The rise of populism coincides with a new wave of anti-intellectualism, articulated in the
“War on Science.” This paper argues that there is no empirical evidence that the global
surge of populism is accompanied by a general anti-science trend. However, there are
similarities between the dissemination of scientific falsehoods in mass media and social
media and the ways populist politicians use media to their end. First, this paper analyzes the
history and the underlying sociological, psychological and cultural causes of the anti …