Faith in Fallacy

Science and medicine have brought about many improvements in both the length and quality of human life. Nevertheless, at various times in history nations have rejected science in favor of pseudoscience. Faith in Fallacy brings together various examples of state science denial and its consequences, examining what they have in common and how they differ.

James Lawrence Powell has been a college professor and president, a museum director at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, a twelve-year member of the U.S. National Science Board, and the author of several books explaining science to general reader. His most recent book is Unlocking the Moon's Secrets: From Galileo to Giant Impact (2023), from OUP. He holds a bachelor's degree from Berea College in Kentucky, a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and honorary Doctor of Science degrees from Berea College and from Oberlin College. Asteroid 9739 Powell is named for him. He is recently retired as Executive Director of Graduate Fellowships for STEM Diversity.

- Chapter 1. Humanity's Debt to Science
- Chapter 2. Lysenko and the Origins of Soviet Pseudoscience
- Chapter 3. Refashioning Heredity
- Chapter 4. Pseudoscience Defeats Science
- Chapter 5. Rise and Fall
- Chapter 6. Big Brother, Little Brother
- Chapter 7. Jewish Physics
- Chapter 8. House of Shutters
- Chapter 9. AIDS
- Chapter 10. A Predictable Emergency
- Chapter 11. Protective Measures
- Chapter 12. Politicization of COVID-19 Denial
- Chapter 13. Global Warming: The Ultimate Triumph of Science Denial?
- Chapter 14. Roadmap to Doomsday
- Acknowledgements
- References