When do we change our opinions?
Does one's view develop in a slow creep like an analog dial, tuning into a radio station,
hearing it first faintly with static, and after some adjustments, finally loud and clear?
Or do we jump from one view to another like a digital search for a strong signal,
ignoring fainter messages?
Some of both?
When climate hawks are frustrated by what seems an ignorant static-ridden state of public opinion,
a temptation is to hope for a miraculous shift, like a digital radio's signal search,
a "Pearl Harbor moment" signal that overwhelms other signals.
Yet the human brain is more varied in how we make decisions.
Several research efforts have looked at how sectors of the public develop opinions about climate change.
I could and probably should develop a collection of links and comments on that research, but for now I want to ruminate more on the images of analog and digital moments for decision making.
Joan Savage 1-14-2013
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