Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (PDF)

Description

Ben Goldacre’s wise and witty bestseller, shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, lifts the lid on quack doctors, flaky statistics, scaremongering journalists and evil pharmaceutical corporations.Since 2003 Dr Ben Goldacre has been exposing dodgy medical data in his popular Guardian column. In this eye-opening book he takes on the MMR hoax and misleading cosmetics ads, acupuncture and homeopathy, vitamins and mankind’s vexed relationship with all manner of ‘toxins’. Along the way, the self-confessed ‘Johnny Ball cum Witchfinder General’ performs a successful detox on a Barbie doll, sees his dead cat become a certified nutritionist and probes the supposed medical qualifications of ‘Dr’ Gillian McKeith.Full spleen and satire, Ben Goldacre takes us on a hilarious, invigorating and ultimately alarming journey through the bad science we are fed daily by hacks and quacks.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I’m a retired researcher who specialized in decision-making, particularly the many ways in which human decision-makers depart from rationality, so I’m familiar with much of what Goldacre describes. Most of the examples and publications he cites, however, are new to me, and I’m finding the book an interesting and very funny read.I’ve already chased down several of the references (both articles and books) he cites, and am looking forward to consuming them. So far, my favorite quote is “You cannot reason people out of positions they didn’t reason themselves into.” Remember this the next time you’re tempted to argue with someone who holds views based on pseudoscience: you might as well argue with a tree (Ents not included).I wish I could go inside the minds of some of the negative reviewers to validate a theory I have — namely, that they have either (a) not read the book (as one of them openly admits) or (b) had one of their sacred cows butchered by Goldacre.

⭐I just finished reading Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, and it’s the most important book I’ve read in a long time. It’s not a thriller, it’s a nonfiction work of popular science. But that description doesn’t do this book justice. Bad Science has the power to change the world (for the better), if people would read it carefully and with an open mind. It rails against the anti-science winds sweeping our culture, and more importantly, empowers ordinary people of reasonable intelligence to think like scientists and protect themselves from so much unscientific claptrap dressed up as science that is for sale, is on the Internet, and even in respectable media such as newspapers.In fact, I believe Bad Science should be a mandatory part of all high school science curricula, or at the very least, required reading for all medical students (who in my experience are as vulnerable to pseudoscience as other people). Heck, whoever you are, if you haven’t read this book, you need to.Ben Goldacre is a brainy muckraker who, with acerbic wit and unassailable accuracy, attacks anti-scientific BS and clearly explains how it cloaks itself in a scientific aura, and how it’s wrong. The beautiful thing is, you don’t have to be a scientist or even a particularly scientifically literate person to understand. Anybody with a brain can detect BS if given the proper tools.Goldacre’s targets cover the spectrum from “quacks, hacks” to “big pharma flacks”. He lays bare the alternative realities in which live detox treatments, ear candling, anti-aging cosmetics, homeopathy, diet experts, antioxidants, pharmaceutical companies with large advertising budgets, vaccine opponents, and most frightening of all, people who oppose antiretroviral therapy for AIDS and argue that HIV does not cause this disease.In my opinion, the author is utterly fair in his arguments. But he is not always nice. (Is there a reason why he should be?) Ben Goldacre is my new hero, slaying dragons of ignorance and going head-to-head in intellectual combat with some of the most hysterically irrational elements in society today.Along the way as you read this entertaining book, you’ll learn what you need to know about clinical trials, about the power and limitations of statistics, and about how to think critically, to become a little Ben Goldacre yourself.My favorite quote from the book is one of the best science quotes of all time:The plural of “anecdote” is not “data”.

⭐I bought this book knowing I would probably agree with it. Turns out I was right.Detox baths, ear candling, Brain Gym, homeopathy, the MMR scare, nutritionists, moisturisers, vitamin supplements, pharmaceutical companies – they are all myths that are deftly and humorously deconstructed by physician and professional skeptic Ben Goldacre. Most importantly, he presents facts – quotes peer-reviewed papers, looks behind the news reports, reasons on the evidence. The chapter on how big pharma distort the data from clinical studies is worth the price of admission alone. It’s easy to read, but it probably helps if you have a background of some sort in the sciences.However.Despite any protestations to the contrary, don’t ever think Ben Goldacre cares overly much about the people whose myths he gleefully deconstructs. Referring to things that are untrue as a ‘vast empire of nonsense’, ‘hocus pocus’ (Brain Gym), ‘gobbledegook’ (homeopathic remedies) tells me the author doesn’t have an entirely objective view. Neither does casting doubt on the intelligence of members of a profession: apparently, nutritionists ‘lack the intellectual horsepower to be fairly derided as liars’, and journalists that sensationalise news reports are are `intellectually offended by how hard they find science’ and therefore ‘resentful’ of not being part of the progress of science. There is a fair dollop of intellectual snobbery throughout the book.Skepticism is fine, even healthy to a point. It’s foolish to swallow everything you hear. But hard-nosed skeptics usually have more faith than they care to admit – and Ben Goldacre has an almost evangelical faith in evidence-based medicine.Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book. And it certainly confirmed some suspicions. I just worry about how Ben Goldacre’s unrelenting skepticism has coloured his interpretations of the facts. In the end, books like these really only polarise people into opposing groups. I wish the author was more interested in dignifying the uninformed than bashing people with logic.

⭐This book comes highly recommended and appears to challenge some myths which is always a good thing. There are 370 pages split into 16 chapters, each tackling a specific health claim.The book was published in 2008 and the UK has moved a long way since then. The vote to leave Europe seemed to show the public’s weariness with experts and scientists whereas the rigorous “following the science” approach to tackling the COVID 19 outbreak very much seems to point to experts being back in favour.Some chapters are still very relevant (Homeopathy and Bad Stats as examples) but others have completely lost their relevance (Brain Gym and Dr Gillian McKeith). Unsurprisingly I found myself absorbed completely by some chapters and so bored I skimmed through others.There are many valid points in the book but I became worn down by the author’s relentlessly disenchanted view of the world. The purpose of the book is to challenge but the constantly negative style that develops in hard work to read.About halfway through I started to tire of the author’s ranting but stuck with it as there are still many valid points that he makes. To make the book more engaging it needed a lighter touch at some points.I thought I would be entertained and informed by this book and generally I was but there were lots of times when I was bored and just wanted to skip to the next chapter.

⭐This is one of the most interesting, engaging, informative. horizon broadening books and disturbing books I’ve ever read. Some of his observations beggar belief, until you do your own research and discover for yourself the accuracy of his exposure of the almost unbelievably outlandish individuals, companies and practices covered. From individuals to huge companies, no quackery is safe from his academic laser gun. He doesn’t mince his words either. He goes into some depth with regard to scientific method, data and research, but there is not enough room in such a book for all the evidence – you’ll find it on his website (badscience.net). This book is very bad news for fake medics, questionable researchers, big pharma, journalists, miracle pill manufacturers, etc. and it is no wonder that he is hated and feared by so many in the world of both alternative and mainstream ‘medicine’.The poor reviews are excellent evidence for just how controversial and challenging this book is.N.B. There is a huge amount to take in and understand, so read it twice and you’ll get even more out of it.

⭐When I was contemplating buying this (on the recommendation of a friend) I was baffled by the polar opposite reviews for it.Bad Science looks at the scientific method for research (not as boring as it sounds) and gives concrete examples of when it has gone wrong. Obviously this doesn’t win Goldacre any friends, but he is quick to point out that the examples given are not intended with malice, they are chosen from the many he could have picked.He also takes apart Homeopathy (which I think is why there are so many negative reviews) by showing that the trials performed are flawed. He points out some of the absurdities of Homeopaths and guides a reader clearly to seeing that the ideas are nonsense. If you’re a big fan of Homeopathy or other alternative therapies, you will probably hate what he has to say.Most interesting is the discussion of Placebo medicine and also how a person’s beliefs can influence the outcomes. It’s made me far more aware that a lot of the time, the pills I take are probably doing nothing for me, but my belief in them stops the issue. That to me is no bad thing!My copy has bookmarks stuck in it everywhere with things I want to follow up and find out more about.A profoundly interesting book, that you may well find yourself pushing onto friends and family.

⭐Bad Science is a book that is fascinating and depressing in equal measure. It is fascinating to see how effective the placebo effect is. The minds ability to affect the body is miraculous. It also goes a long way to explain how some of this hokum has lived so long. I mean, take homoeopathy. We all know it is absolute nonsense, but when it is explained how little of the ‘active ingredient’ is in it, wow, it’s a game-changer!The depressing part comes from how certain (read most) media institutions distort the truth with devastating effect. Whether they do this for the sake of balance, sheer laziness or more often out of desperation to make something into a story, the impact is the same. Some scumbag makes a fortune while other people suffer. See pro-plague MMR people selling magic fairy dust while these terrible diseases, which were practically extinct, make a comeback. Grr, it makes my blood boil.The author does a decent job of keeping the dry statistics and scientific method to a minimum and making them as interesting as possible. That said, the meaning comes through loud and clear. Engage your brain before believing anything you read, and if in doubt, do some digging before clicking share, and the world will be a better place.

⭐I wrote an early, fairly critical, review of this book when I’d read about a quarter of it, as at the beginning of the book, the author tended to labour the same point over & over again, so losing my interest. A classic example is the chapter on homeopathy in which he repeats multiple times that homeopathy is no better than placebos. The start of the book is also written in slightly too technical language, so can be hard to follow at times. As an example, he regularly used the word canard, which means, as I discovered, an unfounded rumour – how many of us actually use this word in everyday life ?! However, I then felt the book improved significantly from the chapter on quack Gillian McKeith (which is very funny) onwards.Having said all that, the book is rather technically written, so difficult for most people to understand, and a pretty niche subject, so likely to have limited appeal.

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