Product Description

Science has been a major contributor to the health and wealth we enjoy today, but not everyone is happy with it. Science can get in the way of social and environmental activists, politicians, lawyers, and government regulators. This book is a tongue-in-cheek "how-to" manual for the concerned citizen annoyed by "pesky" science. The authors describe more than 20 efforts of individuals and organizations to stop science in its tracks using techniques ranging from defunding scientific research to squashing scientific debate to substituting "junk" science for real science. Their witty descriptions illuminate the mischief that has followed successful and all-to-real efforts to thwart true science and offer stark reminders of the risks that follow when real science is silenced.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1839927 in Books
• Published on: 1999-01-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 68 pages

Customer Reviews

Very libertarian, but tiny and incomplete.
Any rational and freedom-loving person will agree with the thrust
of this book. That said, I got three unpleasant surprises when
it arrived.
1) It's only 66 pages. More of a pamphlet than a book.
2) It does not go into detail on most of the past controversies
in which science was (allegedly) silenced. You're left to try to
research them yourself (mostly without even any references).
3) The sarcastic tone in which it is written (as an alleged
manual for "how to silence science") completely omits to address
the question of whether any of the villains it names actually had
the motive of wanting to silence science (as opposed to, for
instance, legitimate reasons for doubting the validity of that
science). It seems to me that any book that makes such a nasty
accusation, and does so on the ground that "science deserves to
be heard" at that, should at least make some serious attempt to
prove that accusation. This has not been done.
Summary: This book is worth having if only to begin discussion
of an important topic. But buy it used (it's not worth the new
price) and don't treat it as the last word on anything.

An inflammatory read!
This book should be required reading by all thinking persons--not because the authors get it right or because they support my pet notions (I certainly disagree with some of their positions) but because they challenge a number of cherished ideas, particularly those of the environmentalist camp. What good is an idea if it's too fragile to examine honestly? The authors' tongue-in-cheek style make this an easy book to read, but the overall message, whether you agree with their conclusions or not, is an important one: don't just accept what you're told as fact, go out and discover the truth!

Someone is finally defending real science!
Being a Pre-med student majoring in Microbiology at a major university known for being liberal, one would expect that I would hate this book. One would be wrong. What I hate is the use of "junk science" by environmentalists and policy makers. Not only does this prevent real scientific progress, but it can actually cause real harm to society. This book calls for a separation of politics and science, for they make strange and dangerous bedfellows. It's a must read for anyone intersted in preserving real science.