Mugged by reality

Donald Prothero's book "Reality Check" is a scathing, sceptical look at various alternative (or pseudo-scientific) notions the author believes are hurting American society and culture, and sometimes that of other countries, too. The author takes on creationism (including Intelligent Design), climate change denial, denial of peak oil and overpopulation, AIDS denialism, anti-vaxxers, homeopaths and astrologers. The first part of the book is almost a mini-encyclopaedia of various erratic notions, and some of the scientific counter-arguments. I admit that I didn't know chiropractors are considered quacks! I always assumed they were some kind of real experts on back pain.

A later section of "Reality Check" borders Kulturkritik. Prothero bemoans how Americans have been turned into mindless consumers of commercial entertainment, often of a pseudo-scientific kind. The crisis in education and the generally low level of knowledge of the average American are also mentioned. The "best" Americans are really "smart idiots", fanatics who can persuasively defend a viewpoint which is really bizarre (such as creationism, climate change denial, etc). Prothero, who is a liberal, points out that the Republicans have adapted heavily to the anti-science agenda since at least the 1980's. Today's climate change denial is similar in character to the previous denial campaigns of the dangers of smoking, or the existence of acid rain or ozone depletion. Prothero believes that the various forms of denialism are connected: the Discovery Institute (DI) promotes both creationism and climate change denial, while prominent DI supporter Phillip Johnson was an AIDS denialist, as well. Since "Reality Check" is to a large extent a polemic against the American right and far right, it strikes me as odd that it mentions Truthers, Birthers and the Tea Party mostly in passing, while astrology and homeopathy are extensively treated.

Prothero isn't overly optimistic about the current state of affairs. He believes that the human brain simply doesn't function in an entirely rational manner. For this reason, people won't change their minds by hearing rational counter-arguments to their delusions. Rather, they will change only if and when reality becomes too pressing to deny. Presumably, climate deniers won't come to their senses until the eco-disaster is already well upon us. What it will take to convince creationists of the reality of evolution is less clear. Half a cow on the White House lawn? Prothero (probably correctly) belives that religious fundamentalism is a major culprit in the spread of pseudo-science and conspiracy theory, but he never explains why fundamentalism is so strong in the United States compared to, say, Western Europe.

Another problem is Prothero's insistence that conservatives and liberals use their brains in two vastly different ways, with the former category using a more basic "system" leading to dogmatism, while liberalism use a "system" that is more flexible. Really? Have Prothero never met dogmatic, inflexible liberals? Or scientists, for that matter? Conversely, what about people who experiment with so called pseudo-science for non-dogmatic, "liberal" reasons? Another problem: if Prothero seriously believes that most Americans are "smart idiots" (or just plain dumb ones), impervious to rational discourse, he should logically propose that sceptics or liberals use appeals to emotion, fear or prejudice rather than to rational discourse. Why not demonize conservatives as crazy, crypto-Nazi enemies of the human race? Why write books like "Reality Check" at all? Also, there is a contradiction running through the book between Prothero's stated belief that peak oil is real, and his strong support for modern science and a modern society. However, if peak oil is a real phenomenon, then Western civilization is unsustainable, together with large chunks of modern science. What should we do when it comes tumbling down? Is there perhaps a reality the author himself doesn't wish to see? Mugged by reality...

"Reality Check" is a somewhat uneven book, with Prothero trying to cover a lot of ground, jumping back and forth between somewhat different subjects. This being said, the book is nevertheless quite interesting, and I therefore give it four stars. It also contains extensive suggestions for further reading.

Of course, Donald is wrong about Bigfoot. He's out there, period. But that's a show on another channel...