12: State of Fear - Michael Crichton
Started: Tuesday January 15, 2008
Finished: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
I don’t know what to think about this book. I do love Michael Crichton, his stories are always intriguing and thought provoking. I wanted to read this one as I have recently seen An Inconvenient Truth, and have become a bit gung ho about the climate change. However, I was still a bit skeptical about the reality of the situation, and knew that this book portrayed the other side of the argument (if there really is one). Now I am more confused than ever. It seems that there is no such thing as really “raw” data, and the very same data can be interpreted in so many different ways by different people, often with an agenda in mind. I was hoping to hear both sides of the “debate” and decide for myself… but I’ve come to the conclusion that this is almost impossible with an issue like this one. Every argument is the result of bias and interpretation. I think the only way I could satisfactorily be sure that my conclusion was truly correct was if I read all the studies and viewed all the data, which would take far more time and energy than I am willing to put into it. Until then I’m going to continue to try and reduce my energy usage, and any other negative impacts on the environment which are a result of my existence. It may not be necessary, but it can’t hurt!
Anyway, the book was still great… a fantastic example of understanding scientific studies, how data can be adjusted or interpreted, and the importance of actually drawing your own conclusions rather than listening to what other people tell you.
Rating 4/5
Finished: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
I don’t know what to think about this book. I do love Michael Crichton, his stories are always intriguing and thought provoking. I wanted to read this one as I have recently seen An Inconvenient Truth, and have become a bit gung ho about the climate change. However, I was still a bit skeptical about the reality of the situation, and knew that this book portrayed the other side of the argument (if there really is one). Now I am more confused than ever. It seems that there is no such thing as really “raw” data, and the very same data can be interpreted in so many different ways by different people, often with an agenda in mind. I was hoping to hear both sides of the “debate” and decide for myself… but I’ve come to the conclusion that this is almost impossible with an issue like this one. Every argument is the result of bias and interpretation. I think the only way I could satisfactorily be sure that my conclusion was truly correct was if I read all the studies and viewed all the data, which would take far more time and energy than I am willing to put into it. Until then I’m going to continue to try and reduce my energy usage, and any other negative impacts on the environment which are a result of my existence. It may not be necessary, but it can’t hurt!
Anyway, the book was still great… a fantastic example of understanding scientific studies, how data can be adjusted or interpreted, and the importance of actually drawing your own conclusions rather than listening to what other people tell you.
Rating 4/5
posted by Tash at 7:32 AM
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