|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
Review
"For sheer savagery, the illusion-destroying, joyous attack on the self-regarding, know-nothing orthodoxies of the modern middle classes, Bad Science can not be beaten. You'll laugh your head off, then throw all those expensive health foods in the bin."
— The Observer (U.K.)
"One of the essential reads of the year."
— New Scientist
"If you were to pick up just one non-fiction book this year, you'd do well to make it this one."
— Daily Mail
"Thousands of books are enjoyable; many are enlightening; only a very few will ever rate as necessary to social health. This is one of them."
— The Independent
"It should be on the national curriculum."
— Time Out (five stars)
From the Hardcover edition.
— The Observer (U.K.)
"One of the essential reads of the year."
— New Scientist
"If you were to pick up just one non-fiction book this year, you'd do well to make it this one."
— Daily Mail
"Thousands of books are enjoyable; many are enlightening; only a very few will ever rate as necessary to social health. This is one of them."
— The Independent
"It should be on the national curriculum."
— Time Out (five stars)
From the Hardcover edition.
Book Description
The informative and witty expose of the "bad science" we are all subjected to, called "one of the essential reads of the year" by New Scientist.
We are obsessed with our health. And yet — from the media's "world-expert microbiologist" with a mail-order Ph.D. in his garden shed laboratory, and via multiple health scares and miracle cures — we are constantly bombarded with inaccurate, contradictory, and sometimes even misleading information. Until now. Ben Goldacre masterfully dismantles the questionable science behind some of the great drug trials, court cases, and missed opportunities of our time, but he also goes further: out of the bullshit, he shows us the fascinating story of how we know what we know, and gives us the tools to uncover bad science for ourselves.
From the Hardcover edition.
We are obsessed with our health. And yet — from the media's "world-expert microbiologist" with a mail-order Ph.D. in his garden shed laboratory, and via multiple health scares and miracle cures — we are constantly bombarded with inaccurate, contradictory, and sometimes even misleading information. Until now. Ben Goldacre masterfully dismantles the questionable science behind some of the great drug trials, court cases, and missed opportunities of our time, but he also goes further: out of the bullshit, he shows us the fascinating story of how we know what we know, and gives us the tools to uncover bad science for ourselves.
From the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Eye-Opening and Mercilessly Logical,
By
This review is from: Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks (Hardcover)
Despite its rather broad-sounding title, the "bad science" is really science associated with the health, nutrition and medical fields. The author, a physician and strong advocate of evidence-based medicine, guides the reader through what constitutes careful research and diligent analysis and interpretation of results. He points out the many pitfalls that even the most conscientious researchers can unwittingly fall into. But mainly he also discusses various tricks that less than honest researchers - those usually with a vested interest in some specific outcome of the experiments/research (e.g., some alternative medicine practitioners, some pharmaceutical companies, some nutritionists, even some physicians, etc.) - will use to promote their ideologies, products, etc., even when these have been proven worthless by honest, careful researchers. Carl Sagan's view that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" features prominently throughout this book.This author is not afraid to express his views - especially when sloppy research and/or dishonesty is involved. His prose is quite lively, authoritative, friendly, often witty and fast-paced. Anyone interested in the use and abuse of science should thoroughly enjoy this book.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bad Art, Good Science,
By Anastasia Prozorova "Prokrida" (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks (Hardcover)
I was absolutely thrilled to learn about the medical as well as pseudo-medical practices in this book. "Bad Science" reveals the hidden power of the people to understand science and the importance of sharing this knowledge publicly instead of privatizing it and making money of it. Although at times scientifically challenging, the book gives an insight into the true reasons of poor health such as social inequality. It is really nice to, at last, have an author who treats his readers as equals.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Excellent,
This review is from: Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks (Hardcover)
I read this book several years ago, after ordering it from amazon.co.uk, and am very pleased that it's coming to North America. Although many of the examples used will be UK-specific, and thus perhaps unfamiliar to readers, the content remains very pertinent. Science and skepticism are sorely needed everywhere, but most especially in the field of medicine. In this book Dr. Ben Goldacre provides us with a wonderful primer on evaluating claims made in this most important of areas.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
