denialism
Refusing accepted facts
Denialism is the refusal to accept well-established facts, especially when acceptance would be psychologically or politically inconvenient.
Climate denialism rejects scientific consensus on global warming; Holocaust denialism disputes documented genocide.
The term implies willful rejection rather than honest skepticism: His denialism about the health risks bordered on self-destruction.
A practitioner is a denialist.
Rejection of empirical knowledge
- pseudoscienceBogus methodology posing as factual
- creationismDivine origin doctrine
- flat-earthDisc-shaped planet belief
- anti-vaxxerOne rejecting vaccinations
vaccine hesitancy · quackery · junk science · cherry-picking · misinformation · disinformation · alternative facts · confirmation bias
Discomfort from contradictory beliefs
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
- willful ignorancePurposely remaining uninformed
- motivated reasoningBiased cognition favoring preferences
- self-deceptionConvincing yourself of falsehoods
avoidance · compartmentalization · defensiveness · repression · suppression · coping mechanism · blind spot
Disposition toward doubt
- doubtLack of firm belief
- disbeliefRejection of truth claims
- incredulityInability to accept something
- distrustAbsence of confidence
agnosticism · uncertainty · contrarianism · anti-intellectualism · relativism · post-truth · expertise · evidence
Large-scale fiery destruction
- revisionismReexamining established doctrine
- genocideSystematic annihilation of a people
- atrocityUnforgivable mass cruelty
- whitewashConceal or coat pale
erasure · distortion · falsification · misrepresentation · propaganda · airbrushing · apologetics · pseudohistory
Deliberate concealment through confusion
- deflectionChange in trajectory
- whataboutismDeflecting criticism through counter-accusation
- bad faithIntentional deception in dealings
- gaslightingManipulation causing self-doubt
strawman · false balance · conspiracy theory · spin · propaganda · both-sides · cherry-picking · misleading
Rising planetary temperatures
- greenhouse gasesEmissions that trap heat
- carbon footprintTotal greenhouse gases produced
- emissionsSubstances released into air
- fossil fuelsCombustible prehistoric organic deposits
sea level rise · climate skeptic · carbon dioxide · pollution · deforestation · methane · melting glaciers · ozone depletion
antiscience
Rejection of empirical knowledge
- pseudoscienceBogus methodology posing as factual
- creationismDivine origin doctrine
- flat-earthDisc-shaped planet belief
anti-vaxxer · vaccine hesitancy · quackery · junk science · cherry-picking · misinformation · disinformation · alternative facts · confirmation bias · peer review
cognitive dissonance
Discomfort from contradictory beliefs
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
- willful ignorancePurposely remaining uninformed
- motivated reasoningBiased cognition favoring preferences
self-deception · avoidance · compartmentalization · defensiveness · repression · suppression · coping mechanism · blind spot
skepticism
Disposition toward doubt
- doubtLack of firm belief
- disbeliefRejection of truth claims
- incredulityInability to accept something
distrust · agnosticism · uncertainty · contrarianism · anti-intellectualism · relativism · post-truth · expertise · evidence · burden of proof
holocaust
Large-scale fiery destruction
- revisionismReexamining established doctrine
- genocideSystematic annihilation of a people
- atrocityUnforgivable mass cruelty
whitewash · erasure · distortion · falsification · misrepresentation · propaganda · airbrushing · apologetics · pseudohistory · selective memory
obfuscation
Deliberate concealment through confusion
- deflectionChange in trajectory
- whataboutismDeflecting criticism through counter-accusation
- bad faithIntentional deception in dealings
gaslighting · strawman · false balance · conspiracy theory · spin · propaganda · both-sides · cherry-picking · misleading · distraction
global warming
Rising planetary temperatures
- greenhouse gasesEmissions that trap heat
- carbon footprintTotal greenhouse gases produced
- emissionsSubstances released into air
fossil fuels · sea level rise · climate skeptic · carbon dioxide · pollution · deforestation · methane · melting glaciers · ozone depletion · extinction
- denialismanti-science, pseudoscience, anti-vax, flat earth, anti-intellectualism
- unreasonirrationalism, irrationality, unreason, illogic, anti-rationalism
- disinformationdisinformation, misinformation, misinformation campaigns, fake news, propaganda
- fallaciesstraw man, red herring, circular reasoning, ad hominem, fallacy
- skepticismdoubt, skeptic, doubts, debunker, doubtful
- extremismextremism, extremists, fanaticism, radicalism, radicalization
denialismacceptance
Consent to receive
acknowledgment · affirmation · recognition · admission · validation
denialismacceptance
Consent to receive
acknowledgment · intellectual honesty · truth-seeking · affirmation · recognition
denialismacknowledgment
Confirmation of receipt
reckoning · coming to terms · confrontation · candor · truthfulness
- climate denialismRejecting established atmospheric science
- climate denialistOne rejecting environmental science