Library:Galileo's Middle Finger
| Galileo's Middle Finger | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alice Dreger |
| First published | 2015 |
| ISBN | 978-1-59420-608-5 unverified |
| Role | Analysis |
| Domains | Science & Environment Culture, Religion & Society |
| Tactics | Manipulation Statistical & Evidentiary Distortion |
Galileo's Middle Finger is a 2015 book by Alice Dreger.
Summary
Alice Dreger, a historian of medicine and science who was a longtime activist for intersex people's rights, examines conflicts between scientific research and activism. The book's subtitle is Heretics, Activists, and One Scholar's Search for Justice.
Controversies
Dreger investigates several cases in which researchers faced campaigns against them, including the anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon, who was accused in a 2000 book of serious misconduct among the Yanomami, and the psychologist J. Michael Bailey, whose book on gender identity led to complaints. Dreger concludes that many of the most serious accusations in these cases were unsupported.
Science and justice
She also describes cases in which she believed scientists and doctors acted wrongly, including research on prenatal treatment that she argued had been conducted without proper oversight. Dreger argues that evidence and justice depend on each other, and that both activists and scientists can distort facts to serve their goals.
Reception
The book was widely praised for its investigative detail, while some of those involved in the controversies disputed her conclusions.
Relevance to Bullshitopedia
The book shows how accusations can spread faster than evidence, and how both scientists and their critics can misrepresent facts. It is a useful reminder that misinformation can come from any direction.