Stephen Downes

We should probably replace the word 'Americans' with the phrase 'a society' in the headline, because that's the argument Adam Frank is making. The first point is that science denial has nothing to do with science or even science communication. "Instead, it is about a kind of tribalism: If you identify as a member of certain groups - usually ones that have a particular political orientation - then you oppose certain kinds of science." The next point is that when one society begins to deny science, the frontiers of research (and the benefits that flow with it) flow elsewhere. "In the long run, the price you pay for science denial is the denial of your own scientific capacities."