That "corruption of denial" insight rather brilliantly sums up a very complex issue. We look at that bolded statement and think how can people do that to one another? How can biotech researchers withhold key information that might alter the the lives of millions who suffer needlessly, or the FDA just let Amgen off the hook, or take eight years to "fast track" Duodopa which already has a proven track record?
I often wondered how the people who have the power to make a difference could actually not feel compassion or shame, but now I think I get it. They deny things that things could be different because they see themselves as the good guys. Researchers and doctors are noble doers in our a society; they can restore life, or make pain and suffering go away. Is it that they so identify with this role they can't possibly see themselves as operating under any dubious influences like gifts from pharma, ease of falsifying research data, or big payoffs, so they deny the corruption occurring around them. It is quite a nifty little defense for anyone casting a critical eye on their shenanigans because they want to help you, how could they possibly do anything that might hurt you. It's as if research is saying "Don't forget we publish or perish," even if it takes another 50 years, and millions still die with it (never, of it), "it's all good because we are trying to cure you." Do we have PD, we have Chronic Wasting Disease? They publish, we perish.