Merchants of Doubt

How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming

Naomi Oreskes

Recommended By

Book Synopsis

"Merchants of Doubt" by Naomi Oreskes is a captivating and eye-opening exploration of the strategies employed by a group of influential scientists to cast doubt on pressing issues, such as climate change and the harmful effects of tobacco smoking.

Drawing on extensive research and interviews, Oreskes exposes the disturbing tactics utilized by these scientists to manipulate public opinion and delay necessary action. She reveals their connections to powerful industries and think tanks, which provide them with resources and platforms to spread their misleading narratives.

By delving into the historical context and examining case studies, the author reveals a pattern of scientists trading their expertise for personal gain, in an effort to undermine scientific consensus and perpetuate doubt. Oreskes sheds light on how this manipulation contributed to the delay in implementing effective policies, resulting in dire consequences for public health and the environment.

Through her meticulous analysis, Oreskes challenges readers to question the sources of information they encounter, and emphasizes the importance of recognizing and confronting the intentional spread of misinformation. She encourages a more critical approach to evaluating scientific knowledge and understanding the broader societal implications of doubting established facts.

"Merchants of Doubt" serves as a wake-up call, urging individuals, policymakers, and society as a whole to confront and reject the manipulation of scientific knowledge for personal and corporate interests. Oreskes empowers readers to recognize the dangers of doubt manipulation and take action, emphasizing the importance of supporting evidence-based decision-making in addressing pressing global challenges.

Explore More Books

See All
The Agile Gene
How to Make Millions with Your Ideas
In the Heart of the Sea
The Hot Hand
The Anatomy of Buzz
A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis
The Infidel and the Professor
The Bullish Case for Bitcoin
How To Turn Down A Billion Dollars
Happy Money
Beating The Street
Sea Flight
More Than Enough
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
The Great CEO Within
Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero
Taken for Granted
Bend The Curve
Superforecasting
100 Plus
Billy Martin
A History of the English-Speaking Peoples
The Art of Seduction
The Neverending Story
The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Whiskey Know-It-All
The Attention Merchants
12 Rules For Life
The Net & The Butterfly
Endure
The Story of Civilization: The Age of Louis XIV
The Psychology of Intelligence Analysis
Something Deeply Hidden
Opportunity Knocks
The Construction of Social Reality
Trillion Dollar Triage
The Botany of Desire
The Skeptical Environmentalist
Scale
The Little Book of Bull Moves
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
Einstein
Product Design for the Web
The Surrender Experiment
The Bet
Double your Profits
The Closing of the American Mind
Hidden Potential
Blue Ocean Strategy
Talent Is Overrated
Mohammed and Charlemagne
Makers
Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children
Home Work
The Fear Factor
Viral
Technofeudalism
Putin's Kleptocracy
The Alchemist
Art of the Living Dead
Natural Born Heroes
The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross
No Bull
Innovating Out of Crisis
Bargaining for Advantage
Paper Lion
Matthew Barney & Elizabeth Peyton
An Immense World
The True Believer
Modern Engineering for Design of Liquid Propellant Rocket Engines
Roger Ailes: Off Camera
Nobody Wants To Read Your Sh*t
The Healing Journey
The Science of Success
A Mathematician's Lament
Chasing the Light
Mapping the Mind
Gold In The Grass
A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things
Not Fade Away
The Tao of Charlie Munger
Margin of Safety
Stress Test
My Family and Other Animals
The Inner Lives of Markets
Confidence Game
Absolute Tao
Dream Big
Origin Story
Endurance
The Man Who Fed The World
You Can Be a Stock Market Genius
Freakonomics
The Story of Civilization: The Reformation
Every Life Is On Fire
Measure What Matters
Black Elk
Traction
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
The Weather Makers
Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil