The Noble Lie: When Scientists Give The Right Answers For The Wrong Reasons

"What is an illness? What is good health? What, for that matter, is medical science really for? Greenberg will make you think about these questions in ways that I'm willing to bet you haven't. Along the way, he will enlighten and amuse and provoke you in equal measure. A wonderful book from a terrific writer."
--William Finnegan, author of Cold New World: Growing Up in a Harder Country

When a doctor tells you that you have bronchitis and should take an antibiotic, you'd probably say that this is an unbiased medical opinion based on an impartial reading of your symptoms, and it makes sense for you to follow your physician's advice. Should you have the same confidence if you are diagnosed with depression and told to take antidepressants, or informed that a loved one is brain-dead and it's time to harvest her organs for transplant?

In The Noble Lie, acclaimed and controversial science writer Gary Greenberg takes a penetrating look at common and accepted medical practices and opinions that, while they may be beneficial for society and help us deal with the unfathomable, are essentially the product of moral judgments and not supported by scientific evidence. In a series of riveting true stories, Greenberg examines the processes through which alcoholism and depression came to be accepted as diseases, asks why serial killer Ted Kaczynski was diagnosed as schizophrenic, and examines medical pronouncements on when life begins and ends. He also explains why there is no proof that homosexuality is genetic, and there never will be.

These real-life science fictions may be well intentioned, but do they cause more harm than good? Read The Noble Lie, then judge for yourself.

In 1992, psychologist Charles W. Socarides founded the National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), to help gay men and lesbians become straight through counseling and religious-based therapy. Though the organization has avoided taking political stands against homosexuality, it's advertising of triumphant individuals that have become heterosexual stir heated controversy. Implying that gay people ought to becomes straight understandably outrages gay activists. The problem, however, with arguing that people are born gay and will always be that way doesn't have any scientific basis. You can think that homosexuality is okay, or not okay, but you can rest assured there will never be a blood test for it.
Science has made great strides in recent decades, laying to rest old arguments and myths. But have we come to expect too much from science, asking it to answer every imaginable question, even moral ones? In THE NOBLE LIE, controversial science writer argues that scientists feel compelled to provide answers to the questions they're asked, even if they're not quite true, like when life begins or ends. (The facts Roe v. Wade and the Terri Schiavo case hinged on, to name only two notable examples.)