Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future

by Donald R. Prothero, Michael Shermer (Foreword), Pat Linse (Illustrator)

The battles over evolution, climate change, childhood vaccinations, and the causes of AIDS, alternative medicine, oil shortages, population growth, and the place of science in our country—all are reaching a fevered pitch. Many people and institutions have exerted enormous efforts to misrepresent or flatly deny demonstrable scientific reality to protect their nonscientific ideology, their power, or their bottom line. To shed light on this darkness, Donald R. Prothero explains the scientific process and why society has come to rely on science not only to provide a better life but also to reach verifiable truths no other method can obtain. He describes how major scientific ideas that are accepted by the entire scientific community (evolution, anthropogenic global warming, vaccination, the HIV cause of AIDS, and others) have been attacked with totally unscientific arguments and methods. Prothero argues that science deniers pose a serious threat to society, as their attempts to subvert the truth have resulted in widespread scientific ignorance, increased risk of global catastrophes, and deaths due to the spread of diseases that could have been prevented.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Philosophy, History, Politics, Evolution, Skepticism

390 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Donald R. Prothero is a Professor of Geology at Occidental College and Lecturer in Geobiology at the California Institute of Technology. He teaches Physical and Historical Geology, Sedimentary Geology, and Paleontology. His specialties are mammalian paleontology and magnetic stratigraphy of the Cenozoic. His current research focuses on the dating of the climatic changes that occurred between 30 and 40 million years ago, using the technique of magnetic stratigraphy. Dr. Prothero has been a Guggenheim and NSF Fellow, a Fellow of the Linnean Society, and in 1991 received the Schuchert Award of the Paleontological Society for outstanding paleontologist under the age of 40, the same award won by the renowned paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. He has authored or co-edited numerous books, including Horns, Tusks, Hooves and Flippers: The Evolution of Hoofed Mammals, the best-selling textbook from McGraw-Hill, Evolution of the Earth, Evolution: What the Fossils Say & Why it Matters, Bringing Fossils to Life, After the Dinosaurs, and the textbook Sedimentary Geology. He is also a Technical Editor of the Journal of Paleontology.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

REVIEW OF THE KINDLE EDITION

So why would I even consider rating Donald R. Prothero's Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future with only two stars when I actually and indeed absolutely do strongly agree with not only his thesis statement (that science deniers are definitely majorly threatening the earth's future) but also and equally with basically EVERYTHING that Prothero thematically and content-wise is presenting? And my answer as to why Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future has only been a two star reading experience for me (and in fact a rather grudging two stars at that) is basically threefold (and also posted with very much personal and massive frustration, and yes, righteous anger).

For one, (and also the main reason for my reading annoyance) is simply but precisely that I absolutely cannot AT ALL handle and stomach Donald R. Prothero's textual arrogance and his often nasty and a times even quite vicious asides. Yes, I am and very much like Prothero also and utterly frustrated with and by science deniers (and do absolutely and totally consider them a huge and problematic globally significant threat and danger both environmentally and of course also politically). However, when I was reading Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future, Donald R. Prothero's writing style and his unrelenting verbal arrogance and fury, not only did this feel increasingly uncomfortable and more and more massively grating the further I proceeded with my perusal of Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future (as well as insulting to not only science deniers but basically to seemingly everyone), I am sorry, but tone of narrative voice wise, Prothero's attitude, his negativity and heavy-handedness, they actually (if not content wise then at least general attitude wise) totally and sadly remind me of the radicalism and the reactionary words and rantings of those same (usually extreme right-wing) science deniers whom he, whom Prothero supposedly despises so much and is trying to discredit (and to such an extent was and remains my level of discomfort reading Donald R. Prothero's printed words and his rantings and ravings that I did in fact have to skim over much of Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future so as not to become totally disenchanted and ready to abandon ship so to speak).

And for two (and yes, pretty much also rather totally linked to the above but necessary all the same and in my opinion to point out separately), if Donald R. Prothero really and truly believes that his negativity and his arrogant nastiness in Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future are going to in any way convince science deniers to change the errors of their ways and to move to his camp, to his way of thinking, then he is at best massively naive and obviously has no idea that you actually do catch more flies with honey, that insults are NOT going to make science deniers become science supporters, but probably rather the opposite. And indeed, for me, as part of the so-called choir so to speak, as someone who already is very much against science deniers and their dangerous approaches to the world, to the environment, to politics, the authorial arrogance and holier than thou approach featured in Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future has at best felt tedious and useless and has at worst even made me feel as though Donald R. Prothero actually seems to despise ALL of us, that not only science deniers but all humans are objects and targets of his arrogance and massive anger.

Finally (and of course for three, but yes, only with regard to the Kindle edition of Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future, since I have not had the opportunity to read or to even browse through the hardcover version), the lack of a decent bibliography and that for ALL of the endnotes, readers basically have to click on separate from the book websites to check these, while this might at least be considered as showing and acknowledging one's sources, it is also in my humble opinion rather reader and user unfriendly and has definitely made and left me a bit frustrated (because for me, a decent bibliography is an essential part of any non fiction book, and in my humble opinion, the manner in which bibliographic, the way secondary material has been presented and included in Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future is barely adequate and in fact rather majorly insufficient and annoyingly lacking).

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A key problem with any kind of polemicist--including the scientific kind--is the matter of audience. Is the author writing to convince the wrong-headed, or to win the acclaim of those who agree? In this case, though Prothero includes a number of useful graphs and charts, his tone is that of preaching to the choir. I especially dislike books that seem to want to educate, yet are filled with sneers and insults directed at those the author considers ignorant. However much I might agree with some of his opinions (and his chapter on the threat of the anti-vaccination movement is chilling in a number of respects), I'd hate to be cornered by this guy at a party. Bill Nye's book had fewer graphics, but at least it was funny at times.

[Robert Sparrenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with everything this author ranted about for 300 pages. So, four stars for the content. He gets two stars for his presentation. Evolution, global warming, vaccinations and astrology are examined with a few other shorter topics

This author is very angry. He's boiling. As the book progresses he gets even nastier. He hates conservative people and considers them beneath him. He's arrogant and condescending. If you were at a party and were forced to talk to this doctor you would need to run because he's a know it all.

But one of my issues with him is at the beginning of the book he puts forth basic ways the deniers try to disprove science's arguments. He explains how the expert they are using to deny knows nothing about the science he is attempting to disprove. My point is that this author is a geologist/ biologist but he's also according to him an astronomer, atmosphere specialist, immunologist and medical doctor. I didn't see all of those degrees listed. Does the rule only apply to people he disagrees with?

He also is victim to the ad hominem attack. Call the opposition names. Very professional. He's constantly sticking little jabs that aren't needed into sentences. It makes him look petty. I know you are right buddy, but that doesn't help.

The big thing that he is missing is trying to understand the opposite side. He has no time for this. He doesn't understand the the creationist are fighting for what they believe in. They believe that if you give one inch, the secularist will take a mile. For example the huge " merry Christmas" versus happy holidays and not being able to call a tree a "Christmas tree".

One final thought, the author goes very easy on the extreme left of this country. Jenny McCarthy basically gets a pass. I'm pretty sure she's not voting republican. He also doesn't mention the sciencetologists. They refuse medical care all the time but there is no mention of them. Another lefty group the author forgot about because he's part of the left??

In the end the people that need to read this never will just like the author stated a few times. It doesn't help that he's so arrogant.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reality Check is a book primarily about the implications of science denial for the fields of economics, environmental science, sociology, and civics/political science both domestically and internationally. The book is extremely thorough and the author takes pains to clearly explain the scientific conclusions of various topics with extreme implications for the immediate and far future of humanity in such a way that the general public will be able to understand the evidence that supports prevailing conclusions and how those conclusions should direct our social, political, and economic policy. With its many mentions of the Bush administration, Reality Check may seem like it's a bit out of date, but no major change regarding the scientific evidence of the highlighted topics has been made and the book's emphasis and conclusions are still correct. In fact, in the era of Trump, Reality Check's final and most central argument - that understanding how our world actually works, so we can better interact with the world and plan for the future - is more important than perhaps ever before.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reality Check is Donald Prothero's take on denialism. While similar to other books on the topic, Prothero's coverage is a bit broader than most, spanning an impressive number of denialism subfields. His style is blunt and polemical, but his targets leave little choice. (As Daniel Dennett says, there's no polite way to tell people they've dedicated their lives to an illusion.) Other reviewers speculate about how off-putting this might be to deniers - as if deniers will ever read a real science book such as this one. News flash: deniers are deniers because they are for the most part functionally illiterate, so it's hard to imagine a scenario where Prothero elicits a backfire effect with this book. The book itself, ironically, mentions the backfire effect, although it needs an update, as Wikipedia claims newer research fails to replicate the effect. In other words, the obituary for logical argument may be premature - it has been the entire basis for human progress after all, if we can believe Pinker and Goldstein. So I don't think we need to feel too terrified about a straightforward presentation of facts. Anyone who needs to drown their facts in flattery can look elsewhere.

The book is not a cheery read as it's long on symptomology and short on cure. This is hardly Prothero's fault - nobody knows a high-percentage method to get through to hard-core denialists, although there are books that might map over. See for example: How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide and: Klan-destine Relationships: A Black Man's Odyssey in the Ku Klux Klan. As you might guess from that last title, to persuade people for whom facts are insufficient, you might have to build relationships with them, and that requires time, effort, and access. But as Richard Carrier points out in his books and talks, while no persuasion method works on everybody, it's enough for a method to reach a percentage. People are diverse, so everyone reacts to a particular mode of discourse in their own way. That's a long way of saying that to judge the effectiveness of books like Reality Check on changing the minds of deniers themselves, we need more than armchair speculation. We need social science research.

In the meantime, censorship may offer clues to a book's effectiveness. In churches that preach creationism for example, leaders discourage their followers from reading any book like this one. If Prothero's blunt style is so counterproductive, then why aren't creationist churches buying up copies and having their marks read the book, to strengthen their faith via the backfire effect? Why aren't oil companies handing out copies, to convince people that climate change isn't real? Evidently the backfire effect has its limits. Professional disinformers don't want anyone to read books like this one, and probably for good reason.

The book could be better, though. The edition I read had a fair number of typos. But perhaps the biggest factual shortcoming is that Prothero gives subtle indications throughout the book that he's oblivious to the science of human intelligence as well as behavioral genetics. Read the following books along with this one, and those indications become glaring:

Intelligence: A Very Short Introduction
Intelligence: All That Matters
In the Know: Debunking 35 Myths about Human Intelligence
The Neuroscience of Intelligence
Blueprint: How DNA makes us who we are
Man Is by Nature a Political Animal: Evolution, Biology, and Politics

The empirical fact that humans vary drastically in intelligence may be relevant to denialism. See for example Cognitive Ability and Vulnerability to Fake News. The bad news is that we have no more control over our IQs than our heights. The potentially good news is that science might someday fix that. In other words, science might be the first belief system that proves capable of giving people a biologically greater capacity to comprehend it. Until now, science has relied on evolution to gift us with the tiny percentage of outliers who can learn science and generate new scientific knowledge. Maybe someday science will figure out how to make everyone an Einstein.

Another odd omission is any clear mention of the need for ubiquitous, systematic book reading. Prothero like many authors has clearly read a lot of books, and he communicates by writing books. He even references many additional books to read. Book reading is his tool, but he almost seems unaware of how it is both necessary and alarmingly rare. He presents figures on the low scientific literacy of the average American, but he doesn't explicitly say what literacy is: habitually reading books until you die. Denialism, in other words, can be viewed as a symptom of a deeper problem: many people don't read books, especially substantive nonfiction books like this one. To paraphrase Miguel de Unamuno, the more books you read the less harm they do. If everyone were in the habit of reading at the pace of a book every week or two, written by popularizers of science like Prothero, the problems Prothero decries would probably wither away. At no point does Prothero explicitly advise the reader on the need to read, the need to get others to read, and how to do both. Perhaps he assumes that if you are reading his book, you are a book reader - which of course is tautologically true. But the reader might be no more consciously aware of the critical role of book reading and the need to promote it than Prothero seems to be. To put it another way, how much headway do we think we can make against denialism without recruiting a lot more book readers?

[Nik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will summarize my thoughts on this book by quoting a few parts… Richard Feynman said, "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself- and you are the easiest person to fool." So how do we avoid fooling ourselves? How do we avoid getting caught up in weird beliefs and find out what is real? The one method that has worked time and again is the scientific method. The book then covers several political and religious/scientific controversies such as global warming, and evolution.

"For every expert there is an equal and opposite expert; but for every fact there is not necessarily an equal and opposite fact." - Thomas Sowell

Sifting through the rumors, half truths and outright falsehoods on the internet these days should make one skeptical to new information. There is nothing wrong with being skeptical... but when ideology trumps facts - when commitment to a political, economic, or religious belief takes precedence over evidence - skepticism merges into denial. So if you start from a null hypothesis don’t become a denialist to evidence against your belief.

"Science seeks the truth. And it does not discriminate. For better or worse it finds things out. Science is humble. It knows what it knows and it knows what it doesn’t know. It bases its conclusions and beliefs on hard evidence -¬- evidence that is constantly updated and upgraded. It doesn’t get offended when new facts come along. It embraces the body of knowledge.” Ricky Gervais

The benefit of becoming scientifically literate is summed up nicely by Neil Degrasse Tyson:
“If you are scientifically literate the world looks very different to you. Its not just a lot of mysterious things happening. There is a lot we understand out there. And that understanding empowers you to, first, not be taken advantage of by others who do understand it. And second there are issues that confront society that have science as their foundation. If you are scientifically illiterate, in a way, you are disenfranchising yourself from the democratic process, and you don’t even know it.”

[Justin Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future is a book everyone needs to read. It's a scathing report of what has been labeled as, "denalism" in the United States and also the world at large. What one will quickly learn from this book is that the Untied States stands out like a sore thumb among western, educated, and wealthy nations in regards to denying the reality of science. The book encompasses the topics of global climate change denial, creationism, the anti-vaccine movement, and the often overlooked problem of overpopulation. Global climate change and overpopulation have the ability to ruin the most lives and cause the most damage, but they are also the ones that are either denied because of bias or self-interest, or because the pill is too hard to swallow (overpopulation).

In the latter section, Prothero puts forth the issues of scientific illiteracy and its effects on society at large. A rather convincing case is presented that the society/culture that we have created perpetuates a pseudo-scientific attitude and our poor education amplifies it, even while we spend an enormous amount of money to rank abysmally on the world scale. I especially liked his section on "smart idiots", i.e. the fanatics who can persuasively defend a viewpoint that in reality, is completely and utterly wrong. For example, apologists who put forth creationism, or climate denalists. Prothero I don't think actually says this, but I personally consider these people to be a danger to an informed society and should be ignored, if not out right condemned for their actions and spreading of misinformation.

While this book and many of its topics might come off as depressing, we should keep in mind that ignoring them will produce an outcome much worse. We are already seeing the global effects of climate change and we will continue well into the future. Eventually everyone will need to be given a "Reality Check" and be made to wake up from their delusional slumber so we can get to work! Prothero attempted to cover a ton of ground in this book, but I think he pulled it off well.

[Bill Leach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Prothero reviews a number of topics where a significant part of the population does not believe the current scientific view. In each case, he reviews the ideas of the dis-believers and then provides the scientific viewpoint. The book's subtitle is "How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future", and he tries to show the cost of these non-scientific beliefs.

An introductory chapter discusses some of the principles of good science such as correlation versus causation and the relative unimportance of anecdotes. A section "Whom Can We Trust" emphasizes listening to experts in the field, characterizing them as a very hard-boiled, skeptical group. The importance of peer review is discussed.

The topics covered are wide ranging from evolution to vaccination. Unfortunately Prothero treats each as a completely done deal. No attention is given to possible evidence contrary to the scientific consensus. This is especially true in climate science where man's knowledge of the climate is advancing continually. The quackery topic, devoted to homeopathy and chiropractory, missed the opportunity to address the issue of placebo effects in detail.

In general, the book includes little information on the topics that isn't better covered elsewhere. Some of the information is questionable, as in the climate science where he treats the hockey-stick, the decline of the polar bears and the truth of Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" as givens even though they have been heavily discounted by many sources.

Prothero seems to see doctoral scientists as beyond questioning. He views them as being under continuous attack, and is not above rubbishing any he feels are deniers - for example likening critics of Rachel Carson to Holocaust deniers.

His final chapter is perhaps the best, where he reviews how an unscientific America is likely to lose competitiveness within the world. However, this chapter includes a large section on how the blame lies with the Republicans and Big Business. In his opinion, liberals are much less likely to be deniers.

[Oliver Crown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although the intentions of the Author are good in principle, his rhetoric and the structure of his arguments are very poorly executed and do not achieve the intended purpose.
The reviewer should have told the author that citing famous people every two pages does not necessarily gets his point across and does not bring immediate validity to his reasoning.

In general, a non-fiction book should never, and I insist on "never", be 325 pages like this one as it obviously becomes extremely redundant.

Once again, the intention of the author is good, the execution very poor. Hence the 1 star rating.

[Book Shark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future by Donald R. Prothero

“Reality Check” is an excellent book that covers the most prevalent pseudoscience affecting our planet. Dr. Prothero has a great track record of producing high-quality science books and this one lives up to expectations. This book is a reflection of his professional expertise in geology, biology, medicine and astronomy and his ability to convey said expertise with mastery and clarity. This informative 392-page book includes the following thirteen chapters: 1. Reality Check, 2. Science, Our Candle in the Darkness, 3. Betrayers of the Truth: Selling Out Science, 4. Making the Environment the Enemy: Acid Rain, the Ozone Hole, and the Demonization of Rachel Carson, 5. Hot Enough for You? The Heated Debate over a Warming Planet, 6. Gimme That Old Time Religion: Creationism, Intelligent Design, and the Denial of Humanity’s Place in Nature, 7. Jenny’s Body Count: Playing Russian Roulette with Our Children, 8. Victims of Modern Witch Doctors: AIDS Denialism, 9. If It Quacks like a Quack: Snake-Oil Con Artists in an Era of Medical Science, 10. What’s Your Sign? The Ancient Pseudoscience of Astrology, 11. Down the Slope of Hubbert’s Curve: The End of Cheap Oil and Natural Resources, 12. Far from the Madding Crowd: Human Overpopulation and Its Consequences, and 13. The Rejection of Reality: How the Denial of Science Threatens Us All.

Positives:
1. High-quality researched book.
2. An important topic in the hands of a master. Plenty of supplementary material to complement the accessible narrative.
3. Dr. Prothero has earned my trust as an author, scientist and educator. He consistently delivers entertaining and informative science books for the public.
4. Clearly defines the difference between skepticism and denial. “A skeptic is someone who does not believe things just because someone proclaims them, but tests them against evidence. Sooner or later, if the evidence is solid, then the skeptic must acknowledge that the claim is real. A denier, by contrast, is ideologically committed to attacking an opposing viewpoint, and no amount of evidence will change their minds.”
5. Loaded with interesting facts and observations. “It just happens that autistic symptoms show up in most developing children at about eighteen months, the same age when these shots are given. Correlation does not necessarily prove causation.”
6. Clearly defines science. Too important not to share, “Science is a way of looking at the world using a specific tool—the scientific method. There are many definitions of the scientific method, but the simplest is a method by which we generate explanations about how the natural world works (hypotheses), and then try to test or shoot down those ideas using evidence of the real world (testability or falsifiability). As philosopher of science Karl Popper pointed out, most scientific ideas have to be tested by proving them wrong (falsified), since no number of favorable observations will prove a statement true. Thus, we don’t speak of proving something true; instead, if a scientific hypothesis has survived numerous tests and attempts to falsify it, it is considered to be well corroborated or well supported—but never the “final truth.” Scientific hypotheses must always be tentative and subject to revision, or they are no longer scientific—they are dogma. Strictly speaking, science is not about final truth, or about certainty, but about constructing the best models of the world that our data allow, and always being willing to change those models when the data demand it.”
7. Not afraid to ask provocative questions. “What right does the so-called nanny state have to infringe upon the liberties of those who want to exercise their right to suicide by smoking? This argument appeals to conservatives, libertarians, and free-market types, but there is an important difference: the smokers choose their own deadly habit and suffer the consequences of later diseases and death. But the nonsmoking bystander is innocent, and had no choice whether to not to breathe the smoke (especially a spouse who must live with a smoker or let the marriage end). They are involuntarily forced to inhale deadly fumes until they, too, get sick and die.”
8. Debunks misconceptions about scientists. “In May 1986, 6,500 scientists signed a pledge not to accept funds from the missile defense research program.” Interesting…
9. The obstructive role that ring-wing organizations have played at the expense of society and their tactics. “The major conservative think tanks (the Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and the Marshall Institute again) wanted to keep fighting regulations that violated their free market philosophy, even if the industry being regulated did not make the polluting product anymore, and had agreed to the regulation—and improved their bottom line thereby.”
10. Great stuff on the hot topic of climate change. Debunks the most popular climate-denialist claims in accessible detail.
11. Denial of humanity’s place. Excellent. “The list of imperfect or vestigial structures goes on and on. They include many features of our own bodies that no longer have a function (tail bones, male nipples), or are suboptimally designed (like our problems with our poorly designed bipedalism and upright posture, or the retinas in our eyes that have the sensing cells beneath all the nerves and blood vessels, obscuring vision), or are nonessential but detrimental to us when they get infected (appendix, tonsils).”
12. So who was the impetus behind the anti-vaxxing movement? Find out.
13. The impact of AIDS denialism. The people behind this movement.
14. Interesting historical references provided. “In 1938, as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was created to further regulate the testing and marketing of food and drugs, and insure that foods we buy are safe and free of contaminants.”
15. Describes the story behind homeopathy. “Reading the basic theory of homeopathy (like cures like, tinctures, dilution increases potency, water has memory, and the long list of peculiar substances used in cures), it is clear that it was based on medieval notions of alchemy (as homeopathy was when it was founded in 1796).” “The claims of homeopathy have been tested over and over again, and none has passed muster.”
16. The harm behind astrology. “Uncritical thinking is tearing this world to pieces, and while astrology may not be at the heart of that, it has its role.”
17. Compelling arguments regarding the scarcity of resources. “If we do not come to terms with the realization of the end of cheap oil and the shortage of most mineral resources, we will only suffer more as these predictions become realities.”
18. The limits of growth. “Yet there have long been voices that have argued a different viewpoint: there are limits to growth, and we are just passengers on this fragile lifeboat called earth, and must be careful about ruining it not only for ourselves but for all life on this planet.”
19. Great closing chapter. Great insights. “According to the Enlightenment view, truth, reason, and evidence should eventually persuade anyone, but what psychologists have shown is that the diehard creationists, climate deniers, and anti-vaxxers (along with other true believers) cannot be persuaded in this manner.”
20. Comprehensive notes and a further reading section at the end of each chapter.

Negatives:
1. Avid readers of skepticism will get a sense of déjà vu.
2. So hard to live up to his masterpiece “Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters” but still very good and worthy of five stars.

In summary, as expected a wonderful book on science denialism. Being informed on these topics are of the utmost importance and Dr. Prothero succeeds in providing the public with an accessible and entertaining book. Do yourself a father and get informed. Excellent book, I highly recommend it!

Further recommendations: ““Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters” and “Catastrophes!” by the same author, “Think: Why You Should Question Everything by “ and “50 Popular Beliefs People Think Are True” by Guy P. Harrison, “An Appetite for Wonder” and “The Magic of Reality” by Richard Dawkins, “Demon-Haunted World” by Carl Sagan, “This Explains Everything” edited by John Brockman, “Nonsense: A Handbook of Logical Fallacies” by Robert J. Gula “The Science of Miracles” by Joe Nickell, “Do You Believe in Magic” by Paul A. Offit, “Tales of the Rational” by Massimo Pigliucci, “Voodoo Science” by Robert Park, “Science Matters” by Robert M. Hazen “Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science” by Shawn Lawrence, “Lies, Damned Lies, and Science” by Sherry Seethaler, and “Science Under Siege” by Kendrick Frazier.

[Garrett Brock · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Reality Check" described in one word is “disingenuous”. The author, a scientist, will rightfully tell you about how people gloss over the nuances and complexities of issues. Then he will go on to tell you how all the major issues in the world are really simple, being mostly one-factor problems. Conveniently, all of Prothero's ideological opponents – conservatives but more specifically religious people – are funded by shadowy greedy conservative think-tanks. Real scientists, as described by Prothero, are incorruptible monks, choosing sub-par careers as a saintly vow of poverty. Scientists are gurus showing the light of morality. Prothero will tell you that most all scientists don't really care about pushing for or against religion, but then will turn around and imply – as a scientist – that belief in God is a blight to society; that religion must be crushed; that teaching anywhere faith must be forbidden. This is not a serious book, because serious arguments at least consider any opposition. Prothero makes some bold mistakes, by assuming his audience will agree with him completely. The effect is off-putting. If you're trained to pick out hypocrisy, the effect is worse. I'm not sure if he's aware of the ideological disconnects in his narrative. Maybe he only expected his fellow atheist academics to read his book. Ironically he names this problem, as one of “smart idiots”: educated people arguing outside their scope of expertise. Prothero himself is a discount Dawkins, another academic digging up bones and thinking it bestows an acuity to rival Thomas Aquinas. It is better than nothing. Reality Check at least offers a survey of low-hanging fruit. Prothero cites much better authors like Stephen Jay Gould, Carl Sagan, and Jared Diamond. Each topic covered in "Reality Check" has been given a more thorough and fairer treatment elsewhere. It begs the question, why write it? If books are food for the mind, "Reality Check" is a buffet of fast food, left out too long. As of 2023, the book has been published for ten years. It seems rather dated when principles of “open-mindedness” and “questioning of dogma” are described as hall-marks of leftism. Those virtues have since been summarily executed for hesitation to obey. Poor Prothero can't be faulted for that – or can he?

[Carol Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a depressing read about the decline in science literacy and the increase in denial of science in the United States. It was published in 2013, and things haven't gotten any better. (Maybe worse?) It is mainly depressing because if you gave this book to a science denier, they wouldn't look at it. They'd scream "Bullshit" like Jenny McCarthy did to a scientist explaining to her how safe vaccines are. You'd have more luck knocking sense into them by hitting them with the book.

[Jerre Mcquinn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good points but I already knew them all

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too long of a book. Great ideas but which it was a shorter read.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Close to a Defintive Book on Science Denialism

Donald Prothero’s new book on science denialism, “Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future”, belongs on the shelves of everyone. Not just those interested in the political and policy implications on the latest developments of science and technology, but anyone who is truly literate and seeks to understand contemporary science and technology; in plain English that should be anyone in the English-speaking world. What distinguishes Prothero’s new book from others, is its encyclopedic scope, which covers everything from the anti-vaccination movement to creationism (which, contrary to its defenders, does include Intelligent Design) to rejection of global warming and the evolution of HIV/AIDS from similar simian immunodeficiency viruses in tropical West Africa, and even the acceptance of homeopathic medicine and chiropractors by some as “legitimate” forms of medicine. One of Prothero’s chapters, Chapter 7 “Jenny’s Body Count: Playing Russian Roulette with Our Children”, should be required reading for anyone who thinks the anti-vaccination movement deserves credible recognition by many; instead, Prothero delves into its history and arrives at conclusions that are damning to prominent anti-vaccination movement leader actress Jenny McCarthy and her acolytes. He applies the same high standard of scholarship and analysis on other subjects, whether it is on global warming denialism (Chapter 5) creationism (Chapter 6), AIDS denialism (Chapter 8) or the finite nature of our natural resources as seen through the lens of petroleum (Chapter 11).

Prothero’s book demonstrates repeatedly how science deniers work. Their modus operandi include quote mining (distorting opinions of respectable scientists and the scientific evidence in support of their conclusions that are all too often contrary to well established science), credential mongering (citing academic degrees as proof of their expertise), not showing expertise in the appropriate topic (as in making false claims about scientific evidence and conclusions when they do not possess appropriate degrees in the science they are questioning or have demonstrated that expertise by publishing peer-reviewed scientific papers), and conflict of interest (as in opposing well established science for the sake of supporting those from whom the science deniers can reap financial rewards from). He compares and contrasts these with well established scientific methodology that includes demonstrating how causation does not equal correlation (the prevalence of some illnesses acquired seemingly after vaccination are mere happenstance, not proof that these vaccinations caused them), and burden of proof (ample evidence in the form of scientific data and the rigorous testing of hypotheses).

“Reality Check” often delves into public policy and politicial implications on relying upon science deniers instead of the credible scientists working in the fields under attack by science by them. As Prothero notes correctly, too often those who have embraced science denialism tend to be fellow Republicans and Conservatives. However, it should be noted that the Radical Left, with its advocacy of viewing science merely as just another form of knowledge equivalent to others, has contributed greatly to science denialism too as noted repeatedly by the likes of Paul R. Gross, Kenneth R. Miller (“Only A Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America’s Soul”) and Shawn Otto (“Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America”); readers of “Reality Check” may conclude erroneously that virtually all of science denialism should be blamed solely on Conservatives and Republicans. However, Prothero’s political biases do not lessen the overall quality of “Reality Check”; not only do I believe that this book deserves a substantial audience, but noted skeptic Michael Shermer makes an eloquent case that it does in its Foreword. Without question, “Realtiy Check” deserves recognition for being a notable resource on science denialism and how it should be defeated, especially when it poses a dire threat to the economic and intellectual survival of the United States, and, indeed, the entire world. “Reality Check” deserves recognition as one of the most important books pertaining to science published this year.

[Bonnie McDaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is scary and depressing as hell.

Not because it's a bad book. Far from it. It's a full-throated, no holds barred defense of science, reason and the scientific method. The author has no patience for people who don't believe in science, and tears new arseholes in those who don't accept evolution, climate change, peak oil, and other proven scientific concepts. As he points out, if you haven't studied in the relevant disciplines, you simply aren't qualified to comment; therefore, all the non-scientist talking heads (especially politicians) who get up on TV and YouTube and try to discredit climate change (for example) don't know shit.

(Yes, that means you, Senator James Inhofe.)

It's pretty strong stuff, and may turn off people who believe civility is still possible in our polarized culture. But the author has what he thinks are good reasons for being blunt and forceful, and insulting when the situation calls for it, and the title of the book is one of them. As he states, denying that HIV causes AIDS (and worse, working similar anti-science concepts into public policy, as so often happened during the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations) kills people. Scaring people into not vaccinating their children because of one discredited doctor kills people.

And denying the biggest boogeyman of them all, climate change, will not only kill people and wipe out entire countries, it may destroy the planetary ecosystem as well.

That's the biggest reason this book is so frightening. Chapter 5 goes into great detail what will happen if humans don't get their act together, and let's just say it made me want to run screaming into the night. I'd seen most of this before, but never in one place that hammers it so thoroughly home.

This is an important book. It should be widely promoted and read. If it gets under the skin of some religious science deniers, so be it. Our future depends on it.

[David James · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no getting around the core premise of this book: Americans are scientifically illiterate and we are setting ourselves up for a very painful fall as a result. Also undeniable is the author's openly stated political position that well more than 90% of our national conflict with the existence of demonstrable reality originates in the Republican Party. For those aware of these sad truths, this book will bring righteous rage and deep depression.

Unfortunately this book is dragged down from the five stars it should have earned by two factors. The first is the author's need to engage in name calling of those he differs with, a tendency that increases with the page count. He won't change any minds when by lodging personal assaults on those who most need to hear his message.

The other downfall is remarkably poor editing. The typos are so frequent (and like the insults, they increase as the book progresses), that they become a major distraction from the narrative. This would be expected from a self-published work by an average Joe, but when an academic press releases a book by an emeritus professor that is this flawed in its text, one wonders if the author's railing about American educational standards falls far short of the mark.

Prothero has an indisputable point (or at least, indisputable by anyone who understands science). His argument is so damning in itself that it didn't require the pulling out of terms like "teabaggers" to describe the people whose mentalities he attacks. They have done a more than sufficient job of proving their failings. Had he restrained himself in the language department and found a publisher that valued good editing, this would be a solid five star work. Thus while it is worth reading, but it's unlikely to make the difference it could have.

[David Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

An author of over 30 books on science, Donald Prothero compiles a series of case studies involving denial of science and discusses how they endanger our future. Written in a conversational, colloquial style and a somewhat folksy, often condescending tone, the book lays out each chapter with the denier misinformation and contrasts these with the reality. The book could have used much tighter editing - he's often repetitive and overtly belittling of deniers - but provides exceptional arguments drawn from his own experience and previous books to demonstrate the utter ridiculousness of the anti-science views.

Topics covered include acid rain, ozone hole, global warming, creationism/intelligent design, anti-vaxxers (anti-vaccination), AIDS denialism, medical quacks, astrology, peak oil deniers, and overpopulation. In early and a final chapter he discusses the basis of science and why some groups more than others are prone to science denial.

Overall, the book does an excellent job of showing the lack of veracity in all science denial arguments. Anyone interested in science, and the denial of science, should put it high on their reading list.

[Lisa]

Reality Check is an excellent read for those interested in current events, current science illiteracy, and the history of science. The book is modular in that you can read any chapter at any time and go back to others as the interest takes you. The language is clear, providing a history of the development of the issue, and how it evolved to its current state in our culture. Topics include smoking, chiropractic medicine, climate change, AIDS denial, anti-vaxxers, and more. Each chapter reads quickly and with interest, and includes a wonderful brief bibliography of more popular, but good, science books to take up. One of the best parts is also the liberal use of quotations at the beginning and throughout each chapter. The scholars and scientists are the ignored prophets of our time. Prothero closes with a haunting quotation by Carl Sagan (he's clearly a big Sagan fan) that is haunting and scary in its accuracy. Well worth a read.

[Darrenstep · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dynamite, comprehensive book, with a thorough overview of the landscape of science deniers. Dr. Prothero sets up and then knocks down, one by one, the sometimes jaw-droppingly egregious examples of truly flawed thinking and non-existent science behind the myths used by the clueless and willfully wrong. In this one book there are dozens of excellent examples of bad science, along with hundreds of data points to support Prothero's arguments. I enjoyed discovering and reading this book, and am very proud to have been chosen to narrate the audiobook.

http://www.audible.com/pd/Nonfiction/...

[Jeff Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable (for a Layman) matters of science and technology.I really didn't expect too many surprises in this book but, I was pleasantly surprised that in every chapter I learned a new facts but, just as importantly, new insight into how those who, weather due to ideology or their own vested interest, try to marginalize science. The book alternately instilled me with fear and hatred (fear of where our society is headed and anger at those who out of ignorance or green or both have gotten us here). This is a book everyone should read. My fear is that those who need it the most are the ones least likely to pick it up.

[Jo Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donald Prothero explains the loss of scientific literacy in our society and clarifies what science truly is in very understandable language. He also reveals how pseudoscience has prevailed due to financial efforts of large corporations and PR firms (think tobacco companies fighting the cancer link for years). The same tactics are being used to deny science that is essential for progress. This is definitely a book I would recommend to anyone due to the material covered and the basic language that should be easy to understand by those who might not be familiar with the scientific process.

[Brady Clemens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't recommend this book enough; read it, and pass it on to your friends.