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Shawn Lawrence Otto
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The War on Science: Who's Waging It, Why It Matters, What We Can Do about It Paperback – 17 May 2016

English edition by Shawn Lawrence Otto (Autor)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 277 ratings
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"Wherever the people are well informed," Thomas Jefferson wrote, "they can be trusted with their own government." But what happens when they are not? In every issue of modern society—from climate change to vaccinations, transportation to technology, health care to defense—we are in the midst of an unprecedented expansion of scientific progress and a simultaneous expansion of danger.

At the very time we need them most, scientists and the idea of objective knowledge are being bombarded by a vast, well-funded, three-part war on science: the identity politics war on science, the ideological war on science, and the industrial war on science. The result is an unprecedented erosion of thought in Western democracies as voters, policymakers, and justices actively ignore the evidence from science, leaving major policy decisions to be based more on the demands of the most strident voices.

Shawn Otto’s compelling new book investigates the historical, social, philosophical, political, and emotional reasons why evidence-based politics are in decline and authoritarian politics are once again on the rise on both left and right, and provides some compelling solutions to bring us to our collective senses, before it's too late.

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  1. Print length
    514 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    MILKWEED ED
  4. Publication date
    17 May 2016
  5. Dimensions
    15.24 x 3.18 x 22.86 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1571313532
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1571313539
  8. See all details
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Praise for The War On Science

"Every so often a book comes along that changes the way you view the world. The War on Science is one of those rare books. If you care about attacks on climate science and the rise of authoritarianism, if you care about biased media coverage or shake-your-head political tomfoolery, this book is for you."--Guardian

"A stirring call to action."--Science

"Otto marshals an astonishingly broad range of facts, trends and history to make his case. that science, by its nature, does not fear or favor any single human being or group. Thus, the knowledge it produces almost invariably upsets the status quo, challenging whomever or whatever depends on that status quo for their staying power."--Scientific American

"This book provides a valuable resource to put our present conundrum in proper perspective."--Lawrence M. Krauss

"Evidence from science is one of the world's great equalizers, because it forms an objective basis for public policy. This book illustrates how central that notion is to the forming of modern democracy, and how current attacks on science endanger our freedom. Policymakers and voters everywhere would do well to read The War on Science."--Walter Mondale, United States Vice President

"We're seeing right now a titanic battle between the power of science and the power of money--and money is winning. This book explains why, and offers some pointers that might get us back on the right track."--Bill McKibben, author and co-founder of 350.org

"Otto makes a case that can't be refuted. Science is important to all of us, especially the US government. He backs it up with peer reviewed studies, carefully researched numbers, and his own extensive experience. He uses the process of science to prove that we need science in order to remain free. Here's hoping all voters everywhere take him seriously--soon."--Bill Nye the Science Guy

"Science is not a body of facts, but rather a structured approach to uncovering the fundamental laws that govern the natural world. As The War on Science shows, policymakers who choose to ignore those fundamental laws imperil us all, for the laws of nature will always trump the laws of man."--Marcia McNutt, president of the US National Academy of Sciences

"One of the most important books published in America in the last decade."--TV News Anchor and columnist, Don Shelby, author of The Season Never Ends

"In the struggle of people to be free, there has been one common denominator on which, like Sherlock Holmes, democracy depends--science, and the evidence it provides, as a guide to truth, fairness and justice. This insightful book explores how science became a necessary prerequisite for democracy, why it is under attack today, and what we can do to defend truth and freedom."--Maria Konnikova, Bestselling author of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes

"Before you vote in the next election, read Shawn Otto's The War on Science."--Ben Bova, Hugo-winning writer

"The War on Science dissects today's perfect storm of anti-intellectualism, that has persuaded millions to agitate against their own interests. This book won't convert Limbaugh dancers. But it could help draw that smart engineer uncle of yours back toward the light. It might even encourage a newborn movement, to revive a science-loving version of conservatism out of the ashes."--David Brin, scientist and award-winning author of Earth and The Transparent Society

"This insightful, heavily-researched book pulls back the curtain to show exactly where and how the rise of authoritarianism is being accomplished, via academic, fundamentalist, and public-relations attacks on scientists and the ideas of science that underly modern democracy. The War on Science is a must reading for anyone wanting to understand what's really going on in today's politics."--Michael Mann

"This is a well-written study of the politics of science. Voters interested in the critical role science plays in a healthy democracy will find this vital reading."--Library Journal

About the Author

Shawn Lawrence Otto was the co-founder and CEO of Science Debate 2008, the largest political initiative in the history of science. He is also an award-winning screenwriter best known for writing and co-producing the Academy Award-nominated House of Sand and Fog. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Science, Salon, and Scientific American. He lives in Minnesota.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MILKWEED ED (17 May 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 514 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1571313532
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1571313539
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 3.18 x 22.86 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 277 ratings

About the author

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Shawn Lawrence Otto

Shawn Lawrence Otto

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Shawn Otto was awarded the IEEE-USA ("I-Triple-E") National Distinguished Public Service Award for his work elevating science in America's national public dialogue. He is cofounder and producer of the US presidential science debates at sciencedebate.org and the only person to get Donald Trump to answer science questions during his presidential campaign. He is the award-winning author of The War on Science, which has been called "a game changer, and probably the most important book you'll read this year." He is also an award-winning screenwriter and novelist, best known for writing and co-producing the Academy Award-nominated movie House of Sand and Fog, and the LA Times Book Prize finalist literary crime novel, Sins of Our Fathers. He has advised science debate efforts in many countries and speaks worldwide on the critical role of science, evidence, and objectivity in free societies. He lives in Minnesota with his wife, Rebecca Otto, in a solar and wind-powered green home he designed and built with his own hands. The couple have one son, Jacob.

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Top reviews from Germany

  • Peter Monien
    4.0 out of 5 stars What could we achieve if we would follow the scientific process instead of "the science"
    Reviewed in Germany on 14 June 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Science helped us to get to where we are today. Science coukd help us to get to a better tomorrow, if only it wouldn't be misused. Science and its conection to politics.

    "The dissociation from history and the hard-won knowledge of science thus led to a generation of leaders who are at once arrogant and ignorant, and thus likely unable to lead the world out of the morass. We embrace the form of tradition but not the substance, focused only on winning, unable to discen between what feels good and what is true. It is a condition that threatens leave the world permanently damaged."
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars "The greatest activity to have arisen in the Universe is understanding
    Reviewed in Canada on 27 December 2016
    Verified Purchase
    "The greatest activity to have arisen in the Universe is understanding, and science does it very well. Nevertheless, led by our primitive and self-destructive urges, science is under brutal attack. Otto's masterful account of how one of the worst wars in history is being conducted and how we should counter it deserves the attention of all those who desire to advance the human experiment." Rod Cooper, Prof. emeritus of Psychology, U Calgary
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  • Pekka Kohonen
    5.0 out of 5 stars "We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 November 2016
    Verified Purchase
    "We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science and technology. And this combustible mixture of ignorance and power, sooner or later, is going to blow up in our faces. Who is running the science and technology in a democracy if the people don’t know anything about it?" Carl Sagan 1996

    Is this about to bite us "in the behind" now? Despite the title actually a very sober but informative and erudite discussion about history of the ascendancy of government-funded science, what drove it (hint: The bomb...and Vannevar Bush), why scientists disengaged from the public (and the public from science) and why it is important for scientists once again to be more part of the society! For their own sakes as well as the society's.
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  • David J Kent
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for every citizen interested in the integrity of their country
    Reviewed in the United States on 24 August 2016
    Verified Purchase
    The War on Science is a must read book for scientists and anyone even remotely interested in science or policy or politics or decision-making or life. Yes, that means you.

    The book is actually much more than the title suggests. Shawn Otto (one of the founders of ScienceDebate.org) delves deep into the history of science, but also in the psychological, sociological, political, educational, and religious histories and their interactions with science. He points out that the early leaders of this nation were promoters of science. George Washington said "There is nothing which can better deserve our patronage than the promotion of Science and Literature." Jefferson heavily promoted science during his presidency and noted as he was leaving office that "Science is my passion, politics my duty." Great Republicans presidents such as Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and William McKinley all emphasized the importance of science and technology. The author notes that Republicans were once the party of progressive optimism and tolerance, of environmentalism and finance, of rationalism and national parks. Only recently have Republicans turned against science. [But Democrats have their anti-science as well, which he discusses]

    The reasons for this turn toward antiscience are discussed in great detail. Otto digs into the history of religious intolerance for science that contradicts scripture, most notably by the excommunication of Galileo (who, ironically, was devoutly religious), but also with many other examples ranging through history to today. He examines the interplay of antiscience and "freedom," including how fear of annihilation from Cold War/nuclear weapons led to the "live for today" attitude of the 1960s. But not just nihilism, this constant stress and attachment to the "military-industrial complex" caused a suspicion of science.

    Further, the book delves into the turn towards postmodernism, which denied the existence of objective truth, claiming that all "truth" is subjectively in the eye of the beholder and that your opinion (often, ignorance) is as good as decades of scientific fact. This postmodernist believe severely damages education, where no longer are students expected to learn from accumulated facts but how they "feel" about reality. The media promotes this subjectivism, combined with the need to create controversy to garner ratings, as well as promote "false balance." All of these erode citizen confidence in science for no reason other than to assuage their fears of the unknown.

    Otto also takes a closer look at the "three-front war on science" from identity politics, ideology, and industry. All three provide substantial and substantive background and analysis and should be read closely. The third, "The Industrial War on Science," is extensive and examines the long and fruitful strategies of industries (often working in tandem with religion and media) to deny established science and delay or eliminate any policy action. We saw this for decades as the tobacco industry denied smoking causes cancer, and today as fossil fuel and libertarian lobbyists deny man-made climate change, as well as many other examples. Otto documents in detail the tactics used by denier lobbyists and their hired spokespeople; even quoting from their own strategy materials. He shows also how companies like Exxon and the Koch companies shifted from paying directly to denier front groups to slipping the money in through "dark money" vehicles like Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund.

    The final three chapters look at "winning the war" in the sense of how do scientists and others battle against the misinformation of identity politics, ideologies, and industrial disinformation campaigns. In short, it isn't easy. Otto discusses how to engage in conversations in ways people can relate to. He also proposes a series of 14 "battle plans" to communicate science and overcome denial. The plans begin with something as simple as "doing something;" getting out there and trying to communicate. They continue with specific actions like creating a science advisory organization, pushing for science debates, using science advisors more effectively, and reaching out to religious, educational, and political leaders to help them understand the importance of science and its role in policy making. Otto also suggests that scientists need to fight back against the harassment, disinformation, and personal attacks of denial organizations.

    All of this can get rather intense. The book is dense in both information and thought. Otto has done tremendous research in a wide range of science and sociological history to develop the incredible insights he displays in this book. I highly recommend that all scientists read it, but I also highly recommend everyone who has an interest in honest discussion and policy making to read it. Finally, every responsible American citizen should read it as it helps put into context our role as citizens in this democracy.
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  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Call to action.
    Reviewed in Canada on 30 March 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Good read. A bit long winded, but very clear on the problem. Somewhat fatalistic on the outcome. It seems the war on science is being won by those waging it.
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  • Lindosland
    3.0 out of 5 stars A very biased view, from a writer with too much faith in the myth of 'Scientific Consensus,
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 November 2017
    Verified Purchase
    While I agree with much of what this book has to say, I do not find much that is new here, having read a great deal on many of the subjects covered. I have a problem though with the basic premise of the title - that there is a 'War on Science'. While there is a deplorable lack of knowledge and understanding of science among the public, my own view is that Western societies fell in love with technology, because of its usefulness to a capitalist consumerist society, and neglected real science, forgetting that it is first and foremost about understanding how the world, and the universe, work, by the application of a method. What began with good intentions with the scientific enlightenment that took off in the eighteenth century as a search for truth, fell victim to the political correctness that grew out of that other side of the Enlightenment - democracy and humanist values. Thus, while men like Joseph Priestly and Lavoisier were applying real thinking to unravelling the mystery of oxygen (vs phlogiston), and moving us on from alchemy to a true science of chemistry,modern scientists work almost exclusively for capitalist institutions that have a lot to lose if they don't deliver the goods - pesticides and pharmaceuticals are key examples, and few are brave enough to speak truth when it means losing their jobs. The problem is not that we have a war on science, but that science has lost its way, leading all too often to scandals, reversals of opinion, and contradictory views.

    Shawn Otto does not see it like this. In his world, scientists, and especially 'experts' are to be respected and believed. In his world there is 'consensus' between 'experts', but unfortunately that is not the real world position; rather we are apt to find that 'experts' are promoted by the media, and by political factions, and institurions with power, while those that disagree with the (politically expedient) 'accepted' view are 'discredited'. By what authority are they discredited? By the High court of science? There is no such thing. Even scientific journals like Nature and Science now carry Editorials that push an 'accepted' point of view, usually unsigned and without any proper debate about the alternative view of other scientists.

    A key example, referred to in his book, is the Vaccination debate. Andrew Wakefield is here the 'discredited' scientist who proposed, and still believes, that the MMR vaccine can cause autism. The key word is CAN, because Wakefield never claimed that all autism is caused by vaccination, far from it, he was interested in a subset of children. Wakefield's evidence was never discredited (he made no great claims); but it was other aspects of his life that were picked on to 'discredit' him - he took blood samples without proper permission, he was financed by certain organisations. These issues, while raising questions about he man, do not in any way prove his ideas to be wrong; and the fact that top American courts have now awarded huge (million dollar) compensation to the families of several children whose autism they deemed to have been caused by MMR vaccination should make us think again about this matter. Meanwhile, no studies have been done to compare the rate of autism in vaccinated and unvaccinated children - that would be the obvious scientific approach, but there is too much at stake, as those in control have quietly deemed it acceptable to cause a few deaths in the interest of saving thousand of deaths from measles. This is an interesting case of the well known 'trolley problem'. Most people would not push a man to his death to save several others, but they would let an accident happen instead. The public must not know that some innocent children are, almost certainly, being killed to save the lives of many - they would not be happy about it, and would think primarily of their own children first.

    Another key issue is of course climate change. According to the author, we all know that climate change is being caused by fossil fuel use, and consequent carbon dioxide emissions, so Donald Trump is just crazy to deny the fact and want continued use of coal in power stations. In reality, Trump's main argument is with the Paris climate agreement, from which he withdrew america simply because he does not agree with America financing developing countries - some of them rich - to shift to renewable energy sources on the grounds that they are need to be compensated for their loss of 'the chance to have their own industrial revolution'. This is a very different matter, and one that many Americans agree with. He also sees a chance to reverse the damage done to mining communities, and manufacturing communities in the states. When I think of the enormous damage done to communities and families in the UK by prime minister Margaret Thatcher's decision to end coal mining, and the ongoing bitterness felt in those communities, I have a lot of sympathy for a view that puts society (there's not such thing as society said Thatcher!) before short-term economic reasoning - such changes should be phased in slowly in a way that keeps communities happy, with training and new jobs. I could raise many other relevant points. The role of carbon dioxide in global warming for example is complex and far from understood - take a look at the website of a man once destined possibly to be our new David Attenborough - David Bellamy. Once a nature documentary maker, he claims he has been dropped by the BBC because of his stance on global warming. His understanding of the subject goes far beyond that of most people, even most scientists, with an analysis of the conflicting effects of carbon dioxide at different heights in the atmosphere that most people have probably never even considered. The truth is that there is no such thing as a 'greenhouse gas' since no gas can reflect infra red; rather it absorbs and re-radiates, which changes the whole concept, since carbon dioxide at high altitude actually increases heat loss into space by radiating in all directions equally rather than reflecting it back.

    I'm not saying that man-made global warming is not occurring; just that it isn't as obvious as some would have us believe. I do believe, as do many, that vaccines cause some cases of autism. I'm a scientist, and all too aware of the tragic list of mistakes made by science over the last two hundred years to ever trust 'expert consensus'. Think displaced wombs, floating kidney, labotomy, 'Silent Spring' (DDT), nuclear fallout from testing, Windscale, the Bohpal disaster - and of all the 'cover ups' for political expediency.

    Even the issue of 'Intelligent Design', is far from being a cut and dried case, though that is not to say that I have much sympathy for those in America who deny evolution because of faith (though for the really deep science of faith read the excellent book by David Sloan Wilson, 'Darwin's Cathedral). These are a topics on which I consider myself an expert, having been deeply involved for twenty-five years in Genetics and Evolution. Evolution is a fact. That it occurs through 'natural selection' is (in real scientific circles) far from being a fact, and Darwin himself, acknowledging that he did not know the source of the generational change so essential to any theory of evolution, tended to favour the views of Lamarck, and had his own hypothesis for inheritance of acquired characteristics based on 'gemmules'. Today, leading scientists like Eva Jablonka (see 'Evolution in Four Dimensions') are putting forward ideas (including those on epigenetics) about evolution that look likely to displace the current 'Modern Synthesis' (which incidentally was never agreed on by the main scientists mentioned in what was in fact the title of a book by writer Julian Huxley).

    Shawn Otto is a science writer, not a scientist, and I'm afraid his misplaced trust is dangerous. We need more questioning by the public; more skepticism, not less. Above all we need more education and conversation around the true nature of the scientific method and the compromised position of most scientists today. Once, scientists were men of 'independent means'; seekers of truth. Today most are given a project, and seek to further their careers through their actions in a tough world. We need to support the Mavericks - at least to give them a fair hearing. Anyone seeking a grant to research, for example, autism, is much less likely to get it than someone seeking to develop a pill to cure autism - for obvious reasons. Research is funded by institutions, and institutions are not strong on moral values. We need to find a way to get back to real science.

    One area that I am pleased to see Otto emphasise is the Ideological war, and in particular Postmodernism, which has been condemned by many top scientists. There are however, many other books on this topic, especially in relation to the take over of Universities by a generation of professors who grew up with postmodernism, that go into the topic in great depth. Again, I must blame scientists for not fighting back hard enough against their misguided colleagues in 'the humanities'.
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