America is a country of everyday crises - big, long-spanning problems that persist despite their toll on the country's health. Opioids, concussions, climate change, the list is long. And for every case of government inaction on one of these issues, there is familiar refrain: “The science is unclear.” But is it?
In his latest book, The Triumph of Doubt, public health expert David Michaels traces the ascendance of science-for-hire in American life and government, from its origins in the tobacco industry in the 1950s to its current manifestations across government, public policy, and even professional sports. Amid fraught conversations of "alternative facts" and "truth decay," The Triumph of Doubt wields its unprecedented access to shine a light on the machinations and scope of manipulated science in American society.
Dr. David Michaels is an epidemiologist and professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health. He’s held public health positions in the administrations of Presidents Obama and Clinton, and is a leader in efforts to defend the integrity of the science underpinning public health and environmental protections.
