| On Sunday The Times published an article by the political scientist Brendan Nyhan about a troubling aspect of the current American scene -- the stark partisan divide over issues that should be simply factual, like whether the planet is warming or evolution happened. It's common to attribute such divisions to ignorance, but as Mr. Nyhan points out, the divide is actually worse among those who are seemingly better informed about the issues. The problem, in other words, isn't ignorance; it's wishful thinking. Confronted with a conflict between evidence and what they want to believe for political and/or religious reasons, many people reject the evidence. |
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At www.nytimes.com
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