Codified Claptrap

One thing that has always annoyed me is the way that the mass-media constantly misinterprets or misconstrues science and scientific knowledge in order to bring sensationalism to their stories. In The Demon Haunted World, the late Carl Sagan describes how governments and public institutions have also often been guilty of this, such that, in his opinion, some societies have become increasingly scientifically illiterate.

This month's Sci. Am. has a short opinionated article in it by Michael Shermer, that I felt was worth mentioning, about this phenomena with respect to The Bible Code series.

The latest and most egregious example of the (mis)use of science in the (dis)service of religion is Michael Drosnin's Bible Code II, enjoying a lucrative ride on the New York Times best-seller list, as did the 1997 original.
[ Codified Claptrap -- Michael Shermer, Sci. Am., 228:6, p35, 2003. ]

Also, check out Feynman's classic Cargo Cult Science regarding this topic.