Prothero offers plenty of convincing proof that nonsense is nonsense.
A veteran scientist disproves a host of outlandish beliefs.
In his latest, geologist and paleontologist Prothero attacks many of the avalanche of conspiracy theories, pseudoscientific explanations of natural phenomenon, quack cures, and other mythical doctrines that have existed throughout history but have mushroomed over the past generation with the explosion of the internet and lowbrow journalism. Most readers know that some unscientific beliefs, such as UFOs and creationism, enjoy a mass audience, but the author deliver some jolts—e.g., 6% to 9% of Americans believe the Apollo moon landing might be a hoax (it’s 25% in both Britain and Russia). Many people are so gullible that parody internet sites purporting to advance ridiculous beliefs (“Christians Against Dinosaurs”) convince many. Prothero also delivers 20 pages of solid evidence that the Earth is not flat, which may be more than most readers require, and he demonstrates that it orbits the sun, is not hollow, and does not harbor advanced civilizations reachable though deep caves, perhaps beneath Mount Shasta in California. Also, Atlantis is a myth, the Earth is older than 6,000 years, bad weather does not predict earthquakes, and Noah’s flood cannot explain today’s geology. Aware of this pervasive and seemingly unending blather, most readers are unwilling to give themselves an ulcer fending it off—that stress produces ulcers is another myth. Prothero cannot resist, but he is an excellent writer, so readers will learn a great deal of science as well as the history and current status of a staggering number of absurd beliefs. His introduction and conclusion deliver an earnest case for the scientific method, although the best explication remains David Deutsch’s The Beginning of Infinity (2011), which dismisses the traditional defense (experiments, logic, impartiality, peer review) in favor of a simpler one: Science provides good explanations, not bad ones.
Prothero offers plenty of convincing proof that nonsense is nonsense. (63 b/w illustrations)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68435-061-2
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Red Lightning Books
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Occasionally wonky but overall a good case for how the dismal science can make the world less—well, dismal.
“Quality of life means more than just consumption”: Two MIT economists urge that a smarter, more politically aware economics be brought to bear on social issues.
It’s no secret, write Banerjee and Duflo (co-authors: Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way To Fight Global Poverty, 2011), that “we seem to have fallen on hard times.” Immigration, trade, inequality, and taxation problems present themselves daily, and they seem to be intractable. Economics can be put to use in figuring out these big-issue questions. Data can be adduced, for example, to answer the question of whether immigration tends to suppress wages. The answer: “There is no evidence low-skilled migration to rich countries drives wage and employment down for the natives.” In fact, it opens up opportunities for those natives by freeing them to look for better work. The problem becomes thornier when it comes to the matter of free trade; as the authors observe, “left-behind people live in left-behind places,” which explains why regional poverty descended on Appalachia when so many manufacturing jobs left for China in the age of globalism, leaving behind not just left-behind people but also people ripe for exploitation by nationalist politicians. The authors add, interestingly, that the same thing occurred in parts of Germany, Spain, and Norway that fell victim to the “China shock.” In what they call a “slightly technical aside,” they build a case for addressing trade issues not with trade wars but with consumption taxes: “It makes no sense to ask agricultural workers to lose their jobs just so steelworkers can keep theirs, which is what tariffs accomplish.” Policymakers might want to consider such counsel, especially when it is coupled with the observation that free trade benefits workers in poor countries but punishes workers in rich ones.
Occasionally wonky but overall a good case for how the dismal science can make the world less—well, dismal.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-61039-950-0
Page Count: 432
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Review Posted Online: Aug. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
Maher calls out idiocy wherever he sees it, with a comedic delivery that veers between a stiletto and a sledgehammer.
The comedian argues that the arts of moderation and common sense must be reinvigorated.
Some people are born snarky, some become snarky, and some have snarkiness thrust upon them. Judging from this book, Maher—host of HBO’s Real Time program and author of The New New Rules and When You Ride Alone, You Ride With bin Laden—is all three. As a comedian, he has a great deal of leeway to make fun of people in politics, and he often delivers hilarious swipes with a deadpan face. The author describes himself as a traditional liberal, with a disdain for Republicans (especially the MAGA variety) and a belief in free speech and personal freedom. He claims that he has stayed much the same for more than 20 years, while the left, he argues, has marched toward intolerance. He sees an addiction to extremism on both sides of the aisle, which fosters the belief that anyone who disagrees with you must be an enemy to be destroyed. However, Maher has always displayed his own streaks of extremism, and his scorched-earth takedowns eventually become problematic. The author has something nasty to say about everyone, it seems, and the sarcastic tone starts after more than 300 pages. As has been the case throughout his career, Maher is best taken in small doses. The book is worth reading for the author’s often spot-on skewering of inept politicians and celebrities, but it might be advisable to occasionally dip into it rather than read the whole thing in one sitting. Some parts of the text are hilarious, but others are merely insulting. Maher is undeniably talented, but some restraint would have produced a better book.
Maher calls out idiocy wherever he sees it, with a comedic delivery that veers between a stiletto and a sledgehammer.Pub Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781668051351
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
