Disagreement About the Therapy, Not the Diagnosis: A Reply to the Rejoinders

ABSTRACT

The article engages with the criticism of my suggestion to work towards synthesis and consilience (i.e., compatibility with natural science, especially cognitive science and evolutionary psychology) in strategic communication research. It notes that there seems to be agreement about the field’s unsatisfactory state, yet disagreement about the way forward. I attempt to demonstrate that none of the arguments developed by the critics breaks the case for synthesis and consilience, but I acknowledge that there is a pragmatic issue, namely a deeply rooted distrust of the natural sciences.