The March of Unreason: Science, Democracy, and the New Fundamentalism

by Dick Taverne

Overview

Our daily news bulletins bring us tales of the wonder of science, from Mars rovers and intelligent robots to developments in cancer treatment, and yet often the emphasis is on the potential threats posed by science. It appears that irrationality is on the rise in western society, and public opinion is increasingly dominated by unreflecting prejudice and unwillingness to engage with factual evidence. From genetically modified crops and food, organic farming, the MMR vaccine, environmentalism, the precautionary principle and the new anti-capitalist and anti-globalisation movements, the rejection of the evidence-based approach nurtures a culture of suspicion, distrust, and cynicism, and leads to dogmatic assertion and intolerance. In this compelling and timely examination of science and society, Dick Taverne argues that science, with all the benefits it brings, is an essential part of civilised and democratic society: it offers the most hopeful future for mankind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191578618
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	11/29/2006
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Dick Taverne was the Labour MP for Lincoln from 1962 to 1972, when he resigned to fight the famous Lincoln by-election as an independent social democrat in 1973, and won. In 1974 he wrote The Future of the Left, Lincoln and After (Jonathan Cape), which predicted the split in the Labour party that happened seven years later. He is now a Liberal-Democrat peer. Becoming gradually more and more concerned about the increasing mood of hostility and suspicion towards science, in 2002 he founded the association 'Sense About Science' to promote an evidence-based approach to scientific issues.

Table of Contents

	Prologue	1
1	From Optimism to Pessimism	15
2	Medicine and Magic	36
3	The Myth of Organic Farming	60
4	The Case for GM Crops	80
5	The Case against GM Crops	107
6	The Rise of Eco-fundamentalism	132
7	The Perils of Precaution	168
8	The Attack on Science	192
9	Multinational Companies and Globalization	219
10	Reason and Democracy	250
	Epilogue	279
	Sources	284
	Index	306

Editorial Reviews

"There is much to agree with and even to admire in Taverne's wide-ranging and trenchant observations."—Nature

"... offers a spirited defense of science and its evidence-based approach to public policy..."—The Washington Times

From the Publisher