first Bogus Science review
Nov. 3rd, 2009 08:49 amIt's an Amazon reader review, so the four-page illustrated spectacular in The New York Times has yet to come, but it's very pleasing. Grab a chair, make sure you have a long drink by your side, and prepare to thrill to the juicy bits:
John Grant's BOGUS SCIENCE is even more fun than his two earlier books in this series, DISCARDED SCIENCE and CORRUPTED SCIENCE, but it's also an earnest reminder that knowledge and progress, like free speech and freedom of the press, come with a price. [. . .]
Grant provides splendid entertainment as he regales us with accounts of doomsday cults, Bigfoot hoaxes, flying saucers, the Bermuda Triangle, and flat-earthers [. . .] The larger question is what separates bogus science from genuine science? As Grant eloquently illustrates, it's a matter of trying to make the evidence fit the Procrustean bed of predetermined hypotheses, rather than constructing hypotheses in light of the facts. [. . .]
Like the first two volumes, this is a very reasonably priced hardcover, well organized and attractively presented. I intend to read it again and recommend it highly to any curious reader.
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