Selective Ignorance

A convenient but really dumb strategy

Facts still matter, even if too many still insist otherwise. There’s something to be said about common sense, too.

For instance, and just saying: when more than 95% of legitimate, experienced, highly-educated, well-trained experts on any subject warn about something to which they’ve devoted their careers, it’s actually a good thing to pay attention and respect their knowledge. There are advantages to doing so. It is that reliance on expertise which directly contributed to making America the greatest and most advanced nation in history.

Ignoring or dismissing what scientists and other experts are committed to sharing because of a dislike for their messages and the implications regarding risks we face is a choice. A potentially costly one, at that.

At a minimum, paying at least some attention to what genuine experts are trying to communicate to the rest of us makes more sense and offers greater advantages than does taking as gospel contradictory or dismissive comments from corporate shills, media sycophants, and what’s-in-it-for-me politicians whose bank accounts depend on perverting facts and truth to fit a narrative rarely if ever in the public’s best interests.

Let’s consider climate change, as a “for example.” Medium’s own Andrew Gaertner has…