Sean Carroll’s List of 6 Arguments Used by Science Denialists

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Sean B. Carroll is a noted evolutionary biologist, author, and vice-president for science education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. I haven’t read his book, The Making of theFittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution, but I’m told it contains a summary of 6 arguments used by science denialists that could be applied to most any subject.
 
Here are the 6 arguments.
  1. Cast doubt on the science.
  2. Question the scientists’ motives and integrity.
  3. Magnify any disagreements among the scientists; cite gadflies as authorities.
  4. Exaggerate the potential for harm from the science.
  5. Appeal to the importance of personal freedom.
  6. Object that acceptance of the science would repudiate some key philosophy.

 Since this hadn’t been previously mentioned on this blog, I thought readers might find it of interest.