Professor of Physics, Truman State University
With a global pandemic and environmental crisis, slogans like “trust the science” and proposals of rule by experts have become more visible. A better understanding of the facts and rational behavior are our best hopes. Rationality, however, is more complicated and more context-dependent than we often appreciate. Beliefs have associated costs. When we account for these costs, we find that in some common situations, such as nationalist or traditionally religious environments, belief in some falsehoods can become instrumentally rational. Rationality alone is unlikely to promote adequate solutions to global problems.
Available on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/99924839868