Whilst most of the book was interesting and told me a few things I didn't already know, I don't think it quite lived up to its title. To some extent, it often seemed to scratch the surface of something and then move on to something else, and there didn't always seem to be much logic to what came next. ( )

We all know the benefits we gained from some of the most important inventions and advances made by people throughout our history. Taken together, these advances mark our ‘progress’. But is this progress really such a great thing?

Bad Ideas is the story of mans’ technological progress since the Stone Age and covering some of our most influential and important advances. In his wide ranging book, Robert Winston highlights some of the dangers and drawbacks that came with some of the most important developments achieved by mankind. He believes that “contained within every act of creation and innovation there exists the potential, also, for our undoing”.

Farming feeds us but introduced new diseases. ICT has connected us but has a massive impact on the security of our personal details. Genetic studies may offer cures but has raised the prospect, yet again, of eugenics - the culling of those deemed unacceptable by society. Coal and oil, essential in so many aspects of modern life, pollute the earth and coal is hazardous to mine, so which replacement energy sources hold the most promise? The development of the stone cutting tools, which allowed our ancestors to control their environment for the first time also lead to the development of today’s weaponry. And so on across a number of diverse examples.

Because there are often uses found for our discoveries that were unintended, or not originally even thought of Bad Ideas acts as a voice of caution. Increasingly ethical issues have became an important aspect of science and research; Winston’s overarching argument is that there is a growing need for more informed communication between the public and the scientific community so that developments can be managed with an appreciation of the potential consequences, and hopefully with some wisdom and foresight.

While Bad Ideas is a call for a more transparent science and technology sector, and a more science literate public, it is also a celebration of human inventiveness and the scientists who have lead their fields or contributed valuable research to our understanding of the world around us.

There are flashes of Winston’s humour throughout, and he writes with a sense of humility. Plenty of anecdotes are effectively used as to illustrate Winston’s arguments and range from the fascinating Amazonian Piraha people to the politics of the Soviet science sector to the arrogance of one of Winston’s senior colleagues.

Winston has a skill for explaining science in a way that is easy for the lay person to understand, and his arguments are logical and compelling. Bad Ideas is an intriguing and thought provoking book. ( )