Book description
>
Merchants of Doubt tells the story of how a loose-knit group of
high-level scientists and scientific advisers, with deep connections
in politics and industry, ran effective campaigns to mislead the
public and deny well-established scientific knowledge over four
decades. Remarkably, the same individuals surface repeatedly-some of
the same figures who have claimed that the science of global warming
is "not settled" denied the truth of studies linking smoking
to lung cancer, coal smoke to acid rain, and CFCs to the ozone hole.
"Doubt is our product," wrote one tobacco executive. These
"experts" supplied it.
Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, historians of science, roll back
the rug on this dark corner of the American scientific community,
showing how ideology and corporate interests, aided by a too-compliant
media, have skewed public understanding of some of the most pressing
issues of our era.
P>
The U. S. scientific community has long led the world in research on
such areas as public health, environmental science, and issues affecting
quality of life. These scientists have produced landmark studies on the
dangers of DDT, tobacco smoke, acid rain, and global warming. But at the
same time, a small yet potent subset of this community leads the world
in vehement denial of these dangers.< >
Merchants of Doubt tells the story of how a loose-knit group of
high-level scientists and scientific advisers, with deep connections
in politics and industry, ran effective campaigns to mislead the
public and deny well-established scientific knowledge over four
decades. Remarkably, the same individuals surface repeatedly-some of
the same figures who have claimed that the science of global warming
is "not settled" denied the truth of studies linking smoking
to lung cancer, coal smoke to acid rain, and CFCs to the ozone hole.
"Doubt is our product," wrote one tobacco executive. These
"experts" supplied it.
Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, historians of science, roll back
the rug on this dark corner of the American scientific community,
showing how ideology and corporate interests, aided by a too-compliant
media, have skewed public understanding of some of the most pressing
issues of our era.
P>
The U. S. scientific community has long led the world in research on
such areas as public health, environmental science, and issues affecting
quality of life. These scientists have produced landmark studies on the
dangers of DDT, tobacco smoke, acid rain, and global warming. But at the
same time, a small yet potent subset of this community leads the world
in vehement denial of these dangers.<
