Placebo cures. Global warming. Extraterrestrial life.
Psychokinesis. In a time when scientific claims can sound as
strange as science fiction--and can have a profound effect on
individual life or public policy--assessing the merits of a
far-out, supposedly scientific idea can be as difficult as it is
urgent. Into the breach between helpless gullibility and unyielding
skepticism steps physicist Robert Ehrlich, with an indispensable
guide to making sense of "scientific" claims. A series of case
studies of some of the most controversial (and for the judging
public, deeply vexing) topics in the natural and social sciences,
Ehrlich's book serves as a primer for evaluating the evidence for
the sort of strange-sounding ideas that can shape our lives.
A much-anticipated follow-up to his popular "Nine Crazy Ideas in
Science," this book takes up issues close to readers' everyday
reality--issues such as global warming, the dangers of cholesterol,
and the effectiveness of placebos--as well as questions that
resonate through (and beyond) civic life: Is intelligent design a
scientific alternative to evolution? Is homosexuality primarily
innate? Are people getting smarter or dumber? In each case, Ehrlich
shows readers how to use the tools of science to judge the accuracy
of strange ideas and the trustworthiness of ubiquitous "experts."
As entertaining as it is instructive, his book will make the work
of living wisely a bit easier and more reliable for scientists and
nonscientists alike.
General
Imprint: |
Princeton University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
August 2005 |
First published: |
August 2005 |
Authors: |
Robert Ehrlich
|
Dimensions: |
216 x 140 x 22mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
352 |
Edition: |
New ed |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-691-12404-9 |
Categories: |
Books >
Science & Mathematics >
Science: general issues >
Popular science
|
LSN: |
0-691-12404-3 |
Barcode: |
9780691124049 |
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