Hoodwinking the Nation [Hardcover]

Julian L. Simon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1560004347 | ISBN-13: 978-1560004349 | Publication Date: May 14, 1999

Most people in the United States believe that our environment is getting dirtier, we are running out of natural resources, and population growth is a burden and a threat. These beliefs according to Simon, are entirely wrong. Why do the media report so much false bad news about these? And why do we believe it? Those are the questions distinguished scholar, Julian Simon set out to answer in this book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Julian Simon loved to make bets. Fifty years from now readers who peruse Earth in the Balance by Albert Gore and Hoodwinking the Nation by Julian Simon will giggle at one of them. Let's bet which."--Ben Wattenberg "Julian Simon had a brilliant insight into the economics of doomsayingthe business of environmentalism has fouled the marketplace of ideas to the point where truth is an endangered species."--P. J. O'Rourke

About the Author

Julian L. Simon (1932-1998) was professor of business administration at the University of Maryland and distinguished senior fellow of the Cato Institute. He is credited as being one of the founders of free-market environmentalism. His books include Hoodwinking the Nation, The Philosophy and Practice of Resampling Statistics, and The Ultimate Resource.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Transaction Publishers (May 14, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560004347
• ISBN-13: 978-1560004349
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #634,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recycled Simon, April 3, 2000

By 

Thomas Kearney - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hoodwinking the Nation (Hardcover)

I was somewhat disappointed with this book because it turned out to be a heavily abridged version of The Ultimate Resource 2, which is a great book. Nevertheless, for someone who wants an introduction to Julian Simon's writings, Hoodwinking The Nation will admirably serve the purpose. If you like it, then I highly recommend The Ultimate Resource 2, which is about 4 times the length and contains lots of charts and graphs. But if you have already read The Ultimate Resource 2, you will not need this book.

43 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Antidote to Dumbing Down, July 23, 2000

By 

David C. Greene (Oberlin, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hoodwinking the Nation (Hardcover)

For ten years I (a physicist) have been reading both scientific and political news about global warming. This has led to strong feelings of frustration in trying to answer the question: "Why is the global warming steamroller so overwhelming?" Julian Simon provides the answer - not a very encouraging one, but his explanation of the causes of the hoodwinking could form the basis for fixing what is wrong with the way we form opinions. I am not confident that we could ever develop his suggested "Truth Lobby," but the idea is intriguing. My reading of a library copy of this book has motivated me toward buying the book for presentation to the president of our local college. I would do so in the hope that reading it would help her understand the hoodwinking that is happening under her nose in the college's "Environmental Studies" program (part of the college's Department of Politics). Simon exhibits admirable restraint where I might have resorted to ridicule. I think that he didn't go far enough in identifying vested interests in people with impeccable motives (e.g., "Saving the Earth"). Now, if we can just convince Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio, Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Dan Rather and Bill Clinton that they don't know jake about climate science ... . This is an important, scholarly book with importance outside the area of environmental activism.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended!, May 26, 2004

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hoodwinking the Nation (Hardcover)

In this fascinating book, American author and economist Julian L. Simon (1932-98) looks at a perplexing phenomenon - as things get demonstrably better, polls show that people perceive things to be getting markedly worse! Beginning with the "vanishing farmland" crisis, the Dr. Simon analyzes various environmental crises, and uses reliable statistics to show how the situations have been distorted by the press and various vested interests (usually environmental groups and U.S. governmental agencies). Indeed, all too often data which show improving situations are massaged so that they are actually presented as bad news. Along the way, the author spears many sacred cows, and shows how the public has been hoodwinked into fearing a future bright with potential.

I must admit that I tripped across the book quite by accident, and I am quite happy that I did. Dr. Simon is a welcome ray of light on a subject kept dark and murky. If you want to get a view on how the public can be (and often is) misled on environmental issues, then you would do well to read this book. I highly recommend it!