Table 1.

Two public epistemologies in Contemporary Italy

	Science aversion	Science perversion
The purpose of science is	Solving problems	Challenging dogmas
The opposite of science is	Idiocy, arrogance	Ideology, conformity
Falsehood persists because	New technologies are making us dumber	Powerful groups prevent truth from being told
Falsehood is spread by	Arrogant and uneducated people	Mainstream experts and journalists
Truth is revealed by	Accredited scientists	Informed activists
Trust requires	The right credentials	Charisma
Politics is	The struggle between reason and emotion	The struggle between the people and the elites