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Making Sense of Science
Separating Substance from Spin
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- € 17,99
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- € 17,99
Beschrijving uitgever
A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist
Most of us learn about science from media coverage, and anyone seeking factual information on climate change, vaccine safety, genetically modified foods, or the dangers of peanut allergies has to sift through an avalanche of bogus assertions, misinformation, and carefully packaged spin. Cornelia Dean draws on thirty years of experience as a science reporter at the New York Times to expose the tricks that handicap readers with little background in science. She reveals how activists, business spokespersons, religious leaders, and talk show hosts influence the way science is reported and describes the conflicts of interest that color research. At a time when facts are under daily assault, Making Sense of Science seeks to equip nonscientists with a set of critical tools to evaluate the claims and controversies that shape our lives.
“Making Sense of Science explains how to decide who is an expert, how to understand data, what you need to do to read science and figure out whether someone is lying to you… If science leaves you with a headache trying to figure out what’s true, what it all means and who to trust, Dean’s book is a great place to start.”
—Casper Star-Tribune
“Fascinating… Its mission is to help nonscientists evaluate scientific claims, with much attention paid to studies related to health.”
—Seattle Times
“This engaging book offers non-scientists the tools to connect with and evaluate science, and for scientists it is a timely call to action for effective communication.”
—Times Higher Education
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Dean (Am I Making Myself Clear?), a science writer for the New York Times, guides readers through the often perplexing process of sorting conflicting reports on recent scientific developments. She moves step by step to aid the general public in assessing the scientific and technical claims and counterclaims with which they are regularly bombarded. Dean lays out how important it is to admit ignorance and examine the sources of information on a particular subject. Crucially, terms in everyday use have different meanings in scientific contexts. The most misunderstood is theory, which is not a fuzzy idea but something that has been examined, repeatedly tested, and supported by a vast body of evidence. Dean points out matters that cause confusion and distrust, particularly the large amount of basic research funded by private companies a great source of conflicts of interest. She also examines political influence, noting that members of Congress are barely more scientifically literate than the general public. This bolsters her argument that voters need to know how to evaluate scientific claims an argument that she details in an appendix. Dean s excellent primer will be welcomed by those who find themselves lost in the fog of rival claims about scientific issues that affect us all.