Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives - Couverture rigide

Specter, Michael

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1594202303 ISBN 13 : 9781594202308

Editeur : Penguin Pr, 2009

Synopsis

Rare book

A propos du livre

Revue de presse

“Specter is both provocative and thoughtful in his defense of science and rationality—though he certainly does not believe that scientists are infallible. His writing is engaging and his sources are credible, making this a significant addition to public discourse on the importance of discriminating between credible science and snake oil.”—Publishers Weekly

“A lucid and insightful book about a very frightening and irrational phenomenon—the fear and superstition that threaten human science and progress. A superb and convincing work.”—Malcolm Gladwell, New Yorker staff writer and author of Outliers, Blink, and The Tipping Point

“Denialism tells stories I know well, at least in outline. But Michael Specter very valuably gathers them under one roof and gives them a name. Specter describes the increasing public willingness to deny the hard-won facts of science in favor of myths and shoddy investigation. In the process, the denialists are enabling disease and poverty, denying the advances of science to those in need.”—David Baltimore, president emeritus, Biology California Institute of Technology

“We are bombarded with information and misinformation about the foods we eat, the medicines we take, the water we drink, the very air we breathe. Michael Specter shows us how to accurately assess the impact of science on these and other essential elements of our daily lives. Written in clear and accessible language, this uniquely valuable book explains an often confusing world."—Jerome Groopman, M.D., Recanati Professor, Harvard Medical School, author of How Doctors Think

Présentation de l'éditeur

In today's world we encounter such an abundance of confusing and conflicting information regarding what to do and what not to do, what to eat and what not to eat, what is safe and what is harmful, that it is often difficult to know what is true and what is not. In 'Denialism' Michael Specter delivers a frank and unflinching examination of the irrationality at the heart of the scare mongering and pseudo-science that stand in the way of progress and argues against modern scepticism of science and for a return to rationality. Tackling a broad range of contentious topics including genetically-modifed versus 'organic' food, concern over pharmaceutical corporations' practices, vaccination fears, and the effectiveness of complementary medicine, 'Denialism' is at times controversial but always compelling in its strong case in favour of fact-based decision-making as individuals and as a society.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Penguin Pr
• Date d'édition: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1594202303
• ISBN 13: 9781594202308
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 294