Denialism

Dark Arts portal closed belief system denialism discussion trolling disinformation epistemic closure ideological loyalty ideological protectionism logical fallacy obscurantism propaganda religion rhetorical deception soldier argument Denialists use rhetorical techniques and predictable tactics to erect barriers to debate and consideration of any type of reform, regardless of the facts. – Chris Jay Hoofnagle, 2007-02-09

About

Denialism is the repeated re-use of already-defeated but otherwise persuasive arguments -- an implicit denial that there are any valid counter-arguments. Denialism works when such arguments are presented to audiences which are either naive (unaware of the counter-arguments) or willing (being pre-disposed to agree -- "wanting to believe").

Denialist arguments typically have a strong emotional component, enhancing their reproductive fitness through memic evangelism.

This technique generally works best on those whose upbringing has been steeped in ideological protectionism, which renders them unlikely to use rational inquiry to verify information they receive in certain contexts (e.g. at a function sanctioned by appropriate authority, or by an authority-figure).

Nonetheless, it is also possible for skeptical minds to be ensnared in denialism by the use of straw-man packing and possibly other similarly subtle techniques.

Types

• Emotional overload ("It hurts to think about it.")
• Category error ("I don't need any more worries to think about.")
• Learned helplessness ("It's futile to think about.")
• Tactical stupidity ("My livelihood depends on not thinking about it.")

Examples

• global warming denial
• creationism and intelligent design are forms of evolution denial
• 9/11 anomaly denial
• Pulse Massacre/denialism

Links

Reference

• Wikipedia
• RationalWiki
• LessWrong Wiki may have a differently-named but equivalent term (2009-12-12)
• Conservapedia denies the existence of denialism (2009-12-12)
• dKosopedia no information (2009-12-12)
• SourceWatch no equivalent page; try searching (2009-12-12)

to file

• 2007-02-09 The Denialists' Deck of Cards "It is well known that businesses spend billions of dollars on lobbyists to affect legislation. They also spend untold millions on public policy groups that spread doubt about the need for any type of reform. Chief among these groups are the American Enterprise Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Manhattan Institute, and the Cato Institute, but many other similar groups exist that focus on specific issues. Giveupblog.com has described these groups as "denialists." Denialists use rhetorical techniques and predictable tactics to erect barriers to debate and consideration of any type of reform, regardless of the facts."
• 2006-09-19 Denialists "...the type of person that refuses to believe in facts when they are indisputable. Topics of denial include the holocaust, HIV causing AIDS, global warming/climate change, evolution, the necessity of animals in research, cigarettes causing cancer, embryonic stem cells aren't as good as adult stem cells, the government blew up the WTC on 9/11 not terrorists etc."

Related

• 2014/05/12 [L..T] Sandy Hook truther steals memorial sign, tells victim's mother her child never existed "A vinyl peace sign installed at a playground in Mystic, Connecticut, dedicated to a victim of the Sandy Hook shooting was stolen last week by a man claiming that the Newtown massacre never happened."
• 2014/05/01 [L..T] Why the Mormon Church Won't Say "Homosexuality" "In the LDS leadership, you will rarely hear someone say the words "gay" or "homosexual". Occasionally in older talks they will mention "homosexual" or "lesbian behavior". If you go to their site to research topics, this is what you will find when you search for "homosexual":" ("see Same-Sex Attraction")
• 2014/04/24 [L..T] In 2014, it's like deja vu all over again «Bill Kristol, the Republican National Committee, and conservatives everywhere instead dug into the internals to declare the poll is... skewed. It's as if 2012 has already escaped their memories.»