Why do reasonable people doubt science?

Up to 50% of American’s regularly disagree with the conclusions of the scientific community leading to all kinds of interesting cultural phenomena.  Personally, I think there should always be some healthy skepticism for any new ideas in science and I am not in favor of a wholesale belief in everything that comes out of the scientific community, but the United States tends to score closer to the developing nations than the developed ones with regard to scientific literacy and consensus.   In this discussion we are exploring why you think this might be such a common occurrence.  For perspective read the National Geographic article, “ by Joel Achenbach, (you can read any article on the subject if there is a charge for the first including:

then post a 2 part argument to this discussion then comment/critique the posts of at least 2 of your peers:

Part 1: Make a solid argument for why you think many people do not believe conclusions from the scientific community? Give a few examples to support your argument.

Part 2: Make another argument that describes the societal consequences of doubting science Vs wholesale believing the conclusions of the scientific community? Give some examples again to support your argument.

Don’t forget to make thoughtful comments for your peers for full credit!