The Republican War on Science
Mar 2007 · Sold by Basic Books
star
2 reviews
Ebook
376
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
Science has never been more crucial to deciding the political issues facing the country. Yet science and scientists have less influence with the federal government than at any time since the Eisenhower administration. In the White House and Congress today, findings are reported in a politicized manner; spun or distorted to fit the speaker's agenda; or, when they're too inconvenient, ignored entirely. On a broad array of issues-stem cell research, climate change, missile defense, abstinence education, product safety, environmental regulation, and many others-the Bush administration's positions fly in the face of overwhelming scientific consensus. Federal science agencies, once fiercely independent under both Republican and Democratic presidents, are increasingly staffed by political appointees and fringe theorists who know industry lobbyists and evangelical activists far better than they know the science. This is not unique to the Bush administration, but it is largely a Republican phenomenon, born of a conservative dislike of environmental, health, and safety regulation, and at the extremes, of evolution and legalized abortion. In The Republican War on Science , Chris Mooney ties together the disparate strands of the attack on science into a compelling and frightening account of our government's increasing unwillingness to distinguish between legitimate research and ideologically driven pseudoscience.
Science has never been more crucial to deciding the political issues facing the country. Yet science and scientists have less influence with the federal government than at any time since the Eisenhower administration. In the White House and Congress today, findings are reported in a politicized m...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
2 reviews
A Google user
- Flag inappropriate
April 12, 2012
I would have titled this book "The Republican War on the Natural Sciences" or simply "The Republican War on Nature," since that's their main beef with science. They can't stand to see nature cited as having intrinsic value without humans. They're fine with all the technical gadgets made possible by the scientific method, since they have no economic or religious motive against such things. But there's major hypocrisy when a Creationist benefits from DNA testing, or a global warming denier finagles a passing grade in college physics but cites atmospheric CO2 as a non-issue. In other words, Republicans are devious cherry pickers, incapable of objectivity when science brings news that doesn't fit their dogma of Man's superiority to nature. Mooney describes the WHAT of science-denial but the WHY is more important. In fairness, he addresses that in more detail in a later book.
About the author
Chris Mooney is the author of The Republican War on Science and Storm World. A Knight fellow in science journalism at MIT, he contributes to many publications, including Mother Jones, Wired, the Boston Globe, and Slate. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Chris Mooney is the author of The Republican War on Science and Storm World. A Knight fellow in science journalism at MIT, he contributes to many publications, including Mother Jones, Wired, the Boston Globe, and Slate. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
