Books Worth A Read

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Defending the role that science must play in democratic society--science defined not just in terms of technology but as a way of approaching problems and viewing the world.

In this collection of original essays, experts in political science, the hard sciences, philosophy, history, and other disciplines examine contemporary anti-science trends, and make a strong case that respect for science is essential for a healthy democracy.

Beyond critiquing attitudes hostile to science, the essays in this collection put forward a positive vision for how we might better articulate the relation between science and democracy and the benefits that accrue from cultivating this relationship.

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Vaccines are a documented success story, one of the most successful public health interventions in history. Yet there is a vocal anti-vaccination movement, featuring celebrity activists and the propagation of anti-vax claims through books, documentaries, and social media. In Anti-Vaxxers, Jonathan Berman explores the phenomenon of the anti-vaccination movement, recounting its history from its nineteenth-century antecedents to today's activism, examining its claims, and suggesting a strategy for countering them.

After providing background information on vaccines and how they work, Berman describes resistance to Britain's Vaccination Act of 1853, showing that the arguments anticipate those made by today's anti-vaxxers. He discusses the development of new vaccines in the twentieth century, including those protecting against polio and MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and the debunked paper that linked the MMR vaccine to autism.

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In Betrayal of Science and Reason, the Ehrlichs confront a troubling paradox: at a moment when humanity most needs clear scientific thinking, public discourse is increasingly shaped by distortion, denial, and deliberate confusion. Their narrative follows the rise of voices that dismiss evidence not because it is flawed, but because it is inconvenient. Environmental risks, climate change, biodiversity loss - issues grounded in decades of research - are recast as exaggerations or conspiracies. The book traces how this erosion of trust doesn't happen overnight; it grows through political incentives, media amplification, and a cultural appetite for simple answers to complex problems.

What makes the Ehrlichs' argument resonate is their insistence that misinformation is not just an intellectual failure but a societal threat. When scientific warnings are ignored, the consequences unfold in the real world: degraded ecosystems, weakened public health, and policies built on wishful thinking rather than reality. Yet the book is not purely bleak. It highlights scientists, educators, and citizens who work to rebuild a culture of evidence - people who refuse to let noise drown out knowledge.

The Ehrlichs offer a call to responsibility. Defending science is not about winning arguments; it is about safeguarding our collective future by insisting that truth still matters.