Galileo’s Gambit: PragerU’s Anti-Science for Kids

PragerU is a conservative right-wing American media and education company that uses a largely online based model for its courses and programs; combined with a media arm that publishes documentaries, children’s entertainment, and even material for home-schooling. Critically however, PragerU is an ideologically motivated enterprise that champions a strong conservative mindset – particularly reflecting the values of white republican America – ranging from climate change denialism, to antivaxx rhetoric, and even dangerous conspiracy theories.   

The media arm of PragerU, specifically the YouTube channel, is actually how PragerU was established. In 2007, founder Dennis Prager, host of a conservative radio talk show, began a YouTube channel named Prager University with Allen Estrin, also with a background in radio. In 2009, a third partner joined, Marissa Streit, former principal and member of Israeli intelligence. The vision was to develop an educational brand that counter the spread of left-wing ideologies.    

Around the world, platforms like PragerU grew in popularity after the pandemic and lockdowns which motivated a shift to homeschooling, as well as a marked rise in anxieties around the virus and suspicions of the vaccine which created a demand for content and media that responded to those anxieties (whether enlarging them or confirming them). The rise of LGBTQ+ and inclusivity programs in school also contributed to a homeschooling shift; particularly in conservative households concerned about grooming scandals.  

Receiving support from several conservative thought-leaders and influencers like Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, and Candace Owens; PragerU rapidly grew in popularity, and became an educational vehicle for right-wing ideologies. Concerningly, aside from publishing media containing misinformation, distortion of facts, fake news, and conspiracy theories; these elements are present in PragerU’s wide range of services targeting children. These vary from homeschooling curriculums to serialized video programs for kids, as well as children’s films and documentaries. 

The centrepoint of their childrens entertainment offerings is the show Leo and Layla’s History Adventures which features a pair of siblings who go on time-traveling adventures in which they meet notable people from the past, like the Wright brothers or Marcus Aurelius, and learn some type of lesson from them. This premise is often used to disseminate misinformation and right-wing propaganda to young children; from anti-science to ‘revisionist’ versions of history (like positively altering America’s history of racial violence and civil rights violations). To demonstrate, we will use one episode of the show, in which the characters travel in time to meet Galileo Galilei, the famous physicist and astronomer, to demonstrate the subtle and overt ways in which money from wealthy donors are being used to influence the ideologies PragerU teaches.  

For example, the fracking tycoons, Farris and Dan Wilks, donated 6 million dollars to PragerU; becoming the platforms first large donor. Farris, a pastor, has repeatedly preached climate change denialism; claiming that global warming is a punishment from God and not the result of human industry. The Daily Wire, which also received millions in donations from the Wilks brothers, is another media entity that pushes climate change misinformation. Figures from the Daily Wire like Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens have both appeared in PragerU content – including a historical ‘revisionist’ retelling of slavery by Candace Owens. Collectively, The Daily Wire and PragerU account for the bulk of climate change misinformation online. 

Ironically, the misinformation spread in this episode – featuring Galileo – reflects a logical fallacy referred to as Galileo’s Gambit. In the episode, Leo struggles to construct a working volcano for a science experiment, even though he followed all the listed steps. Layla chastises him, claiming he must have made a mistake, and did not follow the steps correctly. She emphasizes that the procedure has been established scientifically, and that they must, as the saying goes,  “trust the science”. 

The children time travel to meet “the father of science”, and find themselves in Italy with Galileo Galilei. They explain their dilemma to him, and mention that trusting the science has not helped them with their model volcano. Galileo says that when he designed his telescope, he used ideas and concepts from other scientists, but then introduced his own in order to improve the design. This allowed him to see further than other scholars of the time; and develop views that went against the accepted scientific consensus. Galileo further explains to the kids that this scientific consensus was also connected to the state and the church; and his own unique insights not only challenged the science of the time, but the state and church as well.  

Leo questions why leaders would not want their subjects to have true and correct information; to which Galileo answers, that this information may threaten the authoritarian power of the leader. In order to further drive home this ideological point, the episode concludes with the children watching TV, in which the news anchor discusses rising concerns amongst citizens about a particular social crisis; to which the anchor reassuringly advises the audience to listen to the government and “trust the science”. Upon hearing this, Leo and Layla exchange knowing looks with each other; confirming the scientific skepticism that was learned through their encounter with Galileo. 

Problematically, this ‘lesson’ the children learn is a logical fallacy known as Galileo’s Gambit; which also connects with the development of a cognitive bias known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect. Both of these phenomena have received much attention in recent years since the explosion of conspiratorial content online; and the development of echo chambers that reinforce and confirm alternative, countercultural, and antiscientific beliefs. 

Galileo’s Gambit is a type of informal logical fallacy in which the speaker, rather than arguing their position and coming to a determination or resolution; simply insists that their position is valid or correct because it goes against the scientific consensus of the time. This is exactly what the lesson contained in the program is: the skeptical scientific position is valid simply because it goes against the scientific consensus; as Galileo once did. The fallacy itself gets its name because it also uses the example of Galileo’s insistence against the scientific consensus; in which he eventually turned out to be correct. The fallacy claims that because Galileo turned out to be correct, it does not mean that you will too – and also that Galileo is a terrible example to draw on in such a situation as Galileo was a scientist and scholar with a tremendous deal of evidence and learned intuition to support his positions (the heliocentric model). In the fallacy, the only support for the individual's position is the mere fact that it goes against the science. This is a weak argument; yet the fallacy gets its name because it works. It provides convincing enough reason for an outsider with questions to become skeptical.  

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a type of cognitive bias (a habitual systematic way of thinking based on erroneous or faulty assumptions) that has gotten a lot of attention in recent years in attempting to understand the spread and persuasiveness of misinformation and conspiracy theories. It was identified by researchers and psychologists Justin Kruger and David Dunning in a paper titled Unskilled and Unaware of it. The effect refers to the mistaken sense of confidence people feel they have on a subject based on gaining a small bit of knowledge of the subject. Essentially, it is a bias towards competency, based on incompetency. The more incompetent someone is on a matter, the less aware they are of their own incompetence. 

The Dunning-Kruger Effect has been used to highlight the growing pattern amongst internet and social media users to consume small pieces of information on a subject and then assume mastery over that subject; enough to dismiss scholarly criticism and scientific consensus. Furthermore, algorithms which select and sort content for users are culpable as well, as they select content that resonates with the user. This results in the Dunning Kruger Effect being further compounded with cognitive biases like Confirmation Bias; where the individual ignores contradictory information and only acknowledges confirming agreeable information. Thus, we end up with a situation where biases and stereotypes can be formed and reinforced algorithmically; based on small incomplete pieces of information. 

One explanation for the Dunning Kruger Effect is the absence of interactions, discussions and discourse that provide additional or contradictory information. These types of interactions allow the individual to adjust their self-perception. By being exposed to additional information, the person can learn the true scope and depth of the particular field and highlight the areas that the individual did not know. Being exposed to challenging and contradictory information can also alter and correct misperceptions the individual has; and bring them to a realization of their incompetence. Bear in mind however, that these interactions and their ‘corrective’ potential is subject to a range of barriers, cognitive defenses and arguments that the individual may make.  

Sorting algorithms which select specific content for specific users can themselves contribute to the development and reinforcement of biases by not providing content containing contradictory information. The functions of these algorithms have been a specific feature of PragerU’s ambitions, who have heavily invested in online marketing through sorting algorithms and recommendation engines.  

PragerU’s teaching of Galileo’s Gambit as a life lesson provides a barrier that resists the corrective potential of these types of interactions and discussions. Confronted by scientific knowledge and consensus; the individual motivated by Galileo’s Gambit sees this resistance to their opinion as proof of its validity. This is a confirming effect. Rather than having their conviction in their position weaken in the face of contradictory information, the opposite occurs; this contradictory information strengthens and confirms their position. It encourages them for finding resistance; and for being against the scientific consensus. 

References 

Kruger, J., & Dunning, D. 2000. Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 77(6):1121-34. Available: DOI:10.1037//0022-3514.77.6.1121. (Accessed: 08 March 2022).