Publisher's Synopsis
+ Clearly exposes the most frequent calumnies made against science
+ Shows how dogmatic religion, the financial interests of certain industries, and opportunistic politicians sometime work in cohort to undermine the public's trust in science
+ Acknowledges that science's most mistaken critics are often skilled communicators, and that effectively defending science requires an equally skilled defense
+ Shows that while the "Science Wars" of the 1990s have abated, their effects on some of the methodologies in higher education and the larger population continue
+ Examines three case studies to clearly illustrate how reliable scientific knowledge is secured:
Eratosthenes' discovery of the circumference of the earth
Louis Pasteur's development of anthrax and rabies vaccines
The rapid emergence of scientific consensus regarding continental drift
