The New Celebrity Scientists: Out of the Lab and into the Limelight

by Declan Fahy

A new cultural icon strode the world stage at the turn of the twenty-first the celebrity scientist, as comfortable in Vanity Fair and Vogue as Smithsonian. Declan Fahy profiles eight of these eloquent, controversial, and compelling sellers of science to investigate how they achieved celebrity in the United States and internationally—and explores how their ideas influence our understanding of the world.

Fahy traces the career trajectories of Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawking, Steven Pinker, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Greene, Stephen Jay Gould, Susan Greenfield, and James Lovelock. He demonstrates how each scientist embraced the power of promotion and popularization to stimulate thinking, impact policy, influence research, drive controversies, and mobilize social movements. He also considers critical claims that they speak beyond their expertise and for personal gain. The result is a fascinating look into how celebrity scientists help determine what it means to be human, the nature of reality, and how to prepare for society’s uncertain future.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 6, 2015

Reviews

[Douglas Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author did a great job compiling a lot of material about all those celebrity scientists. Very rich in content. Engaging.

[Melissa Embry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, a science book for nonscientists. Irish journalist Declan Fahy's brief biographies of eight scientists as famous (or more so) for their public lives as their research is a timely reminder of how science works in the real world. I'd started to take for granted the ability to generate funding plays in current scientific research. As Fahy points out, ". . . celebrity scientists are emblems of a new era of science. . . who influence the public understanding of science and the future direction of society and the inner workings of science." These "public intellectuals" are by no means limited to those (mostly still living) British and American scientists he chooses to list: Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker, the late Stephen Jay Gould, Susan Greenfield, James Lovelock, Brian Greene, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Nor did the late 20th century invent the concept of scientists as celebrities, which Fahy traces back at least to Charles Darwin, but the growing number of media outlets and a burgeoning cult of celebrity feeds the phenomenon. Is science helped or hindered by scientists who dress like rock stars, appear on TV comedies such as The Big Bang Theory, or flaunt their femininity? No matter. They're here, and here to stay.

My only quibble with Fahy's book is his making of the same point over and over. Yes, I liked his comparison and contrast of each successive scientist with his (or her) fellows, but didn't need to hear the same points repeated with each biography as well as in his too-lengthy final summing up. All in all, though, a good review (or introduction) to an amazing group of people, and a list of their own works to add to my reading list.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not complimentary about Hawking or Dawkins. Makes a good point: If you are a celebrity, e.g. Carl Sagan, no one in the world of science will take you seriously. Especially if your primary goal is to make money from book sales.