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Bad Science

By Ben Goldacre

(70)

| Paperback | 9780007240197

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Critics

A light look at some heavy mistakes

What is knowledge, and how do we know what we know? These are questions that have preoccupied philosophers for millennia. Modern science relies heavily on the empiric method, making use of experience and the reproducibility of events to accept or rej ... (read full critics)

boston published on Tue, 26 Oct 2010

Bad Science

Guardian columnist Ben Goldacre needs no introduction here, and in his book the crusader against quackery is on top form. With rapier logic Goldacre skewers big pharma, the media (aka promoters of "the public misunderstanding of science") and misuser ... (read full critics)

guardian.co.uk published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

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9 Reviews

1 person find this helpful

Rarely do we find a scientist so aggravated that he has to publish a book solely to name and shame others. But Goldacre is more than justified in doing this in his crusade against bad science - nay, it should be "bad filth wearing science's clothing".
From homeopathy to quacky pills, from media ... (continue)

Rarely do we find a scientist so aggravated that he has to publish a book solely to name and shame others. But Goldacre is more than justified in doing this in his crusade against bad science - nay, it should be "bad filth wearing science's clothing".
From homeopathy to quacky pills, from media nonsense to pseudoscience fakes, Goldacre launches his tireless attacks and punches holes in all things that go against honest science. The amount of dirt that he digs up is unbelievable. I shudder at the sheer pervasiveness of bad science all around us, which at its worst is capable of changing cultures and influencing policies.
But one thing I don't enjoy too much is Goldacre's grumpiness. I know he is angry and he gets personal, but I think he has overdone his fingerpointing when he repeats his accusations over and over again. He makes good points, but it gets tiring after a certain period of time. Instead of stomping directly on his opponents, it might be more effective if he mixed his blames with mockery and sarcasm. That might make him sound less like a grumpy guy.

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Holmes said on Dec 20, 2011 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

It is a good read with much humour and candour. The book also nails the homeopathy coffin absolutely, and much of alternative medicine, but only if it is claimed that they are based on scientific evidence. The author acknowledges that if the patient truly and absolutely believes that he/she can be ... (continue)

It is a good read with much humour and candour. The book also nails the homeopathy coffin absolutely, and much of alternative medicine, but only if it is claimed that they are based on scientific evidence. The author acknowledges that if the patient truly and absolutely believes that he/she can be cured, miracles can happen and some alternative medicine do work. But it is completely different ball-game if it is claimed as if supported by research. That is 豬肉扮差燒! It is then a deliberate act of fraud on the patient.
It is a must for those interested in looking at all those crap advertisments in newspapers and beyond, as to what to look for in research papers. For others who are 八卦 (nosy), it is very interesting read.

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Oz said on Dec 1, 2008 | 1 feedback

1 person find this helpful

Very enjoyable and informative, and funny too, exposé of the media and public's misunderstanding of science and how this is exploited by unscrupulous figures like 'Dr' Gillian McKeith and big businesses.</p><p>I've been a fan of Goldacre's website (badscience.net) and Guardian column for ... (continue)

Very enjoyable and informative, and funny too, exposé of the media and public's misunderstanding of science and how this is exploited by unscrupulous figures like 'Dr' Gillian McKeith and big businesses.</p><p>I've been a fan of Goldacre's website (badscience.net) and Guardian column for a while and this book is a great introduction to the world of Bad Science, which I'd recommend highly.

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Mark Turner said on Sep 26, 2008 | Add your feedback

The Theatre Of Goo

This is the single-most effective debunking of alternative medicine, pharmaceutical companies, and nutritionists. Not only does Goldacre debunk nonsense like homoeopathy, but he also instructs the reader on how to understand and judge claims like, "studies show..." Whatever it is you may want to sho ... (continue)

This is the single-most effective debunking of alternative medicine, pharmaceutical companies, and nutritionists. Not only does Goldacre debunk nonsense like homoeopathy, but he also instructs the reader on how to understand and judge claims like, "studies show..." Whatever it is you may want to show, there is almost always some study out there that seems to support you. So how do you decide what is true then?
This is the first book that actually teaches the reader all the basics needed about research programmes and data, statistics, politics, science journalism, the content and form of a scientific paper, etc., before actually debunking anything. By the time the debunking starts, you are educated enough about the essentials to understand *exactly* why his debunking is spot on.
There was no easy way to counteract the claims of homoeopaths, for example, before this book came along. In it Goldacre explains how clinical trials are run, how to judge whether it was a fair test, what happens to many research data that show homoeopathy is bunkum, why there will always be some studies that show opposite results, and how to reliably decide which studies are more correct in their conclusions than others, and what a systematic review is and why we should know about it.
The book is not dry or boring. On the contrary, Goldacre is a witty and enthusiastic author, who is able to teach the reader in a most entertaining manner. I found the book quite a page-turner, replete with "Ah hah!" moments of enlightenment.
Be sure to read the latest edition of this book because it includes a chapter that was previously unable to be printed because Goldacre was being sued by the quack he debunks in it, Matthias Rath, a ruthless killer in the guise of a vitamin peddler who recommends HIV suffers stop taking ARVs in favour of his vitamins. Rath took the fullest advantage of the AIDs-denying presidency of Thabo Mbeki here in South Africa, and has probably been directly responsible, along with Mbeki and his health garlic and African-potato wielding minister, Tshabalala-Msimang, for the deaths of thousands of AIDs victims. Goldacre's chapter on Rath is chilling to read. Who said alternative medicine is harmless?
Goldacre's chapter on nutritionist Patrick Holford was an eye-opener. I never knew that nutritionists have invented themselves out of whole cloth, and survive by obscuring the freely available truth about healthy living. They survive by deliberately tainting the knowledge in your head with a confusing yet effective mish-mash of truth and lies, fear, uncertainty, and doubt. You really need to get their rubbish out of your brain, and you probably won't even know what it is until you actually read this book.
The chapter on the placebo effect is worth the cover price alone. Almost no-one understands what the placebo effect is but they seem very willing to cite it in favour of whatever wacky alternative medicine it is they are promoting. As Goldacre notes, the placebo effect is far weirder than you know, and certainly has ethical considerations when it comes to dispensing "medicine" you know contains no active ingredients. The placebo effect is probably the most misunderstood and misused thing in the entire debate on "alternative" medicine.
This book should be required reading for every last human being on the planet. Every school child should read it in order later to be able to protect themselves against bogus medical claims and advertisements. This book could literally save your life and money. In the case of the chapter on vaccinations, it could save your children. It will certainly impart the full satisfaction of knowing you are well equipped to spot bullshit at a hundred yards, even if such knowledge is probably not going to change the world at large. At least you can know you are not part of the problem.
I cannot recommend this book too highly.

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Ramnagel said on Mar 14, 2010 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

Very well done - accessible and informative. I could be biased on this - I have done a medical statistics course and am a keen follower of the Skeptoid Podcast, but I definitely thought this was worth reading.

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Athene1710 said on Nov 29, 2009 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

I always thought that Homeopathy was a load of old tosh, and Ben Goldacre certainly confirmed this. I also enjoyed his musings regarding Dr Gillian McKeith, or to give her her full medical name, Gillian McKeith.
Very interesting to understand how the public perception of science is driven by ... (continue)

I always thought that Homeopathy was a load of old tosh, and Ben Goldacre certainly confirmed this. I also enjoyed his musings regarding Dr Gillian McKeith, or to give her her full medical name, Gillian McKeith.
Very interesting to understand how the public perception of science is driven by the media and is therefore skewed towards the miracle cure / deadly disease stories.
There are also some excellent chapters on the big pharma companies and how to judge for yourself whether a clinical trial is worth the paper it's written on.
Everyone should read this book, and if you want a laugh check out the Mitchell and Webb Homeopathic A&E sketch on youtube.
"It looks serious, get me some wolfsbane, also known as monksblood in here..."

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LeeMarshall said on Aug 6, 2009 about the Others edition | Add your feedback