Real science is all about critically appraising the evidence for somebody else's position. Ben Goldacre More Quotes by Ben Goldacre More Quotes From Ben Goldacre Yes. I'm a doctor, an epidemiologist, and lots of my professional colleagues flip back and forth between industry and medical roles. I know them; they are not bad people. But it is possible for good people in bad systems to do things that inflict enormous harm. Ben Goldacre doctors roles people These corporations run our culture, and they riddle it with bullshit. Ben Goldacre bullshit running culture Doctors and patients need as much data as possible to make an informed decision about what treatment is best. Ben Goldacre doctors data decision I agree, the world would be a better place if doctors were less enthusiastic about adopting very new drugs. Ben Goldacre doctors drug would-be I hope that you will be asked to participate in a trial at some stage in your disease Ben Goldacre stage disease trials Data is the fabric of the modern world: just like we walk down pavements, so we trace routes through data, and build knowledge and products out of it. Ben Goldacre fabric pavement data I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that. Ben Goldacre bits complicated thinking I'd like to submit to Bad Science my teacher who gave us a handout which says that 'Water is best absorbed by the body when provided in frequent small amounts.' What I want to know is this. If I drink too much in one go, will it leak out off my arsehole instead? Thank you. Anton. Ben Goldacre arseholes teacher water Children can be disgusting, and often they can develop extraordinary talents, but I’m yet to meet any child who can stimulate his carotid arteries inside his ribcage. Ben Goldacre arteries talent children And if, by the end [of this book], you reckon you might still disagree with me, then I offer you this: you'll still be wrong, but you'll be wrong with a lot more panache and flair than you could possibly manage right now. Ben Goldacre ends might book More academics should blog, post videos, post audio, post lectures, offer articles and more. You'll enjoy it: I've had threats and blackmail, abuse, smears and formal complaints with forged documentation. Ben Goldacre videos you abuse enjoy In general, drug companies are reasonably good at developing new treatments, and there's also a lot of good in the industry. Ben Goldacre general new good industry There is actually quite a lot of crossover between the quacks and drug companies. They use the same tricks and tactics to bamboozle people into buying their pills, but drug firms can afford to use slightly more sophisticated versions. Ben Goldacre same more sophisticated people When you prescribe a new drug, often you are prescribing something that has only been tested in a few thousand people for a very short period of time, perhaps only six months, and that's not long enough to know whether there are any medium- or long-term side effects. Ben Goldacre you time long people Alternative therapists don't kill many people, but they do make a great teaching tool for the basics of evidence-based medicine, because their efforts to distort science are so extreme. Ben Goldacre great medicine science people Science isn't about authority or white coats; it's about following a method. That method is built on core principles: precision and transparency; being clear about your methods; being honest about your results; and drawing a clear line between the results, on the one hand, and your judgment calls about how those results support a hypothesis. Ben Goldacre support drawing white science The value of a scientific publication goes beyond this simple benefit, of all relevant information appearing, unambiguously, in one place. It's also a way to communicate your ideas to your scientific peers, and invite them to express an informed view. Ben Goldacre value view simple ideas If a scientist sidesteps their scientific peers, and chooses to take an apparently changeable, frightening and technical scientific case directly to the public, then that is a deliberate decision, and one that can't realistically go unnoticed. Ben Goldacre technical go take decision In an ideal world, you might imagine that scientific papers were only cited by academics on the basis of their content. This might be true. But lots of other stuff can have an influence. Ben Goldacre true you influence world Bad things happen when problems are protected by a force field of tediousness. Ben Goldacre happen problems bad things-happen
