Industrial-Strength Denial: Eight Stories of Corporations Defending the Indefensible, from the Slave Trade to Climate Change

Corporate denial is a serious issue that has harmed our world and continues to threaten our future. It has allowed corporations to continue dangerous practices that cause widespread suffering, death, and environmental destruction. Barbara Freese's book, Industrial-Strength Denial, explores how far from reality corporate denial has led society and the damage it has done. It reveals the group dynamics of delusion and deception and explores what it is about the corporation itself that reliably promotes such denial. The book warns that the corporate form gives people tremendous power to inadvertently cause harm while making it hard for them to recognize and feel responsible for that harm.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 04 May 2021
Publisher: University of California Press

Corporate denial poses a significant threat to our world and continues to jeopardize our future. Corporations have a notorious history of disregarding evidence that their actions harm individuals or the environment, shifting blame to victims, accusing critics of witch hunts, and defending their harmful activities through various rationalizations. These denial campaigns have enabled corporations to persist in practices that result in widespread suffering, death, and environmental destruction. Moreover, corporate denial undermines social trust in science and government, hindering the functioning of democratic systems.

Environmental attorney Barbara Freese has personally confronted corporate denial in her work, specifically when cross-examining witnesses in the coal industry who disputed the science of climate change. Freese embarked on a mission to uncover the extent to which corporate denial had distorted society and the damage it had caused. The result is her comprehensive book, Industrial-Strength Denial, which delves into eight denial campaigns waged by industries defending various harmful practices, including the slave trade, radium consumption, unsafe cars, leaded gasoline, ozone-depleting chemicals, tobacco, financial crisis-causing investment products, and fossil fuels contributing to climate destabilization.

The book offers a revealing exploration of the group dynamics of delusion and deception, showcasing appalling, absurd, and dangerously comforting denials employed by these industries. It also delves into the broader social dramas surrounding these denials, highlighting the efforts of individuals and communities outside the industries to combat denial through the use of evidence and democratic tools.

Industrial-Strength Denial sheds light on the underlying factors that promote corporate denial, drawing on psychological research to understand the cognitive mechanisms that drive this behavior. The book explores the corporate culture that fosters denial, the incentives and pressures that drive it, and the ways in which it can be challenged and overcome.

In conclusion, corporate denial poses a grave threat to our world and our future. By disregarding evidence of harm, shifting blame, and defending harmful practices, corporations contribute to widespread suffering, environmental degradation, and the undermining of democratic systems. However, the book Industrial-Strength Denial provides valuable insights into the nature of corporate denial and offers strategies for combating it. By raising awareness, promoting evidence-based decision-making, and holding corporations accountable, we can work towards a more sustainable and equitable future.

Weight: 460g
Dimension: 153 x 227 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520383081