Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future

By Sheril Kirshenbaum and Chris C. Mooney

Book Overview

In his famous 1959 Rede lecture at Cambridge University, the scientifically-trained novelist C.P. Snow described science and the humanities as "two cultures," separated by a "gulf of mutual incomprehension." And the humanists had all the cultural power -- the low prestige of science, Snow argued, left Western leaders too little educated in scientific subjects that were increasingly central to world problems: the elementary physics behind nuclear weapons, for instance, or the basics of plant science needed to feed the world's growing population. Now, Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum, a journalist-scientist team, offer an updated "two cultures" polemic for America in the 21st century. Just as in Snow's time, some of our gravest challenges -- climate change, the energy crisis, national economic competitiveness -- and gravest threats -- global pandemics, nuclear proliferation -- have fundamentally scientific underpinnings. Yet we still live in a culture that rarely takes science seriously or has it on the radar. For every five hours of cable news, less than a minute is devoted to science; 46 percent of Americans reject evolution and think the Earth is less than 10,000 years old; the number of newspapers with weekly science sections has shrunken by two-thirds over the past several decades. The public is polarized over climate change -- an issue where political party affiliation determines one's view of reality -- and in dangerous retreat from childhood vaccinations. Meanwhile, only 18 percent of Americans have even met a scientist to begin with; more than half can't name a living scientist role model. For this dismaying situation, Mooney and Kirshenbaum don't let anyone off the hook. They highlight the anti-intellectual tendencies of the American public (and particularly the politicians and journalists who are supposed to serve it), but also challenge the scientists themselves, who despite the best of intentions have often failed to communicate about their work effectively to a broad public -- and so have ceded their critical place in the public sphere to religious and commercial propagandists. A plea for enhanced scientific literacy, Unscientific America urges those who care about the place of science in our society to take unprecedented action. We must begin to train a small army of ambassadors who can translate science's message and make it relevant to the media, to politicians, and to the public in the broadest sense. An impassioned call to arms worthy of Snow's original manifesto, this book lays the groundwork for reintegrating science into the public discourse -- before it's too late. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465013058
• ISBN13: 9780465013050
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.0" x 6.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Trades polemic finger pointing for positive and practical optimism

Unlike Mooney's previous The Republician War on Science, this book isn't a polemic and will unlikely offend anyone. Instead, in a rare move, for commentary non-fiction actually focus on what can be done about the problem rather than an overdose of mockery. Perhaps the most surprising was the books focus of the New Atheists (Richard Dawkins and such) as being a problem for science. The argument (that they create unnecessay...

Brief but compelling, balanced and informative argument

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Unlike others' complaints, I praise its brevity. In fact, I thought the book was dense with useful stories and talking points but without belaboring them. This is a strength of the book--and indeed something the authors suggest that scientists should become better skilled at. Most scientists who have not actively thought about such issues as relationships between science and the media and religion...

A Personal Epiphany

For many years I wondered why there seemed to be a disconnect between what scientists were stating vs. what the public thought they were saying. Nowhere is this more true than with global warming (climate change). Climate change has been extensively researched and the overwhelming majority of climate scientists agree that the observed modern day global warming is unprecedented and is very likely caused by humans. Although...

A 'must' for any concerned about the unscientific paths America is charting ahead

UNSCIENTIFIC AMERICA: HOW SCIENTIFIC ILLITERACY THREATENS OUR FUTURE offers important assessments from a journalist and author and a scientist who join forces to explain how religious ideologies and a range of influences have collaborated to create a society where science and mainstream American beliefs diverge. This is a 'must' for any concerned about the unscientific paths America is charting ahead - and who seek to remedy...

The things it focuses on provide the value

First of all, there WAS a Republican War on Science. Some of it has ended. Marc Morano is no longer working for Senator Inhofe, he's out promoting anti-science in a PR venue, where he should have been all along. Sarah Palin is no longer governor. George Bush is no longer president. There is a possiblity of reviving the Congressional Office on Science and Technology. Triana, slandered as the Gorecam by the Republicans, may...