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The March of Unreason
Science, Democracy, and the New Fundamentalism
Dick Taverne
320 pages
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216x138mm
978-0-19-280485-3
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Hardback
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17 March 2005
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This item is printed to order and supplied on a firm sale basis. Items which are printed to order are normally despatched and charged within 5-10 days.
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- Controversial and thought-provoking: Taverne argues that emotional and irrational responses have begun to displace public belief in scientific progress, and that this trend risks losing many of the benefits offered by science
- Wide-ranging: covers topics of international importance such as organic farming, GM crops, environmentalism, the precautionary principle, and the anti-capitalism and anti-globalization movements
- Authoritative: every section has been thoroughly reviewed and checked by experts from relevant scientific fields
- Dick Taverne is a high-profile political commentator, regularly debating issues of democracy and science in magazines and the broadsheet press
- The March of Unreason is a scientific complement to Will Hutton's famous critique of society and politics in Britain, The State We're In, and covers many issues of worldwide importance such as GM crops and the anti-capitalism movement
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.Readership: All with an interest in current affairs, rationalism, and science and society; specifically issues such as GM and organic foods, the MMR vaccine scare, environmentalism, and
anti-capitalism.
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Dick Taverne, Chairman, Sense About Science
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"In his trenchant way, Dick Taverne does his readers a service by summarizing a case for science." - TLS
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Prologue
1: From optimism to pessimism
2: Medicine and magic
3: Organic farming
4: GM: the case for
5: GM: the case against
6: The rise of eco-fundamentalism
7: The perils of precaution
8: The attack on science
9: Multinational companies and globalization
10: Reason and democracy
Epilogue
Index
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