Bad Science

Really gives you food for thought. Despite being published in 2008, its message couldn't be more relevant as Goldacre reflects on how baseless scientific claims are used by the media and politics and exaggerated for financial gain.
Expert information in an accessible format.

An interesting book on the common scientific fads and misconceptions but in some chapters he babbles on some things that don't really contribute to the main factor. I also hated the fact that he sometimes focused too much on bashing on singular personality/method for an extended period of time.
Otherwise, it is quite readable and informative (You won't really find much to learn here if you already have read a few books but for a layman it is fine )
3.5 stars/5

This was a very interesting look a massaging data in medical and nutritional studies. In addition to that, shoddy journalism reporting on those studies is covered. I enjoyed it but it was dense at times.

Like a lot of books of this genre, it could have been a fraction of the size and still got its points across.

For example homeopathy is pure quackery, people involved are, unsurprisingly, not interested in fair trials, since their livelihood depends on it. That's about it, but he manages to pad this out to nearly 40 pages.

For most chapters you will get his point after the first few pages, but you'll have to endure page after page after page of examples.

He writes with a kind of incredulity that people don't tell the truth, that pharma companies fudge trials, that the media perpetuates lies. They all make a living by doing this, so I'm not remotely incredulous.

I read this in 2022, so debunking Gillian McKeith was something I'm not really interested in.

I'm amongst the pages of fluff, he talks about some interesting topics. I think the placebo effect is fascinating and so does he.

It's not a bad book, overly wordy and a bit dated.

Amusing, at times alarming, and above all very informative about the failings of well-meaning alternative medicine nuts, disingenuous charlatans, incompetent science journalists, malevolent pharmaceutical companies, and willfully close-minded politicians.

Anyone with a vague interest in how evidence can be manipulated or misinterpreted, or in the state of public understanding of science as a whole, should pick it up.

While it preaches to the choir to a certain extent, many incisive and eye-opening facts are presented in a very engaging manner.

The core message of the book is that the vast majority of what is written and read today about “health” and “diets” and other similar subjects concerning our well-being are in actual fact supported by claims that have utterly vacuous science behind them — if any at all. If you're into homeopathy or any New Age-y methodologies for improving your quality of life, you're in for some rude awakenings.

One subject that is thankfully covered in detail is the complexity of the placebo effect. Because many of the readers of Goldacre's critique will quickly fire back the expected “but they DO work for me!” arguments, he has taken the time to explain what the placebo effect actually is — why it “working” may not mean quite what you expect — and how truly fascinating the science behind it is.

He is also quick to point out that the placebo effect, carefully dressed, is also what has allowed the book's villainous charlatans to mislead and exploit the gullible, the tired, the sick, and the stupid for so long.

As far as a pop-lit critique of modern scientific marketing goes, I consider it required reading. As a scholarly effort, it's not without its problems, but those neither diminish its value nor cloud the integrity of its point.

The world would be a better place if all highschool students had “Bad Science” on their mandatory reading lists.

very informative stuff, and a sense of humor to boot. it's a bit pedantic, but i perfectly understand goldacre's frustration with the general ignorance concerning science. in a buyer beware market, the buyer is required to be aware. and shamelessly stupid and dishonest people profit when they are not.

unsurprising is the info debunking kinoki foot pads, ionic foot baths, and homeopathy as a whole. was surprised though by the chapter on the placebo effect and some of the big pharma info. the writing is pretty cheeky, not award winning stuff, but entertaining and interesting with some priceless quotes sprinkled throughout.