The Professional Debunker
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book reviews The professional debunker Voodoo Science: the Road from Foolishness to Fraud by Robert L. Park Oxford University Press · May 2000 Hardback £18.99/$25 Bob Goldstein eething below the surface of good sci- understand the forces that maintain the sur- of Public Information, contributing a col- ence there lies a culture of voodoo sci- vival of voodoo science; the book implicates umn,‘What’s New, by Bob Park’,to their web Sence, in which academic scientists, social and economic interactions between site (http://www.aps.org). The column weekend garage scientists, and get-rich- the scientists and others. Scientists, or those reports on the peculiar interface between quick schemers make claims that are equally who pose as scientists, sell unworkable ideas physics and Washington, and concludes earth-shattering and impossible. Instead of to venture capitalists who are willing to each week with the note “Opinions are the appearing in scientific journals, their work is gamble a small amount of money on high- author’s and are not necessarily shared by reported on television news, in newspapers, risk investments, and to the press, who the APS, but they should be.” and on daytime talk shows. One thread package the stories as infotainment, often Why would any serious scientist pay unites this kind of work — it is all tragically with an uncritical eye. As a result, a dispro- attention to bad science? These bizarre in error. portionate amount of the science seen by claims certainly make for a fun read, but Robert Park’s term ‘voodoo science’ cov- the public on TV and in newspapers will Park’s goal is greater. He aims to right ers everything from simple foolishness, in inevitably be voodoo science. This, the upside-down views of the world, and to cre- which people trick themselves into accepting weakest part of an otherwise compelling ate a public that understands not so much unwarranted beliefs, to fraud, in which peo- string of arguments, smacks of voodoo the jargon of science, but the way that sci- ple intentionally design scientific-sounding social science, as the conclusions are never ence is done. arguments to trick others. The book picks explicitly evaluated. Park’s apparent use of Bob Goldstein is in the Department of Biology, apart dozens of cases of voodoo science, anecdotal evidence to generate these ideas University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA including claims of cold fusion, homeopa- suggests that he may have fallen into one of email: [email protected] thy, perpetual-motion machines and healing his own traps. magnets. Park refutes these stories with sim- The characters behind the cases of ple and consistently entertaining reasoning. voodoo science are interesting, but the most New in Hardback For example, cold-fusion scientists Stanley interesting character to emerge is the author Pons and Martin Fleischmann are debunked himself. Park, a professor of physics at the Charles Darwin’s Zoology Notes and with: “At the power levels claimed by Pons University of Maryland, is a counterpart to Specimen Lists from HMS Beagle and Fleischmann, their test cell would be biologists like Richard Dawkins and by Charles Darwin and Richard Keynes expected to emit lethal doses of nuclear radi- Stephen Jay Gould. Each of these pop-cul- Cambridge University Press, £95/$150 ation. Yet here were the two beaming ture scientific writers has a special talent for Molecular Mimicry, Microbes and chemists, in a photograph that appeared on defending a view of the world that is per- Autoimmunity the front pages of newspapers around the fectly rational and free of witchcraft and by Madeline Cunningham and world, in jackets and ties, proudly holding superstition. Park’s special talent in this Robert S. Fujinami their cell up for the cameras.” cadre is his fundamental understanding of ASM Press, £94/$99.95 Occasionally, Park’s critiques lapse into physical laws. Before writing this book, his wonderfully nerdy physicist’s humour, as for debunking platforms included ‘op-ed’ pieces Developmental Biology Volume 6 example when discussing Dennis Lee, a man in newspapers and appearances in TV and by S.F. Gilbert who claims to have invented a source of radio programmes. In 1997, as a witness to W. H. Freeman, £34.95/$92.95 unlimited and free energy — “Dennis Lee the US House Subcommittee on Space and has broken a lot of laws, but he hasn’t broken Aeronautics concerning the International New in Paperback the laws of thermodynamics.” Space Station, Park followed testimony on Park has two aims in this book. The first the great value of a gravity-free environ- Methods in Yeast Genetics is to help the reader to recognize voodoo sci- ment for protein crystallography with his by Dan Burke, Dean Dawson and ence. This is achieved through the narration own opinionated characterization of the Tim Stearns of dozens of bizarre claims made under the Space Station’s objectives as “yesterday’s CSHL Press, £58/$75 veil of science, interspersed with Park’s pin- technology” and “yesterday’s science”. Phage and the Origins of pointing the classic errors of logic that have Park’s work in Washington DC started in Molecular Biology been made. The distinction between real sci- a 1982 sabbatical, during which he estab- edited by J. Cairns, G. Stent and J. D. ence and voodoo science is articulated lished an Office of Public Affairs for the Watson throughout. American Physical Society. He continues to CSHL Press, £22/$29 Park’s second aim is to help the reader to work part-time for the APS as their Director E212 NATURE CELL BIOLOGY VOL 2 NOVEMBER 2000 http://cellbio.nature.com.