Why do smart people sometimes believe dumb things? It’s a question that constantly bothers risk professionals as they try to help people understand the world through rational eyes. And it bothers them even more when it turns out they themselves aren’t immune from the occasional bit of irrational thinking.
On November 1, the Risk Science Center is kicking off this academic year’s program of Unplugged discussions with a conversation with Australian science communicator Craig Cormick, exploring how our perceptions of risk influence how we effectively communicate about risk.
Craig is a highly informed and engaging speaker on risk perception and communication, so I was extremely pleased that he could fit in an unplugged session at the Risk Science Center during an up-coming visit to the US. He will be talking with Risk Science Center member Dr. Di Bowman on the challenges of helping people make informed decisions on risks when more often than not their understand of risk is less about Likelihood x Impact and more about Hazard x Outrage.
I’m expecting the conversation to be wide ranging. When I asked Craig what specifically he would like to talk about, he replied:
“I can talk (under wet cement I am told) on a variety of topics that might suit, such as the psychology of anti-science beliefs, including risk perceptions about new technologies (infant vaccinations, GM, nanotech etc), trying to engage with the unengaged on science and risk issues, the impacts and tactics of interest groups in magnifying (or diminishing) risk perceptions, a little bit of all of the above.”
Sounds like a recipe for a great event!
Risk Science Unplugged Presents Risk Rage will be live-webcast at 2:10 PM Eastern Time on November 1. The event is also open to the public – visit the Risk Rage – Unplugged website for further details.
Hosted by the University of Michigan Risk Science Center, the Risk Science Unplugged series engages leading experts in conversation on key issues at the intersection between risk and human health.
Related posts:
- Nanotechnology – unplugged
- What keeps you awake at night? Give us your ideas for the next Risk Science Unplugged series
- Nanotechnology – Unplugged. February 8, 2:00 – 3:00 PM. Webcast
- Health impacts of the Gulf oil spill – plugging Risk Science Unplugged (April 14)
- Health Impacts of the Gulf Oil Spill – Transcript of Unplugged Discussion Now Posted
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Dear Faculty – The public, even or perhaps mostly even the educated public probably does not remember the specifics of science that they were either assured was safe or the risk was never mentioned. Thus, illogical views and decisions may persist because such views have been repeatedly demonstrated to be not so crazy. Now everyone knows about Fukushima meltdown which will be dreaded; this feeling has been amplified and maintained over the years by such unbforseen risks in asbestos, hazardous waste dump sites, chemical train derailments (i.e., missasauga 1979), Thalidomide, Chernobyl, xray machines in shoe stores, VCM liver carcinogen hair spray propellant, and on and on. What then is a “dumb” belief?
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