Danger of Misinformation and Science Denial: Background, Modern Examples, Future Action

Abstract

Anti-science beliefs, including science denial and belief in pseudoscience, pose a serious risk to human societies. This introductory article presents an overview of the dangers of these anti-science beliefs for a special issue of the Journal of Social Issues on how they impact the behavioral and social sciences. After providing a broad overview of some of the dangers of science denial and pseudoscience, we summarize the contributions of scholars to this special issue who explore a wide range of factors that contribute to the problem and provide suggestions for how scientists can better communicate and apply their research findings in a “post-truth” world.