The Medway Handyman wrote:

"The idea that 'climate change denial' is a psychological disorder -
the product of a spiteful, wilful or simply in-built neural
inability to face up to the catastrophe of global warming - is
becoming more and more popular amongst green-leaning activists and
academics. And nothing better sums up the elitism and
authoritarianism of the environmentalist lobby than its
psychologisation of dissent. The labelling of any criticism of the
politics of global warming, first as 'denial', and now as evidence
of mass psychological instability, is an attempt to write off all
critics and sceptics as deranged, and to lay the ground for
inevitable authoritarian solutions to the problem of climate change.
Historically, only the most illiberal and misanthropic regimes have
treated disagreement and debate as signs of mental ill-health. "
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.p...earticle/6320/

Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Your point being what exactly?

The point being that the greenies are so convinced of their beliefs that
they consider anyone who disagrees with them must be mentally unstable.

"Denial" (in the context of the phrase "climate change denial") doesn't
imply mental instability or disorder at all. It's a perfectly normal,
though usually undesirable, part of everyday cognitive behaviour, both
at the level of individuals and of societies. It represents a refusal to
recognise something that is the case.

It seems like quite a useful context within which to examine this kind
of debate, because one thing a claim of denial requires is an
examination of the roots of the supposed denial.

It works both ways of course - in a debate like this, either side might
be in a reasonable position to identify denial at work in the position
of the other.

In the case of the debate about climate change, if you think that what
is the case is reasonably clear, then you'd have to ask why is it that
one side or the other refuses to recognise this reasonably clear thing.

Contrary to the Spiked Online article you quoted, the answer is not
going to be: because they're evil! or: because they're stupid! or:
because they're mentally unstable! - that's just not what the concept of
denial involves.

The Spiked Online article you quoted seems to fail to understand the
concept of denial. It just looks a bit silly and sensationalist to me.

Daniele
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