Book Review: Voodoo Science

During the cavalcade of April Fool's spoofs here on /., one submission stuck in my mind as fascinating and enjoyable -- and a complete scam. It was about an alleged anti-gravity disc, made from a 12" superconducting ring that looked not unlike a brake pad. As luck would have it, I was reading the book Voodoo Science at the time and thought once the April Fools hoopla had died down that I'd do a review of it for Slashdot, so read on if you care to. Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud author Robert Park pages 230 publisher Oxford University Press rating 4/5 reviewer chrisd ISBN 0195147103 summary Robert Park exposes how bad science propogates. Perhaps I should have posted the story, but in the end that sort of pseudo-scientific chicanery doesn't even deserve the attention that /. would bring it on April Fool's day.

The short review of Voodoo Science is that this is not a book that would make a good birthday gift for Alex Chiu or for that matter Deepak Chopra.

Voodoo Science is a happy little bon-bon of a book for the scientifically inclined. Robert Park is the head of the Washington office of the American Physical Society, and has worked inside the beltway helping the U.S. government and others understand the basics of science so they can make appropriate policy decisions. It is depressingly clear how badly they need it.

While there is a certain level of joy to be found in reading about Mr. Park's exploits debunking cranks and frauds, there is a sad realization that prominent legislators have no clue as to the physical laws that are the underpinnings of science. No, I wasn't surprised, but it was depressing nonetheless to see Trent Lott's name on a resolution designed to push through a patent on a "free energy" device, or Tom Harkin using his power to force the NIH to embrace alternative medicine as anything other than a placebo.

While fun, this isn't a perfect book. It is organized a little strangely, with subheadings throwing off the flow of reading, and at a little over 200 pages it seems too short.Park's mission with this book was not to dissect the great scientific frauds of all time, but I thought he could have spent more time on the issues he did bring up and less on trying to understand the Alex Chius of the world. Mr. Park is probably just trying to be polite, but in my reading of Voodoo Science he comes off as being too soft on the very targets of the book.

The case of cold fusion is a perfect example. His recounting of the famous events was right on, but it just fell flat when it came to to point the finger at Pons, Fleischman and the University of Utah for their complicity in fraud before the Utah state legislature. It is akin to writing a book about Enron and saying about Ken Lay: "It is likely he knew what he was doing was possibly improper."

I'd recommend Voodoo Science as a good gift to a younger reader, as it describes foundations of science in an accessible way. As you've probably gathered, an appropriate name for this book might be "The Laws of Thermodynamics and those that thought it didn't apply to them." As such, the book serves as a decent introduction to critical thinking about the physical world around us.

You can purchase Voodoo Science from bn.com. Want to see your own review here? Just read the book review guidelines, then use Slashdot's handy submission form.

Comments

Oh shit

[Graymalkin]

You mean those were spoofs? Holy baby Jesus!

He's just jealous

[Marx_Mrvelous]

That he wasn't smart enough to discover the amazing Immortality ring! I didn't want to pay for one, but I was lucky enough to find one while graverobbing.

Re:He's just jealous

[CaseyG]

I saw a guy who had an amulet which would prevent any sort of theft. It seemed like a useful thing to have, so I grabbed it while he wasn't looking.

-c.

Re:I've read this book as well

[Anonymous Coward]

Alternative medicine is *not* the Open Source
Software of the medical world - it's the Pets.com
of the medical world.

The third premise

[TheWizardOfCheese]

3. I forgot the third premise

Step 3: ... Profit!

Re:I've read this book as well

[Anonymous Coward]

I went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and I've never heard of Ann Arbor University.

Since you went to a public university, we'll excuse you for not having caught

Mel Thusian ~ malthusian

Re:I've read this book as well

[Anonymous Coward]

That's why I always buy the homopathic stuff! It also tastes great and is less filling!

Re:Homeopathy & "alternative" medicine

[Kalgash]

Please, read and study before putting drugs in your body that aren't approved by the FDA.

Then what would I do with my weekends? I suppose I will have to resort to alcomohol.

Re:Not all alternative medicine is a fraud

[Anonymous Coward]

In that case, I've got some "super blue stuff" to sell you.

Re:double blind trials

[mosch]

Good luck with those homeopathic remedies.

Homeopathy and alternative medicine are just two of the ways that Darwin is working to keep our gene pool clean.