Rating: 
Summary: Just about there
Review: I loved the book, personally. Robert Park has put out a well spoken, easy to read book debunking pseudoscience. He did, mention, once in awhile, that a lot of modern science ("real" scince) does come from alternate means of research, but at the same time talks about times where the research just did not add up in the scientific community, and clearly explains how it did not add up, and then shows how these concepts were accepted by the general public in lieu of civilizations brightest.I have to admit that there was one underlying theme that I have to reject (sorry Dr. Parks). I have not been convinced of Darwinism. Using the same skepticism that Robert Parks invokes in this book, I have also read too many books, by prestigious scientists, that also punch holes into Darwinism. I had actually purchased this book with "Tornado in a Junkyard". The theory of evolution, just doesn't add up. The equations are astronomical. However, Robert Parks blatantly stated that Darwinian Theory, as well as Big Bang theory, are true (Page 82, second paragraph). Pretty bold statement to be made in trying to invoke skepticism. That's why I have to say it's "Just about there", and the only reason this received 4 stars and not 5. Other than his own belief being added in text to skepticism (and Dr. Parks, you said yourself that people accept scientific beliefs the same way they choose to be Methodist, Democrats and Chicago Cubs fans in your Preface, page viii and ix), this was a great book for anyone looking to see the world w/ clearer eyes. I hope everyone else enjoys this book as much (maybe more) as I did.
Rating: 
Summary: Tightly written, engaging, fun ... and informative
Review: I would say that VOODOO SCIENCE can rightly be called "Skepticism For Dummies." It debunks New Age thinking and pseudo-science without using the kind of technical jargon that sometimes alienates lay-people. While its contents will seem obvious to the scientifically informed, it's important to remember that those folks are NOT the intended audience. Mr. Park is clearly trying to do more than just preach to the converted, and I think VOODOO SCIENCE will definitely win some converts. Five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Science is not just for scientists
Review: It's for everyone. It's for everyone who wants to understand what their taxes pay for, and for everyone who wants to know when the fear-mongers are howling nonsense (again). I really enjoy this book. It's based on understandable facts and it covers a number of specific cases. It's well written, without a lot of intimidating terms. Best, it gives the reader some specific signs that often indicate the phonies: barely-there statistics that never seem to get better, a peculiar mix of grandstanding and secrecy, and a tendency to ignore results that don't give the "right" answer. Most of all, the frauds seem uniform in demanding that they be judged as people, not that their science be judged in independent labs. Parks does an especially good job of describing the fools and frauds who attract attention in Congress. Somehow, we seem to have gone downhill at separating verifiable fact from wishes and pseudoscience. He mentions the man-to-Mars mission proposed by President Bush (the other mission proposed by the other Bush) - space opera, not science. He mentions only briefly confusion of personal values with verifiable fact - I can think of too many current cases that show the confusion is still there. Junk science in the service is junk morality is not new. I'm sure the reader will come away better able to recognize it in every day's headlines. This book shows that real scientific reasoning is accessible to everyone, using the delightful example of Emily Rosa. She clearly demonstrated absurd claims of "aura alignment", published 'solid gold' statistical analysis in the Journal of the AMA, and was awarded a research grant many times the cost of her original study. Not bad for a fourth grader. I wish more adults had that clarity of mind. I can't give this five stars, since it one good book among many other good books on the topic. That does not detract from this book in any way, but it has so much good company that it can't really stand out. It's a quick read, and very worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: Smart and Logical
Review: Park does an excellent job in logically and thoroughly debunking inventions and contraptions that contain more hopeful thinking than real science. I read this book first when I was fairly young, and it really opened my eyes to the vast expanse of things people believe in simply because it matches their prototype of "science." I would highly recommend this book to teenagers who, as they gain further exposure to the world, need to learn to examine things with a sharp eye.
Rating:
Summary: Convincing, entertaining and worthwhile
Review: Professor Park has a dry satirical wit that he unleashes here on the practitioners of what he calls "voodoo science." This oblique reference to Reaganomics is no accident since one of Park's targets in this fun-to-read debunking is the Strategic Defense Initiative ("Star Wars"), a pseudoscientific fraud that, in the author's words "only left the United States more vulnerable" and out thirty billion dollars. The fact that we "won" the cold war is seen as fortuitous and irrelevant. His attack on Edward Teller, Reagan's trusted science advisor, and his phony "super excaliber" x-ray laser is close to hilarious, and reminds me a little bit of some of the shtick in the film "Dr. Strangelove."
Park also takes apart the cold fusion delusion which he says went from incompetence to self-deception to outright fraud. He quotes the science editor of an Italian newspaper who called Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons, the University of Utah scientists who concocted the delusion, "fornicating priests" for their betrayal of science and for defiling "the temple of truth."
Other targets include parapsychologists and their statistical "proofs"; NASA (for its manned space program instead of a robotic program that is both cheaper and more effective); homeopathic medicine, which Park claims is no medicine at all beyond a placebo value; Congress for being duped by the likes of Joe Newman and his infinite energy machine, and others; the media, especially Paul Brodeur of the New Yorker for ranting about a nonexistent connection between electromagnetic fields and cancer, and Michael Guillen of ABC news for TV "entertainments" that lent credence to a certain James Patterson and his magical energy beads as well as to such notions as psychokinesis and astrology.
Park even goes after that darling of public television and the New Age set, best-selling author, Deepak Chopra. He writes, "Physicists wince at Chopra's use of the word quantum in the context of a discussion of cancer." He suggests that "Dr. Chopra's familiarity with quantum theory consists of having read Hawking's enormously popular book on cosmology, A Brief History of Time" (p. 193). He adds on page 208, "We cannot help but notice...that the author of Ageless Mind shows unmistakable signs of growing old right along with the rest of us."
I like the way Park shows that governmental secrecy is often just a way of keeping incompetence and delusion, fraud and embarrassing mistakes covered up. He gives not only examples from the U.S. but describes how the French government under Valery Giscard d'Estaing covered up $200-million that was thrown away on a so-called "sniffer plane," an aircraft with a device that was supposed to be able to map mineral deposits from the air. Turns out it was just a bold-faced fraud dreamed up by a Count de Villegas.
In short, Park has both barrels loaded, takes dead aim and blasts fake science to smithereens. Unfortunately, somebody else will just have to do it again next week, since everybody knows people love to believe, be it aliens or vast conspiracies or just in the seductive "myth of the self-educated genius fighting against a pompous, closed minded establishment" (p. 112). Park is to be commended for writing this book because, as he notes on page 177, "It is an axiom in the publishing business...that pseudoscience will always sell more books than the real science that debunks it." This axiom may be wearing thin since I notice that Voodoo Science has sold well while (e.g.) Suppressed Inventions, a book touting everything Park debunks here (and more), hasn't done so well. Not that this proves anything; however, having read both books (or as much of the latter as I could stand) this is reassuring.
Rating:
Summary: Tightly written, engaging, fun ... and informative
Review: Robert Park is a talented and smart writer who has crammed this book full of interesting facts and forceful counter-blasts against the endless "voodoo science" we are subjected to on a daily basis. One big revelation for me -- homeopathy is total hokum. I had no idea the various unique doses contain no ingredients, apart from the lactose pill or water (Park savages homeopathy in a chapter on the placebo effect). I also enjoyed his mention of how a schoolgirl invented a double-blind test that proved "touch therapy" was a load of cobblers (therapists put both hands through individual holes in a screen, while the girl would see if they could tell which hand she was holding hers under ... they got it right only 44% of the time, worse than not trying at all!). Get this book!
Rating:
Summary: Preaching to the Choir
Review: Robert Park's Voodoo Science is an excellent expose of science gone wrong. Park defines three main problems: pathological science, when scientists deliberately continue down a mistaken path in spite of the evidence; junk science, claims made to convince laymen based not on probability or evidence, but on possibility only; and pseudoscience, beliefs without scientific foundation at all, but supported by scientific jargon. But don't for a moment think that this is an attack on science itself--far from it. Park is a professor of Physics at the University of Maryland, and he is impassioned about the sciences and scientific discovery. Voodoo Science is an attempt to make science better, by calling on all concerned to exercise critical thinking over blind acceptance and to recognize the difference between entertainment, belief and truth. He takes on fellow scientists, backyard inventors, new age gurus and healers, and especially (and deservedly) the media. I was incensed reading his accounts of the irresponsible reporting from the national media of many of these claims. But herein lies the problem--for those with a fairly strong general scientific background, Park's writing is easy to follow and his arguments compelling. But the media doesn't report for those people, primarily, and they apparently don't see their responsibility as education. I can't help feeling that most people reading this book will already agree with Park's point of view, although they may not have applied his reasoning to each of the cases he examines. I doubt that those of a less skeptical mind will be convinced, and certainly some of the other reviews bear out my expectations. Park doesn't swing wildly, either; he restricts his aim to only a few targets. Most of his time is spent on perpetual motion machines and cold fusion; homeopathy also earns his scorn. Unfortunately, if you believe in the memory of water, and use liquid crystal displays as an example, you're not going to be convinced by the director of the Washington office of the American Physical Society, even if he knows what he's talking about and you don't. Park cites the X-File's Fox Mulder's office sign "I want to believe" and so obviously he is aware of the problem. Less thoroughly covered is the category of pseudoscience, and I'm lead to wonder whether Park steered clear of this category out of fear of alienating his readers through confronting their religious beliefs. For example, creationism is totally ignored in favor of discussing the scare of high-power lines. But the examples of voodoo science are innumerable, and criticizing Park for leaving certain ones out is to miss the point. Park shows us a way to think, but as a true educator he leaves the thinking to us. We will all be better if we are less gullible.
Rating:
Summary: Written by James Randi-type person from American Physical So
Review: That the society is rife with pseudosciences was not surprising at all. After all, about 45% of people in US believe in creationism and/or ESP. However, the fact that the institution which I have been regarding as a bastion of legitimate scientists was not immune to this virulent "voodoo" science was unexpected.
In 1998, the journal Nature published a paper by Jacques Benveniste, a famous French homeopathist, that claimed an antibody solution continued to evoke a biological response even if it was diluted to 10E30th. Benveniste claimed it proved the antibody had left an "imprint" of some sort on the solvent. Many scientists felt the editor of Nature, John Maddox, should have rejected the paper outright. The story doesn't end here. The director of the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine, writing in Nature Medicine, described Benveniste as "one of the deepest and most difficult enigmas in modern biology". It is unconceivable to me that NIH Office of Alternative Medicine, which covers homeopathy and magnet therapy among others, is a legitimate body that receives budget from Congress.
However, author's claim must be taken with grain of salt. For example, to show the difficulty of sustaining a colony on Mars, author uses a botched Biosphere 2 project as an example. Biosphere 2 itself was an apotheosis of pseudoscience, planned and operated by New Age cult. Of course it failed, but how could he use it as an example?
Rating:
Summary: The Opium of the Masses, the Madness of the Few
Review: There is now a bona fide genre of 'Sceptic' writings, which are probably familiar to people interested in Robert L. Park's "Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud". Along with the likes of Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Michael Shermer and James Randi, Park attacks pseudoscience and stresses the importance of rationality. "Voodoo Science" proves to be one of the better examples of this genre. Although it doesn't quite match Carl Sagan's brilliant "The Demon Haunted World", Park's book is noteworthy for three main reasons: The creative structure and fine prose, the choice of the targets, and the underlying theme of this book - how Voodoo Science is a journey from sincere errors through self delusion to outright fraud. Park's writing is elegant and easy to read. I've finished 'Voodoo Science' within two days, a tribute both to the shortness of the book and to Park's ability as a storyteller. Furthermore, Park explains science well; I particularly liked his explanation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics ("You can't win" and "You can't break even, either"). Unlike most of these kinds of book, Park chooses to tell stories throughout the book, and as a consequence gives the feeling of a plot unravelling. Park also manages to tell similar stories together, proving that while fools change, the foolishness remains the same. Park's choice of targets is also an advantage. Part of it is that Park's book is recent, and that many of the scandals are relatively new (the 80s and 90s, rather then the 60s and 70s as in many other such books). But it is more then that - Park picks on phenomena which reached bodies - US Congress, Prime Time US TV, and NASA - who should have known better. The best chapters in the book are the fourth and eight. "The Virtual Astronaut" attacks manned flights to space, and argues that they are huge vanity projects of little practical value. It is a forceful suggestion, and one that is actually quite bold - unlike UFOs, Astrology and Creationism, Space travel is dear to the hearts of many sceptics, myself included. Nonetheless, Park's case is convincing. As presently carried out, Manned Space Exploration is a waste of time and money, and as the recent disaster of the Columbia space shuttle has demonstrated, dangerous as well. I do wish that Park would discuss some ideas which might make manned space travel a more practical possibility, particularly the proposal for a space elevator - a satellite connected with a cable to earth, on which it would be possible to 'climb' to space. Chapter 8, "Judgement Day" discusses attempts by the US Jurisprudence to fight Junk Science - the use of science to bewilder and bedazzle laypersons, and especially juries. The US Supreme Court ruled that it is the Judge's role to be a gatekeeper, to distinguish for the Jury between real and fake science, using outside experts if necessary. I wish Park had elaborated on this issue more, presenting some of the obstacles to this (such as who is qualified to decide, in concrete cases and on a tight schedule, what is or isn't voodoo science), and the dissenting opinions of the Supreme Court. If Judges have to decide for the jury what science is or isn't, aren't we approaching the point where the judiciary dictates the trial's results? Does the Judge replace the "Jury of one's peers" as the agent who finds the defendant guilty or innocent? And if so, is it a good or bad thing? The main current of the book, its thesis, is an examination of the subtitle's "Road from Foolishness to Fraud". The how and when of inventors getting lost in their own hype, beginning to lie rather then admit they were wrong. This is an interesting theme which Park could have followed more closely with an inside look at people on that road. Alas, no such a description is given. I would have been particularly interested in an interview with Michael Guillen, the book's anti-hero, a physicist who "documents" all forms of paranormal folly for prime time TV. An anthropologist's inside view on the scandal would have greatly added to Park's book. Such minor flaws not withstanding, Robert L. Park wrote an interesting and fun to read debunking book. If you like the genre, you'll love it. If you're a believer, try reading it with an open mind - it may do you some good.
Rating:
Summary: The Opium of the Masses, the Madness of the Few
Review: There is now a bona fide genre of 'Sceptic' writings, which are probably familiar to people interested in Robert L. Park's "Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud". Along with the likes of Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Michael Shermer and James Randi, Park attacks pseudoscience and stresses the importance of rationality. "Voodoo Science" proves to be one of the better examples of this genre. Although it doesn't quite match Carl Sagan's brilliant "The Demon Haunted World", Park's book is noteworthy for three main reasons: The creative structure and fine prose, the choice of the targets, and the underlying theme of this book - how Voodoo Science is a journey from sincere errors through self delusion to outright fraud. Park's writing is elegant and easy to read. I've finished 'Voodoo Science' within two days, a tribute both to the shortness of the book and to Park's ability as a storyteller. Furthermore, Park explains science well; I particularly liked his explanation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics ("You can't win" and "You can't break even, either"). Unlike most of these kinds of book, Park chooses to tell stories throughout the book, and as a consequence gives the feeling of a plot unravelling. Park also manages to tell similar stories together, proving that while fools change, the foolishness remains the same. Park's choice of targets is also an advantage. Part of it is that Park's book is recent, and that many of the scandals are relatively new (the 80s and 90s, rather then the 60s and 70s as in many other such books). But it is more then that - Park picks on phenomena which reached bodies - US Congress, Prime Time US TV, and NASA - who should have known better. The best chapters in the book are the fourth and eight. "The Virtual Astronaut" attacks manned flights to space, and argues that they are huge vanity projects of little practical value. It is a forceful suggestion, and one that is actually quite bold - unlike UFOs, Astrology and Creationism, Space travel is dear to the hearts of many sceptics, myself included. Nonetheless, Park's case is convincing. As presently carried out, Manned Space Exploration is a waste of time and money, and as the recent disaster of the Columbia space shuttle has demonstrated, dangerous as well. I do wish that Park would discuss some ideas which might make manned space travel a more practical possibility, particularly the proposal for a space elevator - a satellite connected with a cable to earth, on which it would be possible to 'climb' to space. Chapter 8, "Judgement Day" discusses attempts by the US Jurisprudence to fight Junk Science - the use of science to bewilder and bedazzle laypersons, and especially juries. The US Supreme Court ruled that it is the Judge's role to be a gatekeeper, to distinguish for the Jury between real and fake science, using outside experts if necessary. I wish Park had elaborated on this issue more, presenting some of the obstacles to this (such as who is qualified to decide, in concrete cases and on a tight schedule, what is or isn't voodoo science), and the dissenting opinions of the Supreme Court. If Judges have to decide for the jury what science is or isn't, aren't we approaching the point where the judiciary dictates the trial's results? Does the Judge replace the "Jury of one's peers" as the agent who finds the defendant guilty or innocent? And if so, is it a good or bad thing? The main current of the book, its thesis, is an examination of the subtitle's "Road from Foolishness to Fraud". The how and when of inventors getting lost in their own hype, beginning to lie rather then admit they were wrong. This is an interesting theme which Park could have followed more closely with an inside look at people on that road. Alas, no such a description is given. I would have been particularly interested in an interview with Michael Guillen, the book's anti-hero, a physicist who "documents" all forms of paranormal folly for prime time TV. An anthropologist's inside view on the scandal would have greatly added to Park's book. Such minor flaws not withstanding, Robert L. Park wrote an interesting and fun to read debunking book. If you like the genre, you'll love it. If you're a believer, try reading it with an open mind - it may do you some good.
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