Organized Science Denial An Action Plan for Solutions

Elena Bruni, Assistant Professor, LUISS Guido Carli, Rome,Lianne M. Lefsrud, Professor and Risk, Innovation, and Sustainability Chair, RISC

Dr. Elena Bruni is an Assistant Professor at LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome, Italy. Her research examines linguistic and multimodal rhetorical processes in driving institutional change and developing theory. Her setting of studies has ranged from exploring creative settings to the transition from traditional media to social platforms. Recently, she has focused on broader societal phenomena, such as the rhetoric of vaccination hesitancy and questionable ethical practices. She has received several awards, including second runner-up for a symposium at the Academy of Management conference (2021), and has secured research funding totalling over €500,000.

Dr. Lianne Lefsrud is the Risk, Innovation, and Sustainability Chair (RISC) and Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta. Her research asks: How can management systems be enhanced so organizations are better equipped to recognize, understand, and respond to unforeseen events and manage risks? She develops enhanced methods of hazard identification; risk management, evaluation, and communication; and drivers of technology adoption. Her research has resulted in $12+ million of research grants and the supervision of 100+ grad and undergrad students who have won awards including Fulbright, Aga Khan, and National Geographic.

Section I Science Denialism Through An Organizational Lens, Elena Bruni and Lianne M. Lefsrud1. In the 'twilight zone': Challenges to science between outright denialism and healthy critique, Renate E. Meyer and Dennis Jancsary2. 'Doubt is our product': Understanding the role of corporations in science denialism, Nelson Phillips and Thomas B. Lawrence3. Deny or greenwash?: Exploring the interactions between science denialism and greenwashing, Julien O. Beaulieu, A. Wren Montgomery, and Thomas P. LyonOrganizational solutionsSection II Social Media Dynamics of ScienceDenialism4. Lost in misinformation: The news media's struggle to defend science, Stephen Lile and Shaz Ansari5. The role of social media in the spread of conspiracy theories, Elise Berlinski, Martin Kornberger, and Jan Mouritsen6. Privatized governance: Social media organizations' approach to the COVID-19 infodemic, Martina LinnenlueckeSocial media solutionsSection III Supporting Legitimate Debate So Scepticism Becomes Invention7. From denial to disinformation and delay: Evolving forms and frames of climate science scepticism, Sukanya Roy and Andrew Hoffman8. The fuzzy boundary between scientific pluralism and 'science denialism' in management and organization studies, Alessandro Niccolò Tirapani9. Denial as a catalyst for creative exploration: Hopeful paths, Claudio Biscaro, Roja Ratzinger, and Piotr MakowskiConstructive solutionsConclusion: Rooting out denialism: from breakdown to breakthrough, Elena Bruni, Federico Brandmayr, and Lianne M. LefsrudCoda: Utopia, dystopia, and denialism: The making of science in between a professional endeavour and a marketplace, Paolo QuattroneAppendixGlossary