Posted on: concatenation.org Website
Reviewer: Jonathan Cowie
"...Thanks then to John Grant for an absolute gem of a book that exposes much fraud, ideology and politics corrupting science. This is a critically important book that everyone needs to read. Take it from me that it does what it says on the can and that it is very readable with a good subject index. Let me concentrate instead in saying why everyone needs to read it. Non-scientists need to read it so that they can see exemplars of what is being said and how attempts are being made to fool them. Scientists need to read it for purposes of professional integrity and to be aware of what is being said in the name of their profession. Indeed I would strongly recommend that every science school teacher, every college and university lecturer should get a copy and check it for examples of how their particular specialism is being misrepresented and then include these in their class/lecture notes. It goes without saying that this is fundamental reading for anyone on science communication courses. Corrupted Science is far more an important a book than its title suggests. It pains me to say this (as my own climate change book is just out) but if you only get one non-fiction book this year then make it this one.
NAILS THE CORRUPTION AND CALLS OUT THE CHARLATANS
Amazon.com - November 25, 2007
By: treffler2 (Minnetonka, MN)
This book challenges some of the most cherished "scientific" fallacies of the last 200 years--particularly those still in favor among religious fundamentalists, corporate power mongers, and political dictators. John Grant draws disturbing parallels between the leadership of Hitler, Stalin, and G.W. Bush. He also reveals how scientific research has been corrupted by academics seeking fame and/or money, and gives examples of how religious and political forces fight scientific advancements contrary to their own interests. It's not just in war that Truth is a casualty.
Be Afraid . . . Be Very Afraid
16 Nov 2007
By Timothy R. Sullivan - Amazon
John Grant's CORRUPTED SCIENCE is an important book. It's entertaining and informative, a must for anyone interested in the history of science. Until I read it, I had no idea that test results had been faked by the revered likes of Ptolemy, Galileo, and Sir Isaac Newton.
This is fascinating stuff, but more significantly, CORRUPTED SCIENCE exposes the hypocrisy and sham science perpetrated today for questionable purposes, principally in the United States.
Grant divides his book into six chapters, and further subdivides them in user-friendly fashion to make his case. "Fraudulent Scientists," "Seeing What They Wanted to See," "Military Madness," "The One True Book," "Ideology Trumps Science," and "The Political Corruption of Science" delve into the myriad ways that the quest for truth has been subverted, sometimes innocently but more often by design.
The concluding chapter's three sections---"Hitler's Germany," Stalin's Russia," and "Bush's America"---examine the most egregious cases of willful scientific subornment by powerful national governments for ideological and religious purposes. Grant details efforts by the Bush administration to hide the facts of global warming, a fraud perpetrated to safeguard the enormous profits of the energy industry, and to discredit the theory of evolution for ideological purposes.
Grant argues convincingly that the harm done by the Bush Administration will take generations to repair. This is a disturbing, but inescapable conclusion, and Grant's copious research drives home the reality that ideologues have been in charge of American scientific institutions since 2001 as a result of Bush's dubious electoral victory.
It's disturbing stuff, but written in a compelling and persuasive style. The book is an attractive hardcover, and it's offered at a very modest price. It should be read by everyone who's serious about the future of science and, indeed, of the Earth itself.