After reading Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, I opened my eyes to the blindness that prevails in many domains of modern science, and the repercussions it has on medicine, industry and society as a whole. To acquire this basic understanding of the illusions within mainstream science and medicine, I drew upon themes discussed in the book, specifically; the media’s influence on the portrayal of science, the dumbing down of science reporting, the power of the placebo effect and the industries of alternative medicine. These factors are all significant because they contribute to the notion of ‘Bad Science’; a practice that claims to be scientific, but does not use proper evidence and research, and spreads falsified information to justify the claims. And as Goldacre states himself “Information alone can be life-saving.” This is pertinent because the difference between accurate and wrong information, could be the difference between life and death. …show more content…
Often times we do so without even questioning the evidence behind certain products and the false realities that they entail. This can be demonstrated in the distorted images of science and medicine in our society, and the misrepresentations that are associated with them. If people wearing white coats and glasses, using elaborate and fancy language declare that they have made a breakthrough product, it can likely be believed by the public. Now if this image is projected in advertisements in the right way, it could be acknowledged, receive appraisal and make a lot of money. Even if it had been using flawed research methods or reporting