Episode 43: Agnotology--the Study of Ignorance and Manufactured Doubt

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In this episode, April explains that ignorance and stupidity are not the same thing. But when doubt is deliberately created as a strategic ploy by powerful entities, the ignorance that results can be not only stupid, but dangerous.

Episode 43 Show Notes

Definition of "epistomology:" https://www.britannica.com/topic/epistemology

Good explanation of agnotology by Dr Mark Crislip: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/agnotology-the-study-of-ignorance/

Dr Robert Proctor on Alie Ward: https://www.alieward.com/ologies/agnotology

The post-truth world: https://theconversation.com/scientists-have-a-word-for-studying-the-post-truth-world-agnotology-71542

Medium article https://medium.com/@porlando_84392/agnotology-the-study-of-ignorance-351ba8ae432d

Find out about, and buy, Merchants of Doubt here: https://www.merchantsofdoubt.org/

Great article on "the science of spin:  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7996119/ 

Michael Facciani's website: https://www.matthewfacciani.com/

Agnotology explains why social media platforms don’t investigate the negative impacts of their messaging: https://www.cigionline.org/articles/social-media-platforms-and-upside-ignorance/

Changes to social media sites involving previously banned content: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/everything-to-know-about-meta-political-content-update/737123/

Yes, scientists do agree on climate change: https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/faq/do-scientists-agree-on-climate-change/

Jake Scott's Senate testimony: https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Scott-Testimony.pdf

Here are a few good sources I didn't have time to discuss:

How scientists deal with what they don’t know https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/evan.21303?msockid=1e22d990d6c764bc2523cc64d77d65db

How agnotology might work to fight disinformation https://www.wired.com/story/agnotology-misinformation-opinion/

Agnotology and political rhetoric https://www.aaronhuertas.com/invisible-messaging-the-power-of-agnotology-in-political-rhetoric/