Aug. 9, 2026: Tribalism, Political Bias, and the Search for Truth by Dr. Cory Clark

It will be led by Dr Cory Jane Clark, professor of psychology, New College of Florida. Session Description: Humans are tribal creatures. The same psychological tendencies that help humans cooperate in social groups also shape how we evaluate evidence, reason about controversial issues, and distinguish fact from misinformation. These tendencies are not unique to any particular political ideology, and even scientists are vulnerable to the same social pressures that distort reasoning away from truth and toward preferred conclusions. Dr. Cory Clark will discuss some of her work on bias in the behavioral sciences and self-censorship among psychology professors, highlighting the political and professional pressures that influence what scholars are willing to study, say, and publish.