The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning

by Peter J. Hotez

Dr. Peter Hotez discusses how an anti-vaccine movement became a dangerous political campaign promoted by elected officials and amplified by news media, causing thousands of American deaths.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, one renowned scientist, in his famous bowtie, appeared daily on major news networks. Dr. Peter J. Hotez often went without sleep, working around the clock to develop a nonprofit COVID-19 vaccine and to keep the public informed. During that time, he was one of the most trusted voices on the pandemic and was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his selfless work. He also became one of the main targets of anti-science rhetoric that gained traction through conservative news media.

In this eyewitness story of how the anti-vaccine movement grew into a dangerous and prominent anti-science element in American politics, Hotez describes the devastating impacts it has had on Americans' health and lives. As a scientist who has endured antagonism from anti-vaxxers and been at the forefront of both essential scientific discovery and advocacy, Hotez is uniquely qualified to tell this story. By weaving his personal experiences with information on how the anti-vaccine movement became a tool of far-right political figures around the world, Hotez opens readers' eyes to the dangers of anti-science. He explains how anti-science became a major societal and lethal force: In the first years of the pandemic, more than 200,000 unvaccinated Americans needlessly died despite the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines. But even as he paints a picture of the world under a shadow of aggressive ignorance, Hotez demonstrates his innate optimism, offering solutions for how to combat science denial and save lives in the process.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Politics, Audiobook, Medicine, History, Health

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2023

About the author

Peter J. Hotez is an American scientist, pediatrician, and advocate in the fields of global health, vaccinology, and neglected tropical disease control. He serves as founding dean and chief of the Baylor College of Medicine National School of Tropical Medicine in the Department of pediatrics and holds the Texas Children's Hospital Endowed Chair in Tropical Pediatrics.

Reviews

[Emily May]

The COVID-19 pandemic is only the beginning. Anti-science has become a new normal that threatens American democratic principles and our way of life.

I appreciate the effort here and the important work Hotez is doing, both as a scientist and as someone trying to reach across political divides to halt the spread of anti-vax/anti-science conspiracies, but parts of this were really dry and difficult to get through.

I was interested in what the author had to say about the way authoritarian regimes have historically waged war against scientists, and the parallels he draws between the use of misinformation by the modern right (primarily in the US, but not always) and similar campaigns by the Soviet Union and Nazi Party. Other parts of the book were less interesting and felt like a rehash of what left-wing media has been writing about for years now.

Similarly, while I do understand why Hotez was keen to drive home the point that scientists are under attack, his doing so became tediously repetitious.

[Beauregard Bottomley · Rating 2 out of 5]

MAGA followers live in their own reality that is not shared by me. They are not anti-science since they don’t acknowledge the existence of science. They embrace non-falsifiable hypothesis (pseudo-science) because it serves their purposes, makes them feel happy, and gives them meaning. Ignorant dumb-asses (know-nothings) have always been part of America. The ante-bellum southerners had certainty that Africans weren’t a legitimate part of humanity because it served their purpose. They did not need Fox News to tell them that, they had their churches asserting that and their way-of-live was dependent on that false belief.

Trump is delusional and his followers make it part of their illusion. Trump needs them as much as they need him. Trump is not a magician that Svengali’s them. They are willful know-nothings. Even Cassidy Hutchinson in her book never quite understood it’s about the feelings that gives their live meaning, she mentioned as a given that Trump feelings were hurt when it was leaked that he didn’t care about the soldiers. Hutchinson never understood that appearance is not reality and that feelings shown might be fake. Trump and his MAGA morons are in on the illusion because their feelings give them their false reality. Hotez’s one significant fact from this book that vaccine denialism cost 200,000 American lives is true, but unfortunately MAGA morons don’t care about facts, since they prefer non-falsifiable hypothesis. It’s not because Fox News tells them, or the Russians manipulate them or Trump says it is so, there always has been willfully ignorant Americans who would rather believe lies since otherwise their worldview would be destroyed.

They want to destroy us. Don’t give me the esoteric Hanna Arendt argument for the difference between totalitarian and authoritarians as Hotez does in this book; they want to destroy us. MAGA is anti-democratic and fascist. They believe the things they write in the comment sections of Breitbart News. They think the election was stolen, climate change is not real, and that vaccines don’t work. They hate reality because their way of life is being destroyed and they must lash out at reality by creating a false reality.

There is no rise of ‘anti-science,’ they have always embraced the pseudo-reality that will preserve their way-of-life because it makes them feel good. Tolerance is not necessary for those who want to destroy you. Hotez wants to be polite. Trump will invoke the resurrection act, fire all government workers who disagree, and terminate the constitution. Why do I say that: Trump has told us that’s what he’ll do. Kindness is not necessary for those who want to destroy us. MAGA and their enabler Fox News will destroy all values I hold dear.

Hotez is wrong to be polite. Hotez is wrong to have wasted the opportunity to not tell us things that we already didn’t know. He should have given more science. Carl Sagan’s ‘dragon in the garage’ and Betrand Russel’s ‘tea pot’ in space illustrate the true madness that the pseudoscience MAGA morons embrace. They want to destroy us and force their dying absurdities on to us.

Hotez repeats his anecdotes and this book reads as if the author wrote a series of different essays and lacked a coherence since it was repetitive. Hotez hides behind polite words such as Conservative or Republican when almost all Republicans and Conservatives are part of the cult enabled by white evangelicals, Fox News, and the willful ignorance of facts about the world. America has always had willfully ignorant people who don’t deny science since they don’t acknowledge reality or facts that would challenge their worldview, they just ignore science and this time it is different because Trump will destroy democracy if he is re-elected. Hitler in ‘Mein Kampf’ said don’t trust ‘the Jew Press,’ that only he was able to solve the carnage, and the only facts that they need are the ones he gives them. Trump created ‘fake news’, and claims the carnage is solvable by only him, and all the truth you need comes from him. I read some of my book reviews from before 2016, I shouted about the threat that Trump posed to the world and books like this one really missed an opportunity to not shout as loud as I did.

[Susan]

It never occurred to me that one day scientists in America would be subjected to politically motivated attacks or treated as public enemies for political gain or Fox News soundbites.

Dr. Peter Hotez: “This aggressive anti-vaccine movement I estimate killed up to 200,000 Americans during the Delta and BA.1 Omicron waves, after vaccines were widely available, because people refused vaccines. They went down this rabbit hole and believed elected members of Congress, the senators, members of the House of Representatives, the far-right podcasters on Fox News, and it killed people.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-far...

[Laura Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ironically, the ones who gave a one star rating are the very people this book is based on.

Peter Hotez does a wonderful job outlining the history of anti-science rhetoric, how that shaped COVID/current vaccine beliefs, and what we can do moving forward. Albeit harrowing, the information outlined in this book is an incredibly important read for anyone who regularly interacts with the public. It can certainly be dense at times, but that’s to be expected when covering this topic.

If you’re going to waste your time giving books low ratings, the very least you can do is read them first—perhaps you might even learn a thing or two 😉

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

As depressing as expected.

My major talking point: Everyone is entitled to conservative views, and in many case even extremist viewpoints, but please do not embrace vaccine refusal or other aspects of health freedom propaganda, because it will only lead to losses of human life.

An estimated 200,000 died unnecessarily because they believed more in their elected officials, Fox News, and the contrarians than they did the scientists.

So many unvaccinated Republican voters died from COVID-19 that John Nolte of the Breitbart far-right news outlet pointed out, “Right now, a countless number of Trump supporters believe they are owning the left by refusing to take a lifesaving vaccine. . . In a country where elections are decide on razor-thin margins, does it not benefit one if their poppets simply drop dead?”

A bit repetitive, but there some good data.

[Elizabeth Chadsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but I don’t know why I thought reading this would be a good plan. It made me sad and worried because I already know that this is a huge problem and I try not to think about it 🙃

[Tom Concannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book sounds an important alarm about the rise of anti-science in the United States and its devastating effects. I admire the author for speaking out against anti-vaxxers and enduring the hate he gets. I would rate this book a 5 for its extremely important message. We need many more books like this one to counter all the disinformation out there! Unfortunately, I did not think the book was written all that well; it repeated itself quite a bit from chapter to chapter and the author dropped too many names and institutes along the way. For the writing, I give the book a 3, hence my overall rating of 4 stars out of 5.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

He’s a pathetic excuse for a scientist. And so are most of his works. And so is this one. Despicable!

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had really high hopes for this book. I'm not against some of the ideas of this book, however, I had a big issue with how the author comes off. He plays the victim card with a vengeance. The amount of time he spends whining about how hard his life is because some people don't agree with him is downright embarrassing. Mr Hotez, welcome to the real world. If he thinks people on the other end of his beliefs or politics don't get threats and harassed, he is sorely mistaken. I thought that this book would be used for good, a way to help present information in a way that connects with people. Instead he is cruel, aggressive, and judgemental. I recently read a book by a doctor that said that he was taught he needs to build rapport between his patients before educating them. This base level of trust is essential. In large part, what I have garnered from those who are very vaccine hesitant, this is a huge hesitation. They didn't like being forced and when they didn't just follow the crowd and wanted more data or science, they were literally attacked. That is certainly a reason to turn someone more against something. Listen, I'm not anti-vac. My family gets them. But I am empathetic enough to not aggressively tear into someone who thinks differently than me. I would rather try to understand where they are coming from and connect there. And while this drama may have been politicized, it certainly isn't easily cut along political lines. I have many friends on both ends. Almost all of my friends on the conservative side got the vaccine. A few did not, but interestingly, I have more liberal friends that did not than conservative. Unlike the author, I'm not saying my anecdotal experience or opinion speaks for the world, but I do think that the author is a bit too set in his ways to see beyond the horizon. Then he goes on about how those who are apart of the anti Vax movement are antisemitic, while he hammers the South for being awful human beings...ironic given it is heavily populated by another minority group, so that came off extremely racist and unnecessary for me. Call me naive, but I think most people are doing their best with the information they have. Instead of ridiculing them, perhaps you should stop attacking them and listen to them and try to connect where they are. I promise you this type of attitude will never convert anyone to your beliefs. Trying to crucify someone because they think or believe differently than you and create this us versus them mentality is honestly devastating. The way he sometimes talks about people almost sounds like he doesn't feel like they are fellow humans who should be respected too. It doesn't matter if I believe what someone else does or not, I can't even justify that type of behavior. I may not agree with the people he was ridiculing, but I agree even less with his hate filled rants and constant victim card me me me mentality. Sir, you are part of the problem, not the solution. Also, for a doctor, this book is sparse on actual data or proper citations and many assertions that were based on opinions and not facts.

[Sharron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd give this book five stars just for having Charles Gaba data, among many others, but it then went on to educate me on quite a few points. It has interesting history of how scientists are treated in authoritarian countries and how that has just repeated itself in some countries. Lot of calling out Fox, but only once FL, when they've done much of what he is talking about. He does a decent job of pointing out issues with scientists and communication, but not sure changing that is enough to help at this point.

[Kim Novak (The Reading Rx) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As expected, thoroughly depressing and maddening. I liked learning more about the Soviet regime and their anti-scientist history. I’m not sure how much I learned considering my professional line of work, but I appreciated the pandemic recap as the timeline for the explosion of medical liberty and anti-vax influence has begun to blur. Funny how a bunch of right wing medical liberty folks get their guchies in a bunch over masking or vaccination for the greater good yet somehow also think it is perfectly fine to interfere with people’s body autonomy when it pertains to their reproductive health, gender identity, and sexuality when only that individual is impacted. Rather than any one belief, it’s the inconsistency that is most frustrating. They are only for medical freedom when it suits their agenda.

I do have to say that at times Dr. Hotez comes off as overplaying the victim stance a bit repetitively… though perhaps that tends to happen when you are repeatedly subjected to death threats.

[Shadira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Peter Hotez discusses how an antivaccine movement became a dangerous political campaign promoted by elected officials and amplified by news media, causing thousands of American deaths.

Shortlisted for the Non-Obvious Book Awards by the Non-Obvious Company

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, one renowned scientist, in his famous bowtie, appeared daily on major news networks such as MSNBC, NPR, the BBC, and others. Dr. Peter J. Hotez often went without sleep, working around the clock to develop a nonprofit COVID-19 vaccine and to keep the public informed. During that time, he was one of the most trusted voices on the pandemic and was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his selfless work. He also became one of the main targets of anti-science rhetoric that gained traction through conservative news media.

In this eyewitness story of how the anti-vaccine movement grew into a dangerous and prominent anti-science element in American politics, Hotez describes the devastating impacts it has had on Americans' health and lives. As a scientist who has endured antagonism from anti-vaxxers and been at the forefront of both essential scientific discovery and advocacy, Hotez is uniquely qualified to tell this story. By weaving his personal experiences together with information on how the anti-vaccine movement became a tool of far-right political figures around the world, Hotez opens readers' eyes to the dangers of anti-science. He explains how anti-science became a major societal and lethal force: in the first years of the pandemic, more than 200,000 unvaccinated Americans needlessly died despite the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines. Even as he paints a picture of the world under a shadow of aggressive ignorance, Hotez demonstrates his innate optimism, offering solutions for how to combat science denial and save lives in the process.

[Victoria Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very heavy on the anti-Covid vaxers and a little bit of information on anti-vax for other vaccines and autism. I really feel for vaccination scientists during Covid (and even now) - it did not sound very easy. Some good information about vaccinations and political opinions though generally lots of information I already knew. I did find the scientist’s perspective interesting as well as his account of his experience during the pandemic and involvement with the widespread supply of Covid vaccines. Not sure if I would recommend but an interesting read for sure!

[Roser · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pura propaganda imperialista!! ¿A quién no le iba a gustar?

Vull aclarir que ni estic en contra de la ciència (ni de les vacunes, que es en que es centrava principalment el llibre). Sóc zero conspiranoica. M'he llegit el llibre perquè pense que l'anticientifisme és un problema xungo. La pena és que el llibre és terrible. Millor dit: BASURA.

Primera: és un currículum glorificat. El problema de l'anticientifisme no l'explica ni l'analitza holisticament. Ni busca causes. Sí que puc assegurar-te que quan acabes el llibre el currículum de l'escriptor (conferéncies amb Bush, candidat a un premi Nòbel) te'l sabràs de pe a pa. Llegint el llibre pensaries que és la persona més important del planeta.

Segona: sabíeu que l'únic país del món són els Estats Units? Si se sent generós i vol aportar una visió un poc més global clavarà la frase de -atenció-: estats units i CANADÀ. UOOOOOOOH.

Tercera: algunes persones deurien de fer-se mirar l'obsessió que tenen amb Rússia, l'URSS i la Xina.
*Contant coses que passen ara al seu país (com atacs als científics)* Just like in the URSS in 1960. Ok? OOOOK? i...? Le dijo la sartén al cazo. De verés.
També: que Putin, Bolsonaro i Orbán, líders autoritaris, van promoure desinformació sobre les vacunes del Covid, van fer callar les veus crítiques, van mentir sobre l'ús de la hidroxicloroquina. Clar, que es podia esperar de països autoritaris i retardats. De Trump, que va fer exactament el mateix, ni 1 paraula, no? VAJA.

Quarta: que pesat en el tema de les vacunes. hi ha ciència més enllà de les vacunes? El canvi climàtic i el seu negacionisme que són? Una broma per a tu? El títol del llibre és publicitat enganyosa. Deuria haver-se dit: las vacunas y yo.

Quinta: a més de tot açò, ha justificat tres o quatre vegades la bomba de Hiroshima/Nagasaki com a una fita necessària i una qüestió que celebrar. I les invasions militars dels EEUU igual: for the greater good.

Com he dit: pura propaganda imperialista. Quin horror de llibre. Odiar als yanquis és un imperatiu moral.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

[21 Apr 2024]
A very short and depressing analysis of the alarming rise in anti-science sentiment in the U.S. and the world. Starting with the 200,000 Americans who died of Covid-19 because they refused to get vaccinated.

The author is a well known scientist who helped to create a low cost Covid vaccine for distribution in less affluent countries. He writes pretty well, but often repeats himself. But his passion for the subject comes through clearly.

The first seven chapters were history and description of the current state of things. Most of it was old news. I'd heard it or read about it before. And it was a little dry, with lots of statistics, but no stories. The last two chapters with pleas and proposals for solutions were good, but I think could have been fleshed out somewhat.

Recommended with mild reservations.

[Rupinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting read. Dr. Hotez has been at the frontline of anti-science and anti-vaccine propaganda tsunami that ravaged thousands of lives during the COVID-19 and continues to gather more recruits. This book offers his personal account of the violent threats, bullying, and intimidation that he endured in defending scientists and their work.

The book also provides the reader with a complete chronology of events in the movement, so we get to peer into the ideology and value systems that helped birth this movement. I won't give any spoilers here, but I must say I was surprised at how far back these origins were.

While the book reads like a blow-by-account of how the whole Anti-science movement and its tentacles spread and caused mayhem, it also offers important pointers as to how Science communication needs to be made a top priority by science organizations. Finally, science organizations, science societies, and other NGOs should help scientists fend off legal threats from anti-science forces.

Dr. Hotez has already accomplished a lot by working on several vaccines (especially for poor nations) and advancing the cause of science. Here, he has provided the society and the policymakers with a detailed diagnosis of the anti-science problem as well as the treatment options. It is now our turn to heed his warning.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best new book on misinformation about health and medicine. This one zeroes in on COVID-19 misinformation, specifically on the vaccines that reduce your chances of illness, hospitalization or death. Hotez doesn’t spend time rebutting each falsehood in this book- his appearances and articles have done that. Hotez looks at the misinformation as a whole, and shines a light on the people spreading it, and the people funding it. He examines how anti-COVID misinformation has been absorbed by a political party, to the point that even those Republicans who are still fact-based are too afraid of primaries to speak out. (I could say something about how extreme political gerrymandering makes honest politicians vulnerable to crazies, but I won’t)

Great book. Easy to read, and Hotez’s unequivocal support for evidence-based medicine is wonderful in a world of wafflers and “both-sides” rhetoric.

[Susan M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have known the author as a fellow scientist for decades and his passion and commitment to help all people is real. You can hear his frustration when anti-science forces make it increasingly difficult for people to lead long and healthy lives. He does a great job of pulling together a compelling case for why we should care about this (we should!), but struggles a bit more with solutions to the growing problem of misinformation and anti-science. I have seen the anti-science efforts scaling up (including by members of Congress) in recent years and share his concerns.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grim and frustrating reading, given the subject matter, however very well articulated and paced to explain the issues and actions that should be adopted to reduce scientific disinformation. The political approach is the focus here but I think the book could also have examined the anti-vaccination and and science lifestyle influencer evolution here too as a notable subset.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a little repetitive and disorganized, this book was generally a good overview of anti-vaccine sentiment and how it affects both society as a whole and scientists personally. Hotez did a good job of examining the political influences but I agree with another reviewer that he completely left out how religion itself can often sway people’s beliefs on the validity of vaccines.

[Brett Rohlwing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is is yet another sign of how far our political and scientific literacy have fallen in recent years. It's a bit dry and repetitive at times, but we need Dr. Hotez and others like him to keep speaking out fearlessly lest we lose all sense of reason and logic in our society.

[Victor Soupene · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many things to say about this book. I empathize with hotez for the threats he has received simply for doing his job. I think he is a great advocate for science and other scientists. I also agree that we cannot hide within the ivory tower and must engage with the public to prevent anti-science sentiment. However, I think it is still unclear what the next steps are and hotez only provides general ideas at best of how to engage with anti science. I’m eager to follow him more as our landscape for public health is rapidly changing (mostly for the worse). Otherwise, a needed call to action

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic and eye opening read to the horrors of the anti-science movement. This is a tragically widespread issue that has stalled many great works and steps forward in science and as a people. The anti-vaccination, anti-science movement and defamatory and inflammatory rhetoric being expelled by extremists has plunged our entire society into a health crisis labeled as impending on freedoms. Science and scientific opinions often change, but today science is always looking towards the best interest of the world. Science is complicated but more often than not it is more right than wrong. Peter Hotez does a phenomenal job explaining and articulating the history, current events, and future of science in a rapidly growing anti-science worldview.

[Cole Schoolland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hotez shares his personal experience of being on the forfont of anti-science movements in the US. His involvement with Autism, vaccines, and Covid put him in the crosshairs of several groups and he has chosen not to be silent about his experience despite mounting threats to his (and his family's) safety.

An important read, but I feel like this is just scratching the surface of the "contrarian" anti-science movement that is now peaking in the United States.

[Sylvan Banes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but became a bit repetitive.

[Arianne X · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Unmentionables

This is an example of a book review that cannot posted on Amazon. It will be interesting to see how long it will last here. My critique as follows notwithstanding, I still admire Dr. Hotez (and Dr. Fauci) and strongly recommend this book. It is non-technical and easily readable.

The Unmentionable Source of the Anti-Science:

In a word, Christianity. Throughout the books first seven chapters, Dr. Hotez says it in every other possible way, but he never calls out the true source of willful ignorance, conspiracy theories and disinformation which is Christian fundamentalist true belief and Bible literalism. These people are constantly mislabeled as conservatives, Republicans, uneducated, anti-intellectual, rural, right-wing, and Trump supports. Religious beliefs are mislabeled as ‘core values’. It is true that most fundamentalist and evangelical Christians are conservatives and/or Republicans, uneducated, anti-intellectual, rural, right-wing, and Trump supporters, but it is the Christianity which is the common underlying factor for these groups as well as the primary source of willful ignorance, not the conservativism or Republicanism as odious as those can be in many other respects. Dr. Hotez points out how anti-science runs along a partisan divide but is reticent to mention that it also runs along a religious divide. It is only and finally in the last chapter that Dr. Hotez at least acknowledges the problems in “Afghanistan and Pakistan – both Muslim-majority nations” and with “Orthodox Jewish groups in New York” as well as “some Evangelical Christian groups” generally being anti-science. He classifies religion as an additional driver of anti-science alongside of politics, as a secondary driver or as almost an afterthought, whereas I see it as the fundamental driver upon which politics and social attitudes are derivative. The religious groups are not merely allied with the political extremists as Dr. Hotez tells us, the religious groups are the drivers of the political extremists in my opinion. For example, the overturning of the rights and protections provided by Roe v Wade, the teaching of creationism, and the anti-LGBQT crusade are comorbidities of religion which fit in well with the aggressive religious anti-science agenda.

Dr. Hotez has found it difficult to uncouple anti-science from political extremism. I have found it difficult, if not impossible, to uncouple anti-science from religious extremism. This is because the religious beliefs provide the basis for the political beliefs. Maybe Dr. Hotez feels that he cannot call out Christian fundamentalists and Bible literalists more fully or explicitly because he is Jewish and would appear to be bigoted against Christians. Or possibly, Dr. Hotez, as a working scientist and academic, trying to positively raise awareness of the benefits of modern medicine and evidenced based science, feels he will alienate a vast portion of the public he is trying to reach and bring undue criticism upon the institutions with which he is associated. I of course have no such concerns. A person who can believe in God can believe anything no matter how absurd because there is nothing more absurd than evidence free religious belief, especially in Christianly and Islam but Christianity is the fundamental source of the anti-science aggression in the U.S. As Dr. Hotez even admits, he receives most of his threatening emails messages and Tweets on Sunday. Just a coincidence? Perhaps. But Sunday is also the Christian holy day so what better day than Sunday to launch into a holy crusade against a Jewish doctor/scientist trying to work for the benefit of humanity? Evidence that religious belief plays a pivotal role in vaccine acceptance and rejection rates is documented by Dr. Hotez in the fact that Covid vaccine acceptance greatly improved in the African-American community only after Black pastors became involved and started prompting the vaccine from the pulpit. The same is true in reverse for white fundamentalist preachers. Also, as with all religious fundamentalism, this is not just a uniquely American or national problem. Slowing, impeding and halting scientific progress is a hallmark of religious fundamentalism worldwide and throughout recorded history. At risk now is medical research in other cutting-edge areas of medicine such as gene editing, stem cell, and neuroscience etc. Knowledge, progress, science and advancement (scientific or social) is dangerous to fundamental religious beliefs. Religious believers have a natural resentment against that which their beliefs cannot explain. Ironically, Dr. Hotez says “…it is impossible to talk about it without talking about it…” by this he means the politics, which is difficult enough, not the religion, which is nearly impossible.

When there is freedom of religion all freedoms are in danger. Of course, there is also fetish conservatism, far right extremism, and exaggerated libertarianism, all magnified by the dysfunction in the U.S. political system, but Christian fundamentalism and Bible literalism is the common source for all these fact free bigots. Dr. Hotez identifies the anti-science politics as strongest in Texas and the southern U.S. states without ever pointing out that this is the Bible Belt. He refers to “something terrible” which “has happened to broaden and intensify public rejection of vaccines and other biomedical innovations in the United States…” this is Christian fundamentalism and evangelicalism with Bible literalism, but this is my inference not the author’s. I believe the anti-science feature of far-right authoritarianism comes from religious fundamentalism. Anti-science leaders, groups and individuals employ threats and bullying tactics just as Christians do and as I have experienced first-hand. Dr. Hotez speaks about how the CDC and DHHS are reluctant to challenge the anti-vaccine movement. I believe this is the case because it is a fundamentally religious (Christian) movement, and government agencies do not want to be seen as offending religious beliefs even though those religious beliefs are themselves offensive to reason and dangerous to health. The agencies seem to think that pushback would only empower the anti-vaccine movement which only means they misunderstand it; it is a religious calling.

The fundamental troubling driver (religious beliefs) of anti-science aggression is also a method of forming cultural values, social attitudes, a way of life, a source of identity and a sense of community. In such cases, with such stakes, no compromise is possible. This is why anti-science aggression will not end. The epidemic of anti-science aggression may prove to be more lethal than any natural pandemic. The new brand of muscular Christianity is also very authoritarian and anti-science aggression has always been a feature of authoritarian regimes. I do like how Dr. Hotez connects the dots between anti-science ignorance with other conspiracy theories, QAnon, anti-Semitism, white supremacy as well as Russian disinformation efforts and other far right extremist views in politics. I just wish he would have made the final connection to Bible belief, fundamentalist Christianity and evangelicalism which is the belief system providing the ultimate and underlying metaphysical justification to be anti-science. It is not just an ancillary cause among many. This is why it will be nearly impossible to combat, it is tied to religion which distorts rational thinking and natural moral sensibilities.

Misunderstanding Freedom and Rights:

Dr. Hotez does not explain it in this way, but I would not him expect to do so, he is a doctor, not a philosopher or political scientist.

Two basic Concepts of Personal Rights

Individual Liberty: When individual rights are based upon an atomistic existence and a purely individualist view of human experience, or personal religious salvation and deliverance, the derivative rights which follow are thought of as purely singular personal rights. This is framed as personal choice, health freedom or medical freedom. Any other conception of rights other than as individual rights becomes unthinkable and falls outside of reality itself and is well, un-American which is worse. Ironically, this becomes the freedom to engage in medical quackery, but this is beside the point. The dark side of this individualist view is that one obtains the right to put the health and lives of other people at risk with the individual right to make a personal choice not to get vaccinated. This is framed as the libertarian right of “vaccine choice”.

Social Solidarity: Alternatively, personal rights derived from social soldiery or based on social bonds requiring each person who can do so, receive a vaccination. This at first seems contrary to personal rights but actually enhances the liberty of every individual by allowing them to engage with other people and participate in social life risk free or with much reduced risk and less fear. The freedom of individuals to move about and congregate is restored with a vaccine mandate. There is no longer a contradiction between individual liberty and social solidarity. There is a false belief that the requirements of human society are constraining on the individual but in truth, social solidarity is empowering. Deontic powers such as rights, duties, obligations thus arise. This is what holds human society together. In terms of personal rights, we must remember that given the organic nature and interlocking network that is human society, there is little if any action which we can take as individuals that does not affect someone else. Individual liberty only has value within a social structure which by definition limits individual liberty. The only way to grow and flourish as an individual is from the roots of social embeddedness. The alternative is chaos and anarchy as we see being played out in real time at the writing of this review.

Rethinking Illness:

My Synthesis: The individualist conception of rights results in mis-framing a public health issue as a personal rights issue. A pandemic is by definition a collective, not an individual problem. It requires thinking of illness in a different manner, as a community malady and not simply as the sickness of an individual. It requires a change in perspective. Disease is more effectively prevented by thinking of it in terms of containment and transmission rather than as simply an individual illness to be treated. Understanding the macro trends in disease and mortality patterns is the most effective way of keeping individuals healthy rather than simply treating diseases in individuals. For example, cholera was halted in the nineteenth century with an updated sewer system (a public investment), not improved medical care. Another example is refrigeration to eliminate the health hazards caused by spoilage. Simply stated, diseases such as Covid are more easily prevented than treated but this is still not understood by the anti-expert, anti-science, anti-vax, anti-intellectual public. Rights based purely on individualism creates a well-crafted but false narrative. Thinking in terms of community benefits instead of personal rights is an alien way of thinking for many people and not even possible in a completely individualistic or atomistic rights paradigm based on personal salvation.

Ironically, with the weakening and collapse of so many external social structures of authority and institutions, many of the moral and ethical constraints upon individuals are now seen as intolerable and unjustified. External social structures of authority have been replaced by the internal subjective authority of the ‘self’ and this reinforces the anti-science mindset about which Dr. Hotez so eloquently and effectively writes and warns.

An Odd and Troubling Reference turns Ironic

P. 3, To wit: “Scientists shaped our nation’s destiny through a successful Manhattan Project to defeat fascism in World War II.” This gave me pause. First, WWII fascism is usually taken to mean Nazi Germany. It is true that the Manhattan Project was inaugurated to beat the Germans in the race to develop the atomic bomb, but Germany was defeated without the use of the atomic bomb and without regard to the Manhattan Project. The atomic bomb was used, and I would argue needlessly, against Japan. Given that it was used against civilian population centers with hideously cruel and horrific results which included long-term health effects, illness and cancer for several generations, I find it odd that a medical doctor and scientist with the ethics and moral compass of Dr. Hotez, with his dedication to saving lives and improving health, would offer the Manhattan Project as a proud accomplishment of modern science. If anything, the atomic bomb demonstrates the dark side of science and of how scientific advances can be misused to destroy life and health on a hitherto unmanageable scale with unprecedented horror. With this, science became less certain and certainly no longer a certain force for human progress given the use of the atomic bomb to massacre people at an unprecedented level of horrifying cruelty and modern efficiency. Ironically, this vaulted scientific achievement might be part of the current anti-science mindset.

[Nicole Brito · Rating 4 out of 5]

-audiobook

[Simon MacDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda repetitive in parts.

[Kristine Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in 2023, this book examines the dramatic growth in vaccine hesitancy, disinformation, science denial, and attacks on science and scientists, primarily from well-funded conservative and far-right news media and US government officials. It’s a short book, only 161 pages (followed by 44 pages of citations!!) that packs a punch. The insights and warnings should be taken seriously and not underestimated or dismissed.

The author, Dr. Peter Hotez (MD and PhD), has devoted his life to saving lives, especially for low-income demographics, through the development of low-cost vaccines and treatments for tropical diseases and COVID. He is also a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology and the founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. He has become an expert on the spread of anti-vaccine and anti-science propaganda.

Preface
“Increasingly, the far-right extremists have adopted what I consider anti-science activism, turning it into a new form of aggression against both science and scientists (xi).” “In this book I share my fears that anti-science has become a dangerous social force that threatens both our national security and global stature as a nation renowned for its research institutions and universities (pxii).”

“In 2021-22, more than 200,000 unvaccinated Americans needlessly lost their lives to COVID-19 because they refused vaccines (pxii).”

“However, the loss of life to politicized anti-science aggression is a circumstance that we, as physician-scientists, cannot ignore (ppxiii-xiv).”

Chapter 1: An Army of Patriots Turns against the Scientists
“The aggression manifested through e-mails, tweets, phone calls to my office, and even sometimes actual physical confrontations is relatively new and accelerating at a fast clip. Increasingly, it looks as though we now face a new normal for what it means to be a biomedical scientist in America in the 2020s (p2).” “Ultimately, this such public defiance of science became a leading killer of middle-aged and older Americans, more than gun violence, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, cyberattacks or other major societal threats (p5).”

“Anti-science now threatens the future of childhood vaccination programs. Declining vaccination rates and a new ‘low-vax’ future will ensure the widespread return of ancient childhood scourges such as measles or polio (p5).”

“These activities [to reduce the spread of COVID-19] mobilized a counteroffensive [by the anti-vaccine movement] in the form of a new version of the anti-vaccine movement that cared less about autism and more about personal liberties (p14).” “Even groups linked to the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, such as Proud Boys, began promoting an anti-vaccine agenda (p15).” “High-profile conservative news outlets such as Fox News regularly amplified these [anti-science] messages (p16).” “American biomedical scientists are also under attack, and I will explain why this situation has come to resemble past attempts from authoritarian regimes in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries to portray scientists as public enemies (p21).”

Chapter 2: Health Freedom Propaganda in America
“According to the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum, in 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 was the leading cause of death among US law enforcement, with a 65% increase in these deaths from the first year to the second year of the pandemic [after vaccines were available] (p25).” “Despite a massive effort by the scientific community to debunk the vaccine and autism connection, the anti-vaccine activists or groups continue to peddle this concept (p32).” “‘Texas legislators, particularly Republicans leery of primary election opponents, began to fear electoral consequences if they were to support vaccines or oppose anti-vaccine activists and their agenda’ (p34).” “The adverse consequences of health freedom propaganda for the schoolchildren of Texas have been profound (p35).” “Anti-vaccine activism has globalized, and health freedom propaganda is now widespread in Europe and Africa. It is both potent and deadly (p40).”

Chapter 3: Red COVID
“The unique and aggressive rise in COVID-19 deaths in America mostly reflected an inability to achieve high vaccination coverage despite an abundance of vaccines (p45).”

“Somehow, low vaccination coverage and sky-high COVID-19 death rates became normalized in America (p46).”

“I believe the Black clergy stepped up in a big way to promote vaccine equity in the United States (p49).”

“The most striking finding was the strong association between vaccine hesitancy or refusal with those self-identifying as conservatives or Trump voters (p50).”

“The new reality during the Omicron wave was that getting boosted became an essential component of fending off severe illness from COVID-19, in addition to efforts to reduce virus exposure through masks and social distancing (p59).” “More Americans died from COVID-19 vaccine refusal than diabetes or Alzheimer’s disease, based on data for those conditions according to the CDC (p63).”

Chapter 4: An Anti-science Political Ecosystem
“In time, I came to believe the tremendous loss in human life from COVID-19 immunization refusal was not an accident but an orchestrated product of a networked political ecosystem of anti-science extremism (p65).” “Especially after writing Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism, I became a leading target of weaponized health communication (p69).”

“The pro-vaccine groups worked closely with the academic community to verify their statistics and claims and double-checked them to ensure that they released accurate information to the public. While this was essential and the right thing to do, it also had the downside of slowing down our responses to false assertions (pp71-72).”

“They have an outsize influence that goes beyond the borders of the states they represent and promotes a national anti-vaccine agenda, causing many Americans to eschew COVID-19 immunizations. In so doing they prioritize the misguided tenets of health freedom propaganda over the lives lost because of vaccine refusal (pp76-77).” “While elected officials at the federal and state levels did much to push a health freedom agenda, they were matched with equal fervor by the major conservative news outlets (p79).” “In 2021, Fox News, one of the most-viewed news organizations, became a powerful and influential promoter of health freedom and anti-vaccine viewpoints (p80).” “Media Matters cited Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham, two of the most viewed Fox anchors, as major disseminators of anti-vaccine disinformation (p81).”

“‘I think Fox has been almost single-handedly responsible for the politicization of public health in the US and the creation of vaccine hesitancy in a significant portion of the population. … It’s been tremendously damaging’ (p83).”

Chapter 5: A Tough Time to Be a Scientist
“As quickly as I, and other scientists, debunked their falsehoods, the anti-vaccine activists generated new ones. I explained the evidence showing there is no connection with autism and detailed the genetic and epigenetic bases of autism or their associated intellectual disabilities (p87).” “‘The practice of comparing those responsible for developing, distributing, or promoting COVID-19 vaccines to Nazis became a prominent theme during the pandemic, especially in the months following the release of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA in 2021 (p91).” “After all, I obtained my MD and PhD and worked all my life to develop lifesaving interventions for diseases of the poor. Now a segment of American society sought my public execution in a manner befitting a Nazi doctor (p92).” “Increasingly, I began to notice a connection between anti-science and anti-Semitism (p92).” “However, the examples of [threats and violence against] Drs. Fauci and Daszak point to something especially insidious, namely, attacks and threats that are either tacitly or overtly endorsed by US elected officials (pp98-99).”

Chapter 6: The Authoritarian Playbook
“Something new and unsavory was happening as the US political right became increasingly enamored of authoritarian regimes in Russia or nations from the old Soviet bloc (p106).”

“‘Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty’ (p109).”

“The enforcement of authoritarian or autocratic rule is tightly aligned with efforts to crush science and scientists, and this became especially obvious for the biomedical sciences during the pandemic. We should not expect this situation to abate even after the pandemic ends (p116).” “My worry is that the attacks against us are not random, and they certainly do not arise from grassroots, ‘mom and pop’ groups. Rather, the assault on American science and scientists from the triumvirate – conservative news outlets, far-right members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, and contrarian intellectuals or pseudo intellectual – comprise elements of an emerging far-right authoritarian that is every bit as aggressive and dangerous as what Orbán engineered in Hungary or Bolsonaro in Brazil (p116).”

“This situation creates a new expectation, as conservative candidates see opposition to science and scientists as central to their platforms (p118).”

“...the New York Times reported … on US State Department findings that Russia uses social media accounts numbering in the thousands to promote COVID-19 disinformation (p119).”

Chapter 7: The Hardest Science Communication Ever
“In addition, the loss of a caregiver during the COVID-19 pandemic now accounts for 1 in 12 orphaned children in the United States, and we already know that orphans face increased odds of poverty, dropping out of school, substance abuse, and suicide risk. In this way, COVID-19 will produce broad-reaching socioeconomic consequences for individuals, families, communities, and nations (p122).”

“Our nation’s already depleted health system now faces the prospect of managing the long-term care of millions of Americans afflicted by long COVID cardiopulmonary and renal insufficiency and neurocognitive disturbances (p123).”

“Only 46% of Republicans now favor required vaccinations for school-aged children, down from 59% the year before, and far less than the 85% of Democrats polled who supported school-required vaccinations (p124).” “Public engagement and science communication should be prioritized as a vital and essential activity for biomedical scientists (p131).”

Chapter 8: Southern Poverty Law Center for Scientists
“Extremist elements within the conservative movement embraced the central tenets of health freedom propaganda, which included reframing vaccine refusal and defiance as a core American value that prioritizes vaccine choice over public safety, touted unproven treatments, and pushed nutritional supplements to promote natural immunity as superior to supposedly toxic vaccine ingredients (p142).” “Some Evangelical Christian groups also now adopt anti-vaccine platforms, at times forming dangerous alliances with conservative or far-right groups to discourage vaccinations and other COVID-19 preventions (p146).” “Political neutrality, while desirable, may not always be possible when anti-science aggression displays such a strong partisan divide, and so many Americans lose their lives in our red states (p155).”

“A timely, strong, and robust response from the scientific community is essential. The future of scientific inquiry in the United States and globally depends on how we regroup and act (p161).”

My Conclusions
I found this book very insightful and troubling, though somewhat repetitive. I also think there’s a greater tie to white Evangelical doctrine and social circles than he articulated. White Evangelicals are the religious group least likely to be vaccinated from COVID, and this is partly driven by decades of science denial in addition to their political affiliation. While this book is still very relevant, it’s also already out of date. Many of the concerns, fears, and consequences Hetez predicted have already come to pass and are getting worse beyond imagination. Already, estimates indicate that close to 400,000 people have died in 2025 because of cuts to USAID and PEPFAR. Anti-science and anti-vaccine extremists are leading the Department of Health and are in control of vaccine approvals and recommendations in the name of health freedom. Funding for vital medical and scientific research and development has been drastically slashed. Once a national treasure, our scientific expertise and world-renowned research have been gutted, and this will result in significant human suffering.

[Chels Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science by Peter J Hotez


Is the opposite of viral…


I had really high hopes for this book. I wanted to learn about the history of anti-science, its roots through socio-economics, different countries' ways of manipulating it, or using anti-science to control certain sections of society. As well as, the genuine abuses science has done to some, that have resulted in distrust.


But alas, no.


Instead this book is an “I” book. As in Dr Peter J Hotez speaks at nauseum of HIS accomplishments, HIS efforts, HIS work, HIS thoughts/programs. And the push back he gets as a result. I don’t think he should get death threats, and he seems like a very learned and accomplished man, but I’m also not here to learn about him. I didn’t, I thought, pick up an autobiography.


The book would be 10% of its length if there were no personal or “I” paragraphs.


The other failing of this book is that it is almost exclusively about COVID and the USA. Which gets boring, because it’s nothing new. It’s lived history, there are no insights or new information. Instead it’s a book pointing and saying “look at the hypocrisy”, “look at these statistics” “look how their stupidity cost lives”. It was barely 4 years ago buddy, we remember.


This book is for anyone who wants an in-depth study into Dr Peter J Hotez, and COVID red vs blue statistics.