Re “Is It Weird Enough Yet?,” by Thomas L. Friedman (column, Sept. 14):

Thomas L. Friedman is obviously correct to point out that Gov. Rick Perry’s and Representative Michele Bachmann’s views on climate change are wrong. But it’s clear that they won’t have their minds changed simply by showing them more scientific data or by explaining to them that 97 percent of the most published climate researchers — the group of people on the planet most knowledgeable about the subject — agree that human activities are causing rapid climate change.

The problem is that their denial of reality is a byproduct of a culture that marginalizes the scientific method as a way of thinking and promotes faith as a virtue, even if it is in direct opposition to the facts. Changing their minds about climate change will take more than presenting the evidence for it. It will require a seismic shift in the way they choose to understand reality.

Note: This appeared as a Letter to the Editor in the New York Times.