The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science

Bethell, Tom

ISBN 10: 089526031X / ISBN 13: 9780895260314

Published by Regnery Publishing, Washington, D.C., 2005

About this Item

A stock image [photo] is an accurate representation of the listed book's cover design. Pages [270 including index] clean, unmarked, binding tight and square. Covers clean, colors bright, minor edge and handling wear, horizontal closed tear [ca.1/2"] at spine. Various science myths busted such as America is destroying the environment and causing global warming et al. One of the Politically Incorrect Series. Media Mail, Priority & most international shipping include free tracking information. Every book listed is located in my smoke free and climate controlled shop. All are inspected by me and will have qualities and/or flaws described. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

Seller Inventory # 009970

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing, Washington, D.C.
• Publication Date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 089526031X
• ISBN 13: 9780895260314
• Binding: Trade Paperback
• Edition: First Edition First Printing.
• Condition: Near Fine-
• Seller catalogs:
  • History
  • Science & Technology

About this title

Synopsis

"If the globe is warming, is mankind responsible, or is the sun?" Such a statement does not appear out of place in Bethell's entertaining account of how modern science is politically motivated and in desperate need of oversight. Bethell writes in a compulsively readable style, and although he provides legitimate insight into the potential benefits of nuclear power and hormesis, some readers will be turned off when he attempts to disprove global warming and especially evolution. Throughout the book, Bethell makes questionable claims about subjects as varied as AIDS ("careful U.S. studies had already shown that at least a thousand sexual contacts are needed to achieve heterosexual transmission of the virus") and extinction ("It is not possible definitely to attribute any given extinction to human activity"), and backs up his arguments with references to the music magazine SPIN and thriller-writer Michael Crichton. Ironically, Bethell ends up proving his own premise by producing a highly politicized account of how liberal intellectuals and unchecked government agencies have created a "white-coated priesthood" whose lust for grant money has driven them to produce fearsome (but in Bethell's view, false) tales of ozone destruction and AIDS pandemics. In the end, this book is unlikely to sway readers who aren't already in Bethell's ideological camp, as any points worthy of discussion get lost in the glut of unsourced claims that populate this latest installment of "The Politically Incorrect Guide" series.

About the Author

Tom Bethell is a senior editor at the American Spectator. He has contributed to many publications, including the New York Times magazine, Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, Crisis, and National Review. He writes often on science. Tom Wolfe has called Bethell "one of our most brilliant essayists." Bethell was born and raised in England and graduated from Oxford University in 1962 with a degree in philosophy, physiology, and psychology. He lives in Washington D.C.