Bad Science - Book Review
Title: Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks
Author: Ben Goldacre
Number of Pages: 288
Genre: non-fiction, science
Book Number: 59
Review: I would definitely recommend this book to the masses. The only way to fight misinformation is with sound reasoning skills and good judgment. We are being manipulated by the media, politicians, quacks/hacks and big business/pharma. The ability to find the truth amid the BS is essential to fighting this manipulation.
Bad Science is a mostly humerous look at some of the areas where science has become absurd, people have become deceitful, and outcomes have been dangerous. Topics included in this book are scientific reasoning and common sense, the concept of Brain Gym, societal influence, homeopathy (more on this in a moment), the placebo effect, scientific bullshitting, nutrition, medicine and big pharma, statistics and the number game, the role of the media, and the MMR scare.
Overall the book was well constructed. Dr. Goldacre introduces concepts on a basic, easy to comprehend level with an outrageous example to prove his point, and then raises the stakes with a more complex example, always with a bit of humour. He's really quite snarky when he's not over the top himself. His battle with those who practice homeopathy is a bit on the juvenile side. I'm sure he's only responding in kind, but it was so over the top that it got to be annoying and a bit of a distraction. I'm sure he's justified in what he says, and it's his book to write, but it really took something away from the experience to constantly read 'digs' at them. That being said, I'm sure I'd feel the same way if I were to get threats of bodily harm from a group of people. I just don't have enough clout to sell a book where I can gripe about it.
I think the ideas present in this book should be taught to every HS student across the board. Ignorance is a breeding ground for misunderstanding and manipulation. If we all knew better, those who would use and misuse data to suit their own purposes, would not get away with it so easily. The media plays a big part in pedaling misinformation, both knowingly, as when stories are sensationalized to draw in readers, and unwittingly when reporters who are underqualified to report on science (lacking a background in scientific reasoning and statistics) misconstrue the information they are reporting.
Author: Ben Goldacre
Number of Pages: 288
Genre: non-fiction, science
Book Number: 59
Review: I would definitely recommend this book to the masses. The only way to fight misinformation is with sound reasoning skills and good judgment. We are being manipulated by the media, politicians, quacks/hacks and big business/pharma. The ability to find the truth amid the BS is essential to fighting this manipulation.
Bad Science is a mostly humerous look at some of the areas where science has become absurd, people have become deceitful, and outcomes have been dangerous. Topics included in this book are scientific reasoning and common sense, the concept of Brain Gym, societal influence, homeopathy (more on this in a moment), the placebo effect, scientific bullshitting, nutrition, medicine and big pharma, statistics and the number game, the role of the media, and the MMR scare.
Overall the book was well constructed. Dr. Goldacre introduces concepts on a basic, easy to comprehend level with an outrageous example to prove his point, and then raises the stakes with a more complex example, always with a bit of humour. He's really quite snarky when he's not over the top himself. His battle with those who practice homeopathy is a bit on the juvenile side. I'm sure he's only responding in kind, but it was so over the top that it got to be annoying and a bit of a distraction. I'm sure he's justified in what he says, and it's his book to write, but it really took something away from the experience to constantly read 'digs' at them. That being said, I'm sure I'd feel the same way if I were to get threats of bodily harm from a group of people. I just don't have enough clout to sell a book where I can gripe about it.
I think the ideas present in this book should be taught to every HS student across the board. Ignorance is a breeding ground for misunderstanding and manipulation. If we all knew better, those who would use and misuse data to suit their own purposes, would not get away with it so easily. The media plays a big part in pedaling misinformation, both knowingly, as when stories are sensationalized to draw in readers, and unwittingly when reporters who are underqualified to report on science (lacking a background in scientific reasoning and statistics) misconstrue the information they are reporting.