The War on Science

Reviews / Votes

'Higher education isn't what it used to be. Cancel Culture and DEI have caused many to keep their mouths shut. Not so the authors of this book. This collection of essays tells of threats to open inquiry, free speech, and the scientific process itself. A much-needed book' - Sabine Hossenfelder, Physicist and Author of Existential Physics: A Scientist's Guide to Life's Biggest Questions 'Provocative, impassioned, and often personal, these essays by a starry cast of scholars offer vivid views of the most disturbing trend in academia today: the distortion of science by activists who put their idiosyncratic notions of social justice ahead of truth. Biology, medicine, and even math-not just the humanities and social sciences - are falling prey to DEI, decolonization, and de-sexed language. Not only does The War on Science elucidate the problem, it also models the solution: recommitment to scientific objectivity, scholarly integrity, and - above all - humility in the search for knowledge' - Jonathan Rauch, Author of The Constitution of Knowledge 'The encroachment of ideology and groupthink on the production of knowledge may sound abstract, but it has a profound effect on every single aspect of life in the world today. The War on Science is an absolutely crucial response to this dangerous trend' - Greg Lukianoff, President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression 'There may be no more perverse irony of history: The civilization that created the scientific method and that shared its fruits with all of humanity is now hell bent on destroying its creation. The destruction is coming from within science itself - perpetrated by ideologues, and abetted by administrators and scientists too cowardly to defend this greatest of intellectual accomplishments. With the publication of The War on Science, no university bureaucrat will be able to dismiss the anti-science crusade as just a 'right-wing' chimera. The War on Science marshals evidence from every corner of the scientific world to document the corruption of truth-seeking in favor of political fads. Its illustrious authors have defied censorship and vilification. If the authors' peers gain the courage from this book to join the rebellion against enforced lies, there will yet be hope to salvage the scientific enterprise in the place of its birth' - Heather Mac Donald, Thomas W. Smith Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, author of When Race Trumps Merit 'A passionate expose of the dangerous drift towards bureaucratic overreach in science. The essays, written by an expert group of contributors, highlight immediate problems facing science today, particularly the rise of ideological restrictions in academia, threats to free speech, academic freedom and open inquiry. They give vivid and disturbing first-hand accounts of ideological corruption in science and academia, from both the left and right. This collection is recommended for readers concerned in the future of scientific progress' - Future Cities Best Books of 2025