Description
Book SynopsisOpioids. Concussions. Obesity. Climate change. America is a country of everyday crises -- big, long-spanning problems that persist, mostly unregulated, despite their toll on the country''s health and vitality. And for every case of government inaction on one of these issues, there is a set of familiar, doubtful refrains: The science is unclear. The data is inconclusive. Regulation is unjustified. It''s a slippery slope. Is it?The Triumph of Doubt traces the ascendance of science-for-hire in American life and government, from its origins in the tobacco industry in the 1950s to its current manifestations across government, public policy, and even professional sports. Well-heeled American corporations have long had a financial stake in undermining scientific consensus and manufacturing uncertainty; in The Triumph of Doubt, former Obama and Clinton official David Michaels details how bad science becomes public policy -- and where it''s happening today. Amid fraught conversations of alternative facts and truth decay, The Triumph of Doubt wields its unprecedented access to shine a light on the machinations and scope of manipulated science in American society. It is an urgent, revelatory work, one that promises to reorient conversations around science and the public good for the foreseeable future.
Trade Review[Michaels] documents not only a shocking disregard for human welfare on the part of big business, but also a co-ordinated effort to compromise the culture of knowledge itself. * Times Literary Supplement *
...chock full of good examples that were clearly researched (averaging over 30 references per chapter) and supplemented with Michaels' personal experiences. I think any scientist who wants to bridge the realm of research, policy, politics and ethics would benefit from reading this book. * JULIE POLLOCK, Chemistry World *
David Michaels opens our eyes to the methods corporations employ that bend the facts of science in order to make a profit. * Chemistry World *
Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. The Science of Deception 3. The Forever Chemical 4. The NFL's Head Doctors 5. A Spirited Denial 6. The Deal with Diesel 7. On Opioids 8. Deadly Dust 9. Working the Refs 10. Volkswagen's Other Bug 11. The Climate Denial Machine 12. Sickeningly Sweet 13. The Party Line 14. Science for Sale 15. Future in Doubt
