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

POO POO

[ta2025]

The scientific community have ALWAYS used *Experts* and publications to *Debunk* that which threatens them or threatens the foundations they have stood for and risked their reputations for.

Remember if the original scientists would not have endured the debunking attempts of the Catholic Church, we would still live on a flat earth at the center of the universe!

There are new theories almost every day and there is no reason to take a book's word that its impossible to find or create a force that "appears" to nullify the force of gravity or to draw energy from another dimension. Sona-lumenience [sp] (I supposed I'll be de-frocked and ridiculed because I can't spell big scientific terms!) was just a theory a few months ago and now *that* appears it might be a new form of fusion!

Give me a break, Let people experiment in peace. If the entrenched scientists of the world continue to "poo poo" every new idea then the money sources dry up and WE HAVE NO NEW IDEAS.

You're kind of biting the hand that feeds you, arent you? If you can't prove a theory is correct, you automatically beat your chest and tell as many people as possible a dozen reasons why it can't possibly be "real science" and the curious who don't want to look stupid wander away. What you *should* do is make the most honest attempt to verify the person's research to veerify and support his theory. If, after you have tried and it still doesnt work, have a meeting or discussion with the person about his results. Don't waste your time turning him/her into a laughingstock just to make yourself look bigger or to feather your own bed.

Isn't it true that Pons and Fleishmann were hired to continue their research by an Japanese indutrial company? Wasn't it true that even SRL was conducting experiments to duplicate the effect of cold fusion?