural styles.”
Dan Kahan
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thank you!
