1 hr 27 min
27: How to Buy Fake Science: Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Cornway Made You Think
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- Society & Culture
“If we read an article in the newspaper presenting two opposing viewpoints, we assume both have validity, and we think it would be wrong to shut one side down. But often one side is represented only by a single ‘expert’.”
In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming, by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway. In this book, Oreskes and Cornway talk about media and science, and scientific consensus that became controversial in the public eye — from the SDI to tobacco to global warming.
“Rome may not be burning, but Greenland is melting, and we are still fiddling. We all need a better understanding of what science really is, how to recognize real science when we see it, and how to separate it from the garbage.”
We cover a wide range of topics, including:
The tobacco industry and the regulations on smoking today Global Warming and all its many causes. Are all causes equally serious? How media talks about science and creates controversial topics out of scientific consensus The SDI and nuclear winter The sugar industry vs working out And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Merchants of Doubts by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway!
Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Flatgeologists [0:49] Strategic Defense Initiative [2:05] DDT Pesticide [2:19] The Sugar Film (2014) [06:05] Neighbourhood Effect [16:27] Tragedy of the Commons [16:27] Magnetic Resonance Imaging – MRI [18:30] Toshiba Corporation [18:30] Yamaha Corporation [18:30] The Spacex Launch [19:10] Black Mirror: Men Against Fire [22:06] Jordan Peterson’s interview on Channel 4 [26:24] Futurama: Crimes of the Hot [27:58] Mutual Assured Destruction Doctrine [32:30] CFC – Chlorofluorocarbons and Ozone depletion [38:06] Philip Morris USA [51:50] Krispy Kreme [53:48] Moore’s Law [1:14:08] Books mentioned Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman [1:13] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie [15:14] Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio [18:42] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser [31:40] 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson [1:07:16] (Nat's Notes) (Neil's Notes) (book episode) The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley [01:09:35] (Nat's Notes) People mentioned Naomi Oreskes Erik M. Conway Elon Musk [1:05] [28:00] [39:30] (on this podcast) Michelle Obama [10:25] Andrew Carnegie [15:07] Adolf Hitler [21:34] Jordan B. Peterson [21:27] (on this podcast) Nassim Nicholas Taleb [27:08] (on this podcast) Ronald Reagan [31:18] Richard Feynman [35:20] Freeman Dyson [35:34] Carl Sagan [36:43] S. Fred Singer [42:16] Show Topics 0:44 — Science and media. Topics that have become controversial in the public sphere, through media, that weren’t so within the scientific community; tobacco, the sugar industry, pesticides, etc.
03:58 — The sugar industry and its history of media deception; people’s perceptions on sugar, then and now. The industry’s attempts of bettering their images as sugar is more and more seen as unhealthy.
07:21 — Sugar and artificial sugar: its effects on your body and microbiota. The inexistent proofs that help losing weight.
09:16 — What about exercise? The food industries’ attempts to shift responsibility for health and fitness into “lack of exercise”, overblowing the importance of exercising.
11:05 — Two issues that are not necessarily separated by the book: on one hand, people should be better informed of the risks of their behaviors, like eating sugar, or drinking. On the other hand, should they not be allowed to engage in certain behaviors? Or simply have awareness of the risks if they do engage? Advocating for control, instead of banning, like the taxing on the tobacco industry.
13:15 — The public perception of
“If we read an article in the newspaper presenting two opposing viewpoints, we assume both have validity, and we think it would be wrong to shut one side down. But often one side is represented only by a single ‘expert’.”
In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming, by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway. In this book, Oreskes and Cornway talk about media and science, and scientific consensus that became controversial in the public eye — from the SDI to tobacco to global warming.
“Rome may not be burning, but Greenland is melting, and we are still fiddling. We all need a better understanding of what science really is, how to recognize real science when we see it, and how to separate it from the garbage.”
We cover a wide range of topics, including:
The tobacco industry and the regulations on smoking today Global Warming and all its many causes. Are all causes equally serious? How media talks about science and creates controversial topics out of scientific consensus The SDI and nuclear winter The sugar industry vs working out And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Merchants of Doubts by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway!
Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Flatgeologists [0:49] Strategic Defense Initiative [2:05] DDT Pesticide [2:19] The Sugar Film (2014) [06:05] Neighbourhood Effect [16:27] Tragedy of the Commons [16:27] Magnetic Resonance Imaging – MRI [18:30] Toshiba Corporation [18:30] Yamaha Corporation [18:30] The Spacex Launch [19:10] Black Mirror: Men Against Fire [22:06] Jordan Peterson’s interview on Channel 4 [26:24] Futurama: Crimes of the Hot [27:58] Mutual Assured Destruction Doctrine [32:30] CFC – Chlorofluorocarbons and Ozone depletion [38:06] Philip Morris USA [51:50] Krispy Kreme [53:48] Moore’s Law [1:14:08] Books mentioned Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman [1:13] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie [15:14] Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio [18:42] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser [31:40] 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson [1:07:16] (Nat's Notes) (Neil's Notes) (book episode) The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley [01:09:35] (Nat's Notes) People mentioned Naomi Oreskes Erik M. Conway Elon Musk [1:05] [28:00] [39:30] (on this podcast) Michelle Obama [10:25] Andrew Carnegie [15:07] Adolf Hitler [21:34] Jordan B. Peterson [21:27] (on this podcast) Nassim Nicholas Taleb [27:08] (on this podcast) Ronald Reagan [31:18] Richard Feynman [35:20] Freeman Dyson [35:34] Carl Sagan [36:43] S. Fred Singer [42:16] Show Topics 0:44 — Science and media. Topics that have become controversial in the public sphere, through media, that weren’t so within the scientific community; tobacco, the sugar industry, pesticides, etc.
03:58 — The sugar industry and its history of media deception; people’s perceptions on sugar, then and now. The industry’s attempts of bettering their images as sugar is more and more seen as unhealthy.
07:21 — Sugar and artificial sugar: its effects on your body and microbiota. The inexistent proofs that help losing weight.
09:16 — What about exercise? The food industries’ attempts to shift responsibility for health and fitness into “lack of exercise”, overblowing the importance of exercising.
11:05 — Two issues that are not necessarily separated by the book: on one hand, people should be better informed of the risks of their behaviors, like eating sugar, or drinking. On the other hand, should they not be allowed to engage in certain behaviors? Or simply have awareness of the risks if they do engage? Advocating for control, instead of banning, like the taxing on the tobacco industry.
13:15 — The public perception of
1 hr 27 min