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The Republican War on Science

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4.4 out of 5

129 global ratings

5 star		61%
4 star		26%
3 star		8%
2 star		2%
1 star		3%

The Republican War on Science

byChris Mooney

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Top positive review

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Science & Tech Move Forward; Money Stays Put

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2017

I love science and have been involved in it (not as a researcher) for years. Lately it has utterly dismayed me how those who lead us seemingly either have little understanding of it. And or little regard. Why? I read this book looking for answers.

Focusing a bit on the Bush years (so this has nothing to do with this Administration, or at least not in detail), Mooney explores just how it is that the very thing that fuels our economy, saves our lives and informs our existence can be disregarded by the powerful.

Short answer: It's all for the money, honey.

The long answer--which is very eye-opening indeed--is well worth this read. Well worth it. Some of the players in the mess are still playing, and using the same toys.

I found Mooney's writing to be fairly streamlined--here and there a little dull--but rather full of abbreviations for committees and associations...but that was truly the only annoying thing.

It's also heavily annotated, which may reassure some readers that the book is basically full of dry but disturbing facts, instead of dry but disturbing opinion.

3 people found this helpful

Top critical review

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I would recommend this book to the average reader

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2015

Chris Mooney writes about Republican's view on science. In particular, he takes a look at the Bush administration and his stance on different topics such as stem cell research, global warming, the creation and evolution topic, alternative medicine, and pollution. I believe that this book is informative, however I also believe it is an attack on the Republican view of scientific claims. Mooney argues that this administration distorted scientific claims in order to further its own political beliefs. This book meets science head on it terms of political beliefs. I would recommend this book to the average reader, however I would urge them to be open-minded when reading it. Just like any topic, it is important to see both sides of an argument. Chris Mooney does a good job laying the foundation for this topic, but more research can be done regarding the truthfulness of what he says. I enjoyed reading this to get a point of view on Republicans and science, however I also did research after to see if what was being said was truthful.

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From the United States

Science & Tech Move Forward; Money Stays Put

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2017

Verified Purchase

I love science and have been involved in it (not as a researcher) for years. Lately it has utterly dismayed me how those who lead us seemingly either have little understanding of it. And or little regard. Why? I read this book looking for answers.

Focusing a bit on the Bush years (so this has nothing to do with this Administration, or at least not in detail), Mooney explores just how it is that the very thing that fuels our economy, saves our lives and informs our existence can be disregarded by the powerful.

Short answer: It's all for the money, honey.

The long answer--which is very eye-opening indeed--is well worth this read. Well worth it. Some of the players in the mess are still playing, and using the same toys.

I found Mooney's writing to be fairly streamlined--here and there a little dull--but rather full of abbreviations for committees and associations...but that was truly the only annoying thing.

It's also heavily annotated, which may reassure some readers that the book is basically full of dry but disturbing facts, instead of dry but disturbing opinion.

3 people found this helpful

Great book with one exception

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2016

Verified Purchase

Great book for those looking to understand the evolution of science policy on the federal level in the United States. However, the biggest drawback is that the book has an enormous anti-republican bias that sometimes overshadows and undermines some of the arguments the author is trying to make. That being said the book consistently provides ample evidence and facts to support its arguments and is an absolute must-read for all people interested in public policy and all political science students.

5 people found this helpful

Paul S. Hardersen

An effective critique of the GOP

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2014

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This book highlights a variety of partisan Republican political activities that -- in a variety of ways -- show the GOP's misuse of science and its lack of interest in reality-based policymaking. It also explicitly provides evidence for the reason for the GOP's use/misuse/abuse of science, which is to satisfy the core constituency it has developed in the past 30 years (read: industry and religious conservatives). The book only goes through ~2006. It would be useful for Mooney to update the text to consider how the GOP (and Democrats) have behaved with respect to science since the election of President Obama.

6 people found this helpful

I would recommend this book to the average reader

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2015

Verified Purchase

Chris Mooney writes about Republican's view on science. In particular, he takes a look at the Bush administration and his stance on different topics such as stem cell research, global warming, the creation and evolution topic, alternative medicine, and pollution. I believe that this book is informative, however I also believe it is an attack on the Republican view of scientific claims. Mooney argues that this administration distorted scientific claims in order to further its own political beliefs. This book meets science head on it terms of political beliefs. I would recommend this book to the average reader, however I would urge them to be open-minded when reading it. Just like any topic, it is important to see both sides of an argument. Chris Mooney does a good job laying the foundation for this topic, but more research can be done regarding the truthfulness of what he says. I enjoyed reading this to get a point of view on Republicans and science, however I also did research after to see if what was being said was truthful.

Thomas P. Knecht

So sad yet so true

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2014

Verified Purchase

As a physician scientist, I am always appalled by the scientific ignorance and pride in stupidity of the religious right. It's a swell written and well referenced book about a social tragedy in America that exemplifies the anti-science, anti-education right wing (also anti-worker and anti-women, but that's off topic).

7 people found this helpful

The Bottom Feeders, and the Bottom Line

Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2014

Verified Purchase

The book recounts a terrifying tale of politicians re-writing science to cater to political, religious and economic desires. By recruiting scientists to lie, politicians and big business undermine the public's trust in science, at a time when only science can ameliorate the coming global catastrophe. It was a hard book for me to read, as I had to keep putting it down until I could stop shaking with anger.

One person found this helpful

Old, but relevant

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2019

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I got it as a present for my brother and he said that all of the stuff they talk about in the book is still relevant to today

David SwanTop Contributor: Batman

The rise of shills, cronies and sycophants

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2005

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Manipulating science for political ends has probably been around as long as politics but as in so many other ways the administration under President George W. Bush has taken abuse to a whole new level. Perhaps the most frightening symbol is the use of the Orwellian phrase, `Sound Science'. This innocuous sounding term is actually a euphemism for corporate friendly science meant to obfuscate and paralyze policy makers and the public. On this Republican's seem to have read straight from the playbook of Christian fundamentalists and their long battled against Evolution.

Conservatives, like Bush, who enjoy viewing the world in black and white terms, see the cautious tone of science as timid and weak. The strength of science is its capacity for self correction and openness for debate on even the most established theories. There does, however, come a time when well established scientific theories reach a level of general consensus among scientist. In the case of Global Warming there is a strong scientific consensus around the world yet politicians would prefer to treat it as a he/said she/said affair so popular in journalism these days. As the author says, "[politicians seem to believe that] scientific truth is more likely to be found at the fringes of science than at the center".

The goal of `Sound Science' is to exploit doubt, magnify uncertainty and raise the bar of scientific confirmation to an unattainable level. As long as corporations have millions to spend there will always be at least a handful of scientists willing to play for pay. No surprise that corporate financed studies whether they are for energy companies, tobacco companies or the food industry invariably find results favorable to their patrons. The problem comes when politicians with little to no scientific experience decide to give equal credence to corporate sponsored science and often give additional weight to the corporate side who also fill their coffers.

The Bush administration has shown a complete distain for science in general, first by taking an unusually long period of time in making administration appointments to scientific positions and then by having the audacity to ask inappropriate questions during the vetting process including, `Did you vote for the president?'. As if things couldn't get any worse HHS released a memo informing government scientists that they must represent the U.S. "at all times and advocate policy". So if the administrations policy towards Global Warming is to express doubt government scientists are warned to tow the party line.

Inevitably the new partisan approach to science by the Bush administration has lead to an erosion of faith in both the U.S. government and in science itself. Scientist will be seen as either government cronies or corporate shills. Author Chris Mooney also spends several chapters on fundamentalist Christian influence on science and how results are fudged for moralities sake. Bush has outdone all previous presidents in modern history in stacking scientific committees with like minded individuals sympathetic to administration policies. Distortions, censorship, group think and ideological purity. Somewhere out there Stalin is smiling.

25 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2017

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This is excellent. A must read now with the GOP in charge of all three branches of the government.

Solomon would recommend this book

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2005

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The beauty in the book is how sorely a concise review of the abuses of science is needed. Mooney picks out several topics in physical and natural sciences and one by one describes attempts to distract, discredit, or otherwise deceive the American people from the scientific truth.

Science stakes its reputation on the fact that credible theory can be repeated. Today, scientific theory is being met head on by "industry-based" research, which defines the role of research as producing a result that will justify the case of the industry. Mooney lists specific processes that an industry will employ to justify a case, or in essence, to defeat science where scientific experiment doesn't support the case of the industry. Industry-based research may not be repeatable, and, sadly, quite often not founded in wisdom. Certainly, Solomon's wish deserves new focus for religious conservatives today.

The fall of tobacco companies is an instance in which an industry could not defeat science. Whereas the cigarette industry can make a lot of money selling cancer sticks, it was never the cigarette industries goal to produce cancer. While we have become very attached to our capitalistic system for its material wealth, too few people will admit in a capitalistic society that an industry can make a lot of money while hurting a staggering number of people.

The book rarely ventures into social sciences. Economics, health, education, human resources and employment all suffer similar abuses, but their cases are not suggested. I would suggest there is yet more to be told.

25 people found this helpful

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