A review by dcunning11235
Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating by Jeffrey M. Smith
2.0
This book raises some valid concerns, and seems to document quite of bit of what can only be called corruption in the 80's and 90's in e.g. the FDA.
But, again and again, the appeal to emotion over reason... ugh. Again and again, the dangling indictment: "X says Y. But X once worked for Z..." A version of the genetic fallacy... how appropriate. Ugh. And the 'slam dunk' proofs of at least a handful of things haven't aged well. I went and looked into the Arpad Pusztai affair, and it sounds like his research really was incomplete (e.g., a lack of controls... which is pretty f'ing serious... especially someone the book represents as being something like an unimpeachable expert.) Ugh. And the hating on Golden Rice hasn't held up. The technology --the food-- keeps improving... which, to put it a tad harshly, is what happens when people work on something rather than bitch about it.
Sigh.
Again, some entirely valid issues raised. And the book was actually quite readable, which doesn't hurt. So two stars.
But, again and again, the appeal to emotion over reason... ugh. Again and again, the dangling indictment: "X says Y. But X once worked for Z..." A version of the genetic fallacy... how appropriate. Ugh. And the 'slam dunk' proofs of at least a handful of things haven't aged well. I went and looked into the Arpad Pusztai affair, and it sounds like his research really was incomplete (e.g., a lack of controls... which is pretty f'ing serious... especially someone the book represents as being something like an unimpeachable expert.) Ugh. And the hating on Golden Rice hasn't held up. The technology --the food-- keeps improving... which, to put it a tad harshly, is what happens when people work on something rather than bitch about it.
Sigh.
Again, some entirely valid issues raised. And the book was actually quite readable, which doesn't hurt. So two stars.