Knowledge resistance: How we avoid insight from others

by Mikael Klintman

Why do people and groups ignore, deny and resist knowledge about society's many problems? In a world of 'alternative facts', 'fake news’ that some believe could be remedied by ‘factfulness’, the question has never been more pressing. After years of ideologically polarised debates on this topic, the book seeks to further advance our understanding of the phenomenon of knowledge resistance by integrating insights from the social, economic and evolutionary sciences. It identifies simplistic views in public and scholarly debates about what facts, knowledge and human motivations are and what 'rational' use of information actually means. The examples used include controversies about nature-nurture, climate change, gender roles, vaccination, genetically modified food and artificial intelligence. Drawing on cutting-edge scholarship as well as personal experiences of culture clashes, the book is aimed at the general, educated public as well as students and scholars interested in the interface of human motivation and the urgent social problems of today.

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Science

328 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 4, 2019

Reviews

[Michael Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Most research economists were surprised by the economic crisis in 2008. This has led to wide discussions about the value of financial prognoses. British newspaper the Guardian reported that during a November 2008 visit to the London School of Economics, Queen Elizabeth described the financial situation as ‘awful’. She called it awful in light of what economists had told her about the devastating effect it would have for workers, businesses, and beyond. The Queen approached Professor Luis Garicano, a leading economist and director of research, and asked him succinctly: ‘Why did nobody notice?’ According to the Guardian, the distinguished professor stammered, unprepared for serious questions during the royal visit: ‘Someone was relying on someone else [in the homogeneous community of traditional economists] and everyone thought they were doing the right thing"

The Queen clearly felt that not since Ethelred the Unready had her office been so blatantly let down by those paid to guard its security. Once upon a time the gallows would have beckoned. Now the Queen wanted only to know what the hell had gone wrong."

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear and fascinating book that distinguishes itself from from much of what we read so often about our "fake news" landscape by situating problems in social structures and human nature (more than media bias).

[Róbert Pálmason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and very easy to read! Really goes to the foundation of why people are knowledge resistant and offers smart ideas in how to handle that!!

[Ingrid Moysset · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading to understand how we relate to information. It makes the difference between the value of social cohesion versus that of factual knowledge.