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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
funny
informative
tense
medium-paced
funny
informative
medium-paced
This was a fascinating read. It was first published in 2008 so I did wonder how relevant it would be now, but it only occasionally felt dated. There was a notable absence of the internet in the discussions of media and misinformation but apart from that, I felt that everything I learnt was applicable to today. The chapters I found the most interesting were about the placebo effect and how studies and statistics are manipulated and misrepresented. Goldacre's writing is funny and he breaks down scientific terms and ideas into straight forward language which is really easy to understand.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
"...by the end of this book you'll have the tools to win - or at least understand - any argument you choose to initiate, whether it's on miracle cures, MMR, the evils of big pharma, the likelihood of a given vegetable preventing cancer, the dumbing down of science reporting, dubioud health scares, the merits of anecdotal evidence, the relationship between body and mind, the science of irrationality, the medicalisation of everyday life, and more."
The author not only show you what "bad science" is, but also teaches you how to recognize it. You will start of by learning more about scientific experiments, and then you'll move on to look at the following subject areas:
1. Homeopathy
2. Nutritionists - specfically Gillian Mckeith and Patrick Hollford
3. Pharmaceutical industry
4. MMR
5. The media's distortion of scientific stats
6. Omega pills for kids
7. HIV and antiviral drugs in SA.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although it was not always easy reading. 3.5 stars
The author not only show you what "bad science" is, but also teaches you how to recognize it. You will start of by learning more about scientific experiments, and then you'll move on to look at the following subject areas:
1. Homeopathy
2. Nutritionists - specfically Gillian Mckeith and Patrick Hollford
3. Pharmaceutical industry
4. MMR
5. The media's distortion of scientific stats
6. Omega pills for kids
7. HIV and antiviral drugs in SA.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although it was not always easy reading. 3.5 stars
informative
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Filled me with probably the ideal level of frustration and dispair with the way science (and medicine in particular) is covered by the media.