Silent Spring at 50: The False Crises of Rachel Carson [Hardcover]

Andrew Morriss (Editor), Roger Meiners (Editor), Pierre Desroches (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2012

Widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement when published 50 years ago, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring had a profound impact on our society. As an iconic work, the book has often been shielded from critical inquiry, but this landmark anniversary provides an excellent opportunity to reassess its legacy and influence. In Silent Spring at 50: The False Crises of Rachel Carson a team of national experts explores the book’s historical context, the science it was built on, and the policy consequences of its core ideas. The conclusion makes it abundantly clear that the legacy of Silent Spring is highly problematic. While the book provided some clear benefits, a number of Carson’s major arguments rested on what can only be described as deliberate ignorance. Despite her reputation as a careful writer widely praised for building
her arguments on science and facts, Carson’s best-seller contained significant errors and sins of omission. Much of what was presented as certainty then was slanted, and today we know much of it is simply wrong.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Roger E. Meiners is chairman of the department of economics at the University of Texas at Arlington and a senior fellow at the Property & Environment Research Center, Bozeman, MT. Pierre Desrochers is associate professor of geography at the University of Toronto and senior research fellow at the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University. Andrew P. Morriss is professor of law and business at the University of Alabama and a senior fellow at the Property & Environment Research Center, Bozeman, MT.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Cato Institute (September 16, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1937184994
• ISBN-13: 978-1937184995
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #86 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Public Affairs & Policy > Environmental Policy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 32 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, critical look at Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in retrospect October 16, 2012

By E. Jaksetic

Format:Hardcover

The publication of Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring in 1962 was a landmark event in American environmentalism. This book of twelve essays takes a retrospective look at that iconic book from a variety of perspectives. Such a retrospective look is needed because: (1) the science of ecology, the environment, pesticides, and cancer did not become final or settled forever with the publication of Silent Spring; and (2) the passage of time since the publication of Silent Spring allows for an assessment of the economic and political consequences of the adoption of policies and practices espoused by Rachel Carson. Because science is not static in nature and is subject to reevaluation and revision in light of subsequent scientific research, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring cannot be considered the final, definitive word about any of the topics it discussed. And, in a representative democracy, political and policy decisions are not immune from periodic review and assessment to determine whether they should be continued, revised, or superseded by new decisions in light of new knowledge and practical experience.

Written by a variety of authors, the essays in this book reflect different writing styles and different perspectives. The essays: (a) make interesting observations about the historical context in which Rachel Carson's book was written and published; (b) offer thought-provoking arguments about the scientific accuracy of its contents, both in light of the scientific literature available at the time Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring and in light of subsequent scientific research; (c) set forth a variety of criticisms of the policy recommendations made in Silent Spring; and (d) recommend changes in environmental and public health law and policy to reflect the current state of scientific knowledge about ecology, the environment, pesticides, and cancer.

Readers convinced that Rachel Carson's Silent Spring provides the final, definitive answers about ecology, the environment, pesticides, and cancer probably will not find this book worth reading. Readers looking for a different perspective on those subjects should seriously consider reading this book. You do not need to agree with the contentions, arguments, and recommendations made by the various authors to find them thoughtful, informative, and worthy of consideration.

20 of 27 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Biased Analysis March 17, 2013

By Cernunnos

Format:Hardcover

It's useful to realize that this book is published by the Cato Institute, whose founders include the politically active Koch brothers who run Koch Industries. Koch Industries would have to pay estimated billions if We the People charged for dumping carbon emissions in the atmosphere, or more closely regulated chemical emissions. As is, they lobby tirelessly to continue the free usage of the public commons such as air and water, and to deny or obfuscate issues about climate change, chemical releases, etc.

The premise of this book is off, as it disputes Rachel Carson's precautionary warnings to more rigorously test the health and environmental impacts of synthetic chemicals before they are widely distributed into the environment. The fact is, only a handful (five) of 80,000 synthetic industrial chemicals in use have been banned, and not very many of them have been rigorously tested, as the ex-administrator of the EPA, Lisa Jackson, stated. Recent studies have shown that new babies may already have up to 300 synthetic chemicals in their bodies at birth.

As Naomi Oreskes states in her excellent book "Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming," Rachel Carson is an "American hero" for her work in alerting the public to the harms of indiscriminate chemical dumping. Oreskes also points out that there has been a concerted effort by corporate libertarians to confuse the science around issues that may lead to regulation. Oreskes writes, "In the demonizing of Rachel Carson, free marketeers realized that if you could convince people that an example of successful government regulation wasn't, in fact, successful--that is was actually a mistake--you could strengthen the argument against regulation in general."

Libertarians should be lauded for their defense of freedom and caution against government overreach, but they seem to not understand that too much corporate control also has its threats to individual freedom. For instance, Rachel Carson urged Congress to establish the freedom of individuals to be free from the toxic pollution of other people. This book would be more useful if it reckoned with that important insight with broader perspective.

2.0 out of 5 stars Provides some balance but not completely justified May 20, 2013

By Kenneth Feldmann

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The editors decided that they were going to put together a series of chapters that found fault with Rachel Carson and Silent Spring. I think they are unnecessarily harsh given the climate when she wrote the book; a climate that is by-and-large unchanged today. In going back to read Silent Spring, I can see where different editors could highlight aspects of the book and get 12-15 authors to put together a very positive review of the original book.