ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Christian Deconstructionist Climate Science, Distrust and "The Scientific Consensus"

• In Event: Trust, Distrust, Faith and Disbelief

English Abstract

In the 1970s, a sub-group of Christian Reconstructionists emerged in the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The group explicitly rejected evolution, believed the earth is less than 6,000 years old, rejected climate science, and was at the forefront of the anti-mask anti-vax movement during the 2020 pandemic. Yet, in most other cases, they readily accepted the scientific consensus. They grew quickly over the following two decades, founding their own publishing house and producing large quantities of k-12 curriculum, along with books detailing their views around different fields of science. From 2005 on, issues regarding climate science and environmentalism have been more central in their publications. Examining their science curriculum and other published materials from 2005-2019 shows that this group can form an important historical case study for sustained scientific distrust. While accounts, like Oreskes (2019), emphasize the role of the scientific consensus in fostering trust in science among various groups, the literature from this Christian Reconstructionist group shows that they are skeptical of science communication strategies that rely on notions of the “scientific consensus” over presentation of data. I suggest that this case study opens up new avenues for research programs on trust in science, focusing on the history and content of science education curriculum.

Author

• Mallory Anne Hrehor, University of Cambridge