Lara Millman looks at why people are committed to false beliefs, especially those rooted in racism, misogyny, homophobia, and science skepticism.
“If we can’t understand why problematic beliefs persist despite evidence to the contrary, we are not well-equipped to further our aims of social justice.”
@larammillman
Content Warning: this post discusses anti-Black racism and fatphobia throughout. There is also mention of eating disorders in paragraph 5. Systems of oppression are problematic for an obvious reason—they actively cause harm via structural and systemic violence. “Structural violence” is a term that has been widely adopted in the humanities and social sciences to describe […]
This article was originally published on The Conversation Canada on September 21, 2022. Much has been made in recent years of politicians like Donald Trump and their use of conspiracy theories. In Canada, a number of conservative politicians have voiced support for conspiracy theories. However, some evidence suggests that those who are most vocal about […]
This article was originally published on The Conversation Canada on August 3, 2022. Most people think they acquire their beliefs using a high standard of objectivity. But recent arguments between people about issues like trans rights, vaccinations or Roe v. Wade point to a different reality. Consider the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe […]
Content warning: This post discusses abortion. The structures and practices that influence our beliefs are often invisible to us. While some people might think they have acquired beliefs according to careful deliberation and according to the relevant evidence, the world in which we live almost never allows individuals to independently acquire beliefs in this way. […]
This article was originally published on Impact Ethics on April 28, 2022. Content warning: the following post discusses transphobia and racism. Conservatives in the United States are increasingly attempting to control gender and sexuality through government mandates. Perhaps most infamously, Governor Greg Abbott issued a letter to Texas health authorities in February aiming to criminalize […]
Beliefs are sticky. While many of us like to think we are at liberty to alter our beliefs according to the facts, contemporary psychology and cognitive science disagree. Belief change and belief persistence are much more reliant on social factors than actual evidence. Cognitive Division of Labour Social factors have a huge influence over our […]
This article was originally published on The Conversation Canada on March 1, 2022 Joe Rogan recently apologized for his repeated use of “the N-word” on his popular podcast after a video documenting his use of the racial slur was widely shared online. This is not the first time Rogan has been under fire for problematic podcast clips resurfacing. He […]
