The term “War on Science” comes from multiple sources, one being Chris Mooney’s book “The Republican War on Science” (see below) and another, the made up “War on Christmas,” a term attributed to Bill O’Really. Throw in a little “Culture War” rhetoric and I think we have a good basis for the origin of the term. The term “War on X” has been in used for decades if not longer, when some large perhaps organized group of people or institutions takes up the task of shutting down some thing or another. It does not mean an actual war with generals and troops and bullets, but the metaphor “war” is still quite apt because there are generals and troops and bullets, just metaphorical ones.

Anyway, I thought it would be a good idea to provide a list of current or recent books and other resources pertaining to the war on science. Where I’ve reviewed a book here, I provide a link to that review. There are also some helpful web sites and podcasts listed below. The listing of resources is divided up by “front” or “battle ground” where appropriate, keeping with the “War on Science” metaphor.

The War on Science, General

Books:

• Mooney, Chris and Sheril Kirshenbaum. Unscientific America

• Otto, Shawn. Fool me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America

• Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming
• The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny Science- and Reality

Podcasts:

• Interview of Shawn Otto

• The War on Science, Interview with Greg Laden

• Skeptically Speaking #147 Science and Politics – a panel discussion about what happens when science intersects with politics. We’re joined by Sheril Kirshenbaum, co-author of Unscientific America, anthropologist/blogger Greg Laden, and Shawn Lawrence Otto, and National Center for Science Education Executive Director Eugenie Scott returns to discuss an exciting new project to defend consensus science.

• The Difference Between Science And Bunk: Massimo Pigliucci on Atheists Talk #059

Blog posts:

• Posts on this blog regarding denialism and woo

Creationism

Books:

• Forrest, Barbara and Paul Gross. Creationism’s Trojan Horse

• Montgomery, David. The Rocks Don’t Lie: A geologist investigates Noah’s flood

• Scott, Eugenie. Evolution vs. Creationism, Second Edition

Podcasts:

• Skeptically Speaking #138 – what happens when a bedrock scientific theory goes up for debate in the contentious realm of politics? We’ll speak to Dr. Eugenie Scott, Executive Director, and Steven Newton, Programs and Policy Director, at the National Center for Science Education, about evolution as a political issue. And anthropologist and blogger Greg Laden analyzes the fallout from the so-called “climategate” emails.

• NCSE: Genie Scott and Greg Laden on Atheists Talk #68

Blogs and Blog Posts:

• National Center for Science Education
• Posts on this blog regarding creationism

Climate Science

Books:

• Hansen, James. Storms of my Grandchildren

• Mann, Michael. The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars

• Mooney, Chris. The Republican War on Science

• Mooney, Chris. Storm World: Hurricanes, poplitics, and the battle over global warming

• Powell, James Lawrence. The Inquisition of Climate Science

Podcasts:

• Skeptically Speaking #177 Climate Change at CONvergence – highlights from “The Chilling Effects of Denialism,” and “Who Will Save the Polar Bears,” two panels on climate change recorded live as part of the Skepchickcon track at CONvergence 2012, and moderated by our host, Desiree Schell. Science writer Maggie Koerth-Baker, engineering professor John Abraham, science advocate and writer Shawn Otto, and biological anthropologist Greg Laden discussed the causes and effects of climate change, and how debate over the science has played out in the media and popular culture

• “The Science of Global Warming.” Science v Denialism on Atheists Talk #126. Kevin Zelnio and John Abraham Discuss Climate Change with Mike Haubrich and Greg Laden

Blog posts and Web sites:

• National Center for Science Education

• Skeptical Science, everything you need to know to answer denialist questions

Anti-Vax and related health woo

Books:

• Offit, Paul. Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All

Podcasts:

• Skeptically Speaking #82 – Dr. David Gorski, surgical oncologist and Managing Editor of Science-Based Medicine, about the science and the suspicion of vaccinations

• Skeptically Speaking #113 – Science Based Medicine And The Media: Dr. Steven Novella, academic clinical neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine, Executive Editor of the website Science-Based Medicine, and a senior fellow and Director of Science-Based Medicine at the James Randi Educational Foundation and Maria Walters, on the Grassroots Skepticism Workshop at SkepchickCon.

• Skeptically Speaking #115 – blogger Scicurious discusses the fact and fiction of mobile phones, and medical physicist Dr. Marc MacKenzie, discusses the science of microwave radiation.

• Skeptically Speaking #184 – Your Baby’s Best Shot: Allison Hagood and Stacy Herlihy, to talk about their book Your Baby’s Best Shot: Why Vaccines are Safe and Save Lives. And we’re joined by Skepchick.org founder Rebecca Watson, to talk about pseudoscience that’s targeted and marketed specifically at women

Web sites or blog posts:

• Respectful Insolence, blog by Orac

Have you read the breakthrough novel of the year? When you are done with that, try:

In Search of Sungudogo by Greg Laden, now in Kindle or Paperback
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