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Bad science by Ben Goldacre
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Bad science (edition 2009)

by Ben Goldacre

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3,2001044,139 (4.15)125
While exposing quack doctors and nutritionists, bogus credentialing programs, and biased scientific studies, the author takes the media to task for its willingness to throw facts and proof out the window in its quest to sell more copies. He also teaches you how to evaluate placebo effects, double-blind studies, and sample size, so that you can recognize bad science when you see it.… (more)
Member:weelassie
Title:Bad science
Authors:Ben Goldacre
Info:London : Harper Perennial, 2009
Collections:Read but unowned
Rating:
Tags:non-fiction, science, medicine, journalism, statistics, alternative medicine

Work Information

Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks by Ben Goldacre

  1. 80
    Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine by Simon Singh (edwbaker)
  2. 50
    The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan (gward101)
  3. 20
    Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns and other Delusions by James Randi (MyriadBooks)
  4. 20
    Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference by Cordelia Fine (wandering_star)
  5. 21
    Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt (Rynooo)
  6. 10
    Three Steps to the Universe: From the Sun to Black Holes to the Mystery of Dark Matter by David Garfinkle (nsblumenfeld)
    nsblumenfeld: Although they write about astronomy rather than medicine, the authors share Goldacre's interest in process and methodology as well as results; they make how we know what we know in the field a primary concern and are interested in giving their readers the tools to avoid pseudoscience and bogus "sciencey" claims.… (more)
  7. 00
    Counterknowledge: How We Surrendered to Conspiracy Theories, Quack Medicine, Bogus Science and Fake History by Damian Thompson (bertilak)
  8. 00
    Yes, We Have No Neutrons: An Eye-Opening Tour through the Twists and Turns of Bad Science by A. K. Dewdney (bertilak)
  9. 00
    Denying Science: Conspiracy Theories, Media Distortions, and the War Against Reality by John Grant (nsblumenfeld)
    nsblumenfeld: Why does bad science get so much exposure?
  10. 00
    De cholesteroloorlog waarom geneesmiddelen zo duur zijn by Dirk Van Duppen (peter_vandenbrande)
  11. 00
    Flat Earth News: An Award-Winning Reporter Exposes Falsehood, Distortion and Propaganda in the Global Media by Nick Davies (peter_vandenbrande)
  12. 00
    The Duck That Won the Lottery: 100 New Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher by Julian Baggini (vguy)
    vguy: Goes into greater depth on a selected number of issues (eg Homeopathy, MMR vaccine). Helps one understand scientific method, specifically blind controlled randomised trials. For all that, an amusing and popular approach.
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» See also 125 mentions

English (102)  Spanish (1)  French (1)  All languages (104)
Showing 1-5 of 102 (next | show all)
The tone is a bit over the top but with good reason, it is a shame that a book like this should even exist because of failure of the press to report on science.

The criticism i would direct to the author is that he almost never goes into numerical details so he does not admit some fundamental problems with scientific truth. Some times results are not black and white, and benefits or damage are acrually complex.

The praise I could not give enough is that he really takes head on so many problems with information, policy, media in health and wellness. For example debunking of anti-oxidants…
( )
  yates9 | Feb 28, 2024 |
Even if you are a staunch adherent of homeopathy or one of other practices the author makes exposé of, the book will still prove useful to you, because it teaches (or reiterates) those priceless methods of logic which are some essential in everyday life.
  Den85 | Jan 3, 2024 |
anyone who had ever tried a "special" diet they found online should read this book. not to change your opinion, just to make sure you have actually thought about it. ( )
  zizabeph | May 7, 2023 |
Amusing, at times alarming, and above all very informative about the failings of well-meaning alternative medicine nuts, disingenuous charlatans, incompetent science journalists, malevolent pharmaceutical companies, and willfully close-minded politicians.

Anyone with a vague interest in how evidence can be manipulated or misinterpreted, or in the state of public understanding of science as a whole, should pick it up. ( )
  KatherineJaneWright | Jul 17, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 102 (next | show all)
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Epigraph
Dedication
To whom it may concern
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Let me tell you how bad things have become.
Quotations
The aim of this book is that you should be future-proofed against new variants of bullshit.
My aim here is by no means to suggest that antioxidants are entirely irrelevant to health. If I had a T-shirt slogan for this whole book, it would be: 'I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that'.
Under his [Harry Frankfurt, Princeton University] model, "bullshit" is a form of falsehood distinct from lying: the liar knows and cares about the truth but deliberately sets out to mislead; the truth speaker knows the truth and is trying to give it to us; the bullshitter, meanwhile, does not care about the truth and is simploy trying to impress us.
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While exposing quack doctors and nutritionists, bogus credentialing programs, and biased scientific studies, the author takes the media to task for its willingness to throw facts and proof out the window in its quest to sell more copies. He also teaches you how to evaluate placebo effects, double-blind studies, and sample size, so that you can recognize bad science when you see it.

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Book description
La salute, il timore di perderla, la ricerca di ogni mezzo per conservarla sono ossessioni ricorrenti, coltivate dai canali pubblicitari attraverso un bombardamento quotidiano di consigli, ricette, soluzioni spesso imprecise, talvolta fuorvianti o dannose. Contro la disinformazione interessata, la fiducia ingenua, i rischi dell'ignoranza, questo libro propone un rimedio: la consapevolezza. Ben Goldacre non si limita a svelare menzogne e verità manipolate, ma racconta come sia facile cadere preda di questi inganni e, soprattutto, come sia possibile evitarlo. Di fronte ai pericoli della cattiva scienza, questo libro è il manifesto, divertente, spietato e appassionato, di una scienza buona.
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