Blog: Denialism - 2012-01-21
Denialism January 21, 2012,
In my view, what we are dealing with for the most part with corporate scientologists is denialism. I came across a very clear description of the phenomenon in a book by Michael Specter, Denialism, Penguin Books 2009:
We have all been in denial at some point in our lives; faced with truths too painful to accept, rejection often seems the only way to cope. Under those circumstances, facts, no matter how detailed or irrefutable, rarely make a difference. Denialism is denial writ large — when an entire segment of society, often struggling with the trauma of change, turns away from reality in favor of a more comfortable lie...
...Unless data fits neatly into an already formed theory, a denialist doesn't really see it as data at all. That enables him to dismiss even the most compelling evidence as just another point of view.