Why Political Partisans -- Right And Left -- Often Reject Facts

Why political partisans often reject facts. "A revealing body of research, coming largely from Yale Law School professor Dan Kahan, finds that 'cultural cognition' shapes our reactions to science -- and that our values affect our assessment of purely factual claims, even in highly technical areas. As a result, Americans predictably polarize on factual questions involving, for example, the effects of gun control, nuclear waste disposal and nanotechnology. Consider current debates over genetically modified organisms and climate change. The strong majority of scientists (of course, not all) accept two propositions. First, GMOs generally don't pose serious threats to human health or the environment. Second, greenhouse gases are producing climate change, which does pose serious threats to human health and the environment....With respect to GMOs, Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to reject the prevailing scientific judgment. With respect to climate change, Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to reject the prevailing scientific judgment." Cass R. Sunstein in Bloomberg View.