Nine Crazy Ideas in Science: A Few Might Even Be True , Robert Ehrlich , Princeton U. Press, Princeton, N.J., 2001. $24.95 (244 pp.) ISBN 0-691-07001-6
Every year, many books published for general audiences treat controversial ideas related to science, technology, and public policy. Few cover as wide a range of topics as does Robert Ehrlich’s Nine Crazy Ideas in Science, and even fewer so well scrutinize the strengths and weaknesses of such ideas. In the first chapter, Ehrlich explains that he selected ideas for inclusion that are “far from being completely settled” (which excludes continental drift and cold fusion) but which are nevertheless scientific: “They can be supported or refuted by data.”
Each of the ideas is treated in its own chapter, which can be read in almost any order. The chapter titles state the ideas: “More Guns Means Less Crime,” “AIDS...
