Difference(s) between Skepticism and Denialism [View all]

I showed this to a friend and he liked it so much that I thought I'd run it up the flagpole here.

An important distinction between intellectually honest skepticism with regards to scientific claims vs sheer denialism: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unreasonablefaith/2010/05/skepticism-vs-denialism/

"Scepticism is integral to the scientific process, because most claims turn out to be false. Weeding out the few kernels of wheat from the large pile of chaff requires extensive observation, careful experimentation and cautious inference. Science is scepticism and good scientists are sceptical.

Denial is different. It is the automatic gainsaying of a claim regardless of the evidence for it – sometimes even in the teeth of evidence. Denialism is typically driven by ideology or religious belief, where the commitment to the belief takes precedence over the evidence. Belief comes first, reasons for belief follow, and those reasons are winnowed to ensure that the belief survives intact..."

Thoughts welcomed.