Bitely

Merchants of Doubt

Naomi Oreskes

From the dangers of smoking to climate change, the media misled nearly every essential public topic for political reasons. The active spread of misinformation and doubt aimed at misleading the public has been a favorite weapon of those challenging the scientific evidence supporting these issues.

environment

sustainability

politics

climate-change

13 min

7 Bite

Insight

What's it about?

Merchants of Doubt (2011) discusses pressing scientific debates, such as smoking, the environment, and nuclear weapons. In these bites, you will discover how several prominent scientists have twisted these issues in the mainstream media to benefit corporate and industry interests.

Book summary

Naomi Oreskes is an American science historian, author, and professor. She is well-known for her work in the history of science, particularly in scientific consensus and climate change. Oreskes has written extensively on the topic of climate change, including co-authoring the book "Merchants of Doubt," which explores the tactics used by some individuals and organizations to sow doubt about the scientific consensus on climate change.

"When we damage the environment, we damage everything we depend on."

"When God made the planet, he made the plants, he made the animals, he made the Sun and the Moon, and he made us, and we're all interconnected, and when we disregard, disrespect, or damage any part of it, we do violence against creation."

"The same mentality that leads to environmental despoliation, environmental destruction, also leads to damage to people."

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All Bites

7 Bites

Tobacco companies misled the general public about smoking's health risks on purpose.

Tobacco companies kept raising doubt about the effects of secondhand smoke and science itself.

The scientific argument on nuclear weapons was dragged out.

In the 1970s, the US government sabotaged studies on acid rain.

In the 1990s, the ozone layer was a hotly debated issue among scientists.

In the 1980s, the research proving global warming was largely ignored.

The pesticide debate, dormant for years, became a focal point of environmental regulation crackdowns in the early 2000s.

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