State of Fear
by Michael Crichton · first published 2004
22% recommend55% neutral22% critical
Why HN recommends it
A thriller about eco-terrorism that moves quickly from page to page. Its bibliography and its handling of climate science, media fear, and the sides of the debate prompt readers to think hard about those issues.
Common criticism: Heavily criticized for misrepresenting climate science and for dense, chart-heavy prose
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
State of Fear is a 2004 techno-thriller novel by Michael Crichton, his fourteenth under his own name and twenty-fourth overall, in which eco-terrorists plot mass murder to publicize the danger of global warming. Despite being a work of fiction, the book contains many graphs and footnotes, two appendices, and a 20-page bibliography in support of Crichton's beliefs about global warming. Many climate scientists, science journalists, environmental groups, and science advocacy organisations dispute Crichton's views on the science as being error-filled and distorted. The novel had an initial prin
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Everyone interested in the topic should give State of Fear by Michael Crichton a read. Its one of my favorite books, it helped me realize that there are other sides. I grew up watching shows like Captain Planet, never understood the propaganda in shows like these.…
on “How the oil industry made us doubt climate change” ↗Coincidentally I just finished State of Fear last night, a Crichton novel about Eco terrorism. To be honest parts of it made me uncomfortable but with an open mind it can be a very interesting read. His idea of the PLM complex is a pretty interesting…
on “Michael Crichton: Why Speculate? (2005)” ↗…WWII. If you watch the evolution of, say, the Sierra Club, its focus has shifted to reflect the changes in values over time It's very interesting. One of the really fun! things about Micheal Crichton's "State of Fear" is his curmudgeonly way of bringing out the denial of the nearly axiomatic assumption these days of environmental purity being a path to happiness.
on “Costa Rica has gone 76 days using 100% renewable electricity” ↗I just finished reading Michael Crichton's STATE of FEAR in which her debunks the whole Global Warming fraud! He legitimized his position with real facts and scientific sources documented in a large bibliography. It is a good page turning read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ State…
on “State of Fear” ↗…fit that mold. Good example here: http://scienceblogs.com/goodmath/2008/05/selective_data_and_... Crichton has a book about how this happens all the time in environmental science. If you haven't read State of Fear, I strongly suggest it. I think that the data is a non-issue. This is a rare occurence when interests are aligned from two sides of the spectrum. Reducing carbon emissions through less consumption is…
on “No Deleterious Effects of Increased Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide - 31,000 Scientists sign Petition” ↗State of Fear is a very interesting read. Certainly, Crichton is not always fair in his use of statistics or analogies, but an argument for or against global warming is not the point. He does make some incredibly…
on “Why Politicized Science is Dangerous” ↗Crichton's book "State of Fear" is a great source of information about Global Warming. Even though it is fiction, all of the research that he mentions is real.
on “Micheal Crichton on climate change” ↗The climate scam was exposed in Michael Crichton's "State of Fear".
on “Organic foods are not healthier or pesticide free” ↗State of Fear is an interesting read. Chrichton lists the many ways those "in power" have sought to keep the commoners in place. Usually fear is the most effective tactic. I'm agnostic when it comes to global warming.
on “Why Politicized Science is Dangerous” ↗> Guy who literally made his career on fear mongering in fiction ... Can you expand on that? I presume you're talking about his book, "State of Fear". I guess "Andromeda Strain" could be in that category. I found most of his books interesting, educational and often insightful.
on “Michael Crichton: Why Speculate? (2005)” ↗State of Fear is a great eye opening book. The parts about how the news media exists to keep is scared is very enlightening and true.
on “Michael Crichton, Science Studies, and the Technothriller (2015)” ↗…that only current technology may be used, and current technology itself may cause harm or leave needs unmet; there is a risk of causing harm by blocking innovation. As Michael Crichton wrote in his novel State of Fear: "The 'precautionary principle', properly applied, forbids the precautionary principle." > For example, forbidding nuclear power plants based on concerns about low-probability high-impact risks means…
on “Whistleblowers expose corruption in EPA Chemical Safety Office” ↗…They are worshipping a religion. The author of the article made a good faith effort to simply look at the data. FWIW, the author Michael Crichton encountered much the same phenomenon in his novel "State of Fear" for which he was castigated for doing the same thing. Just looking at the data.
on “Hot or Not?” ↗…just wondering how this article got pushed to the HN front page? If this were an article with substantial evidence against global warming such as the many articles and arguments provided in Crichton's State of Fear, would it be posted here? No. And that's my problem with this. The fact is that if we were actually capable of understanding what was causing global climate change, we would be able to predict the weather,…
on “NOAA: U.S. Records Warmest March; More than 15,000 Warm Temp Records Broken” ↗…fast and loose with facts. Mathematicians laughed at his portrayal of chaos theory and its implications in Jurassic Park, and the scientific community cried foul over his portrayal of climate science in State of Fear. It's of course ok to bend facts when it's in the service of a fictional story, but Crichton too frequently was portrayed (often by himself) as a true subject matter expert.
on “Elon Musk calls NYT review of the Tesla Model S ‘fake,’ citing vehicle log data” ↗