The March of Unreason

In The March of Unreason, Dick Taverne argues cogently that pessimism and distrust of science and technology has become rife in society, combined with the growth of irrationality and practices unsupported by evidence, such as alternative medicine. The growth of eco-fundamentalism, arising from a misguided belief that Nature is best has resulted in an enthusiasm for organic farming, a campaign against the MMR vaccine, and above all a concerted
effort to block the development and growing of genetically modified crops – a technology that may greatly alleviate world hunger. Taverne argues that this dangerous trend leads to intolerance and a threat to democracy. Only reason and science can form a sound basis on which to build a just and open society.