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 Varieties of Religious Experience
Artemis
Only the Paranoid Survive
In Over Our Heads
How The Internet Happened
Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
The Story of the Human Body
King Lear
The Song of the Cell
Lost Ocean
Brave New Words
Behind the Beautiful Forevers
As One Is
The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership
Q.E.D.
Where are the Customers Yachts
Evolving Ourselves
Scaling People
The Little Liar
The Humanure Handbook
Where Mountains Roar
The Enchiridion
The Singularity Is Near
Radical Candor
Freedom from the Known
I Wrote This Book Because I Love You
State of the Art
The Method Method
When To Jump
The Art of Memoir
Crucial Conversations
Maps of Meaning
David Bowie
The Odyssey
The Devil’s Financial Dictionary
How to Teach Your Baby to Read
The Essays of Schopenhauer
The Demon Under The Microscope
I Want To Be A Mathematician
Philosophy and Scientific Realism
Heretics of Dune
Savage Son
Modelling Extremal Events
Proof of Corruption
Peter Pan
Determined
More From Less
Superhuman
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
The Meaning of It All
The Giving Tree
Lincoln
Linchpin
The Evolution of Everything
The Design of Everyday Things
My Forty Years with Ford
Survival to Thrival
The Origin of Species
Friday Forward
An Elegant Defense
Permaculture: A Designer's Manual
Anything You Want
Relentless
How Will You Measure Your Life?
American Crusade
Screw Business As Usual
The Quest
The Law
Forged in Crisis
Range
On The Move
Call Me by Your Name
QED
Seveneves
Just Kids
The Holy Bible
Secret Sauce
The Plot Against the President
Liberal Privelege
Toussaint Louverture
The Museum of Other People
Winners Take All
The Tipping Point
Portraits of Interiors
Winning The Loser's Game
Days of Rage
Treasure Island
Financial Derivatives
Creative Selection
When Reason Goes on Holiday
Great Short Poems
The Fatal Conceit
World War 3.0
The Art of Possibility
Getting It Done
Road to Wigan Pier
I am Benjamin Franklin
Kill Decision
Very Classy