Merchants of Doubt - Softcover

Erik M. Conway

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1408824833 ISBN 13: 9781408824832

Publisher: Bloomsbury, 2012

Synopsis

This title tells the troubling story of how a cadre of influential scientists have clouded public understanding of scientific facts to advance a political and economic agenda.

About this title

About the Author:

Naomi Oreskes is a professor of history and science studies at the University of California, San Diego. Her essay ""Beyond the Ivory Tower"" was a milestone in the fight against global warming denial.

Erik M. Conway is the resident historian at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. "Merchants of Doubt "is their first book together.

Review:

“Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway have demonstrated what many of us have long suspected: that the ‘debate’ over the climate crisis—and many other environmental issues—was manufactured by the same people who brought you ‘safe’ cigarettes.  Anyone concerned about the state of democracy in America should read this book.”

—Former Vice President Al Gore, author of "An Inconvenient Truth"

 

“As the science of global warming has grown more certain over the last two decades, the attack on that science has grown more shrill; this volume helps explain that paradox, and not only for climate change. A fascinating account of a very thorny problem.”—Bill McKibben, author of "Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet"

 

“Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway have written an important and timely book. "Merchants of Doubt "should finally put to rest the question of whether the science of climate change is s

"Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway have demonstrated what many of us have long suspected: that the 'debate' over the climate crisis--and many other environmental issues--was manufactured by the same people who brought you 'safe' cigarettes. Anyone concerned about the state of democracy in America should read this book."--Former Vice President Al Gore, author of "An Inconvenient Truth"

"As the science of global warming has grown more certain over the last two decades, the attack on that science has grown more shrill; this volume helps explain that paradox, and not only for climate change. A fascinating account of a very thorny problem."--Bill McKibben, author of "Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet"

"Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway have written an important and timely book. "Merchants of Doubt "should finally put to rest the question of whether the science of climate change is settled. It is, and we ignore this message at our peril."--Elizabeth Kolbert, author of "Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change"

"There can be no science without doubt: brute dogma leaves no room for inquiry. But over the last half century, a tiny minority of scientists have wielded doubt as a political weapon to halt what they did not want said: that tobacco kills or that the climate is warming because of what we humans are doing. 'Doubt is our product' read a tobacco memo--and indeed, millions of dollars have gone into creating the impression of scientific controversy where there has not been one. This book about the politics of doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway explores the long, connected, and intentional obfuscation of science by manufactured controversy. It is clear, scientifically responsible, and historically compelling--it is an essential and passionate book about our times."--Peter Galison, Joseph Pellegrino University Professor, Harvard University, author of "Einstein's Clocks, Poincare's Maps"

"With the carefulness of historians and the

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1408824833
• ISBN 13: 9781408824832
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 355