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A Framework for Understanding Wishful Thinking

Hicks, Daniel and Elliott, Kevin (2018) A Framework for Understanding Wishful Thinking. In: UNSPECIFIED.

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Abstract

While the science and values literature has seen recurrent concerns about wishful thinking, there have been few efforts to characterize this phenomenon. Based on a review of varieties of wishful thinking involved in climate skepticism, we argue that instances of wishful thinking can be fruitfully characterized in terms of the mechanisms that generate them and the problems associated with them. We highlight the array of mechanisms associated with wishful thinking, as well as the fact that it can be evaluated both from epistemic and ethical perspectives. We argue that it is doubtful that a single unified definition of wishful thinking can be developed. Moreover, the concept of wishful thinking can problematically focus excessive attention on individual and epistemic problems in science, to the exclusion of social and ethical problems.


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Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (UNSPECIFIED)
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Hicks, Danielhicks.daniel.j@gmail.com0000-0001-7945-4416
Elliott, Kevinkce@msu.edu
Keywords: science and values; wishful thinking; climate skepticism
Subjects: General Issues > Science and Society
General Issues > Values In Science
Depositing User: Dan Hicks
Date Deposited: 02 Feb 2018 19:15
Last Modified: 02 Feb 2018 19:15
Item ID: 14348
Subjects: General Issues > Science and Society
General Issues > Values In Science
Date: 2018
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/14348

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