Every now and again you come across something you feel you have to shout about from the rooftops. Recently I've been reading Bad Science by Ben Goldacre and it is definitely in that category. In short it's a must read for everyone. If I was suddenly made Prime Minister tomorrow I would put this book on the curriculum as a compulsory text. Basically, it's a really important book.
We live in a world built and defined by scientific advancement. Science and engineering powered the industrial revolution, many people are kept alive by a cocktail of scientific discoveries and we carry technology in our pockets everywhere we go which could only be found in science fiction in the not so distant past. Therefore, isn't it important that as a society we are well informed about the innovation that powers our lives? Is it right that the media are constantly reinforcing the message that science is hard? I think that it is almost impossible to make a viable argument that it is a good thing to have a public who aren't engaged in one of the most important cornerstones of their daily lives.
However, I digress. What is Bad Science about? What is it that defines it as a really important read? Bad Science is basically a guidebook to help people see the real science behind the fluff we are often presented with in the media. When did you last see a newspaper story claiming food X will prevent cancer? I'd guess it was pretty recently, and often journalists overstate the effectiveness of these sorts of studies. It's unfortunate, but in order to produce more exciting column inches and sell papers huge sweeping statements are much more appealing than working through the minutia of a piece of research. If you'd like to cut through this kind of hype and see the truth in science stories, then Bad Science is the book for you. It does a really great job of giving us a tool kit to try and see through the spin, advertising and news coverage into the heart of what's actually going on. By using case studies Goldacre looks at various fields from the tablets that make you smarter, to homoeopathy and the unfounded MMR scare. Don't worry this isn't a stuffy textbook; Bad Science is well written with a great sense of humour. However, no amount of humour can cover up the often concerning nature of the material Goldacre addresses. For example, from the book I learnt that the experts chosen and quoted by the media, might not be quite so expert after all and, even more worryingly, health scares tend to be reported on by non specialist correspondents. I'll certainly be bearing these points in mind when the next big scare comes along.
To me, the key thing that makes Bad Science great is its accessibility. You don't need any prior knowledge of science or journalism to enjoy it. In many ways it simply tells us that science is for everyone, and that with a bit of thought you can see through the journalistic haze right into the heart of an issue. One of my favourite aspects of the book was how it looked at the placebo effect in quite a lot of detail, and I now want to find out more about how our mind and body can be influence each other.
Bad Science isn't perfect. There are times when Goldacre talks about a subject and I found myself thinking "Yes that would be great in an ideal world, but is that achievable?". I also think that there are some issues with the "Bad Stats" chapter as there seems to be a skirting of experimental error (on which I have made my views clear in the past). However, as a window into the world of journalism and why so many people get swept up in bogus claims about wonder cures, it is brilliant. I will most definitely be getting myself a copy of Bad Pharma, the follow up to Bad Science which focuses on the pharmaceutical industry, very soon. So, do yourself a favour and get reading!
Bad Science is published by 4th Estate in paperback and has an RRP of £8.99. At the time of writing it could be found online for around £6.50 or as an ebook for under £4.
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