Free Book Chapter: Merchants of Doubt

Naomi Oreskes is a historian of science at the University of California, San Diego. The focus of her work over the last few years has been the large role that a small group of cold war physicists have played in casting doubt on science that they have perceived as being threatening to capitalism and freedom. These include the connection between tobacco and cancer, and climate change.

Her latest book is Merchants of Doubt, and NCSE has made the chapter, "The Denial of Global Warming," available for free. The chapter only covers the controversy up until the 1990s, so it serves as background information on how we got to this point. Nevertheless, I think you'll find plenty of material to raise your blood pressure.

I've highlighted Oreskes before (see Evils and Designs of Conspiring Men). I haven't read the book yet, but I've read descriptions of it and heard Oreskes discuss it in interviews. It sounds like a more detailed version of what is described in that post.

If you find Merchants of Doubt interesting, you may also want to check out Doubt is Their Product, which I highlighted here.

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