David Ropeik: The Heartland Billboard Embarrassment and the Dangers of Ideological Ignorance

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-ropeik/the-heartland-billboard-e_b_1496787.html

There is a message here for all of us, and it goes far beyond the issue of climate change. To some degree, we all behave this way. We argue our beliefs based on the facts, but in fact we subconsciously shape our beliefs so they agree with the group, the tribe, with which we most strongly identify. This strengthens our tribe's acceptance of us as a member in good standing, and produces social cohesion that strengthens our tribe's dominance in overall society. This is a powerful subconscious imperative because acceptance by our tribe and our tribe's overall dominance are both important for the safety and survival of social animals like us. (This phenomenon has been called Cultural Cognition.)

---SPSmith