Summary

Thinking like a freak can result in blurting out some unpopular comments. It is difficult to persuade people about a new way of thinking or viewing a matter. There are some tips to work with those who resist this new way of thinking. The persuader has to first realize how difficult it is to persuade those who do not want to be persuaded. The American public is disinterested in the climate change crises despite the fact that the vast majority of scientists are quite concerned.

An organization of scholars and psychologists called the Cultural Cognition Project sought to determine why the public finds certain subjects particularly touchy and are resistant to changing their views about them. This issues include gun control, nanotechnology, date rape and global warming. Relative to the latter, polls indicate...