Science and the Production of Ignorance: When the Quest for Knowledge Is Thwarted

This book explores the concept of agnotology, the study of ignorance, and how science can be a source of ignorance.

It delves into various forms of scientific ignorance, including active construction of ignorance through biased design and interpretation of experiments, virtuous ignorance where certain research is avoided, and passive construction of ignorance as an unintended by-product of scientific research.

The book features contributions from leading historians and philosophers of science and includes discussions on topics such as climate change denial, the tobacco industry's manipulation of health risks, and the impact of commercial and political interests on scientific knowledge.