by Greg Mayer

Robert L. Park is a physicist, fellow of CSICOP, and former head of the American Physical Society‘s Washington office who has long been active in the skeptical community. His first book, Voodoo Science (Oxford, 2000), is one that I have used in preparing my undergraduate non-majors course on “Science & Pseudoscience”. Until yesterday, I had overlooked his second book, Superstition (Princeton, 2008). I’ve only had a chance to skim through it, but, apropos of Jerry’s post about Massimo Pigliucci’s take on the Templeton Foundation, Park takes a rather dim view of the  foundation and its goals as well. A sample of what he has to say:

Not everyone was happy about the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) selling its soul to Templeton. Why had the most important scientific organization in America, perhaps in the world, allowed the voice of antiscience to assume the guise of a dialog between science and religion?

Park also mentions Francis Collins and other religious scientists. As I said, I’ve only skimmed it, but the book seems worth a read.