Andrew Szasz

Throws a whole new light onto the subject of natural products. The main thesis is that the availability of alternative, natural products robs society of any drive for real change; we become less active in pursuing real change when we think we can 'shop ourselves to safety' - I'm fine, why should I bother getting politically active? The author makes a compelling argument. But what to do with the ideas in this book? It poses questions that have no simple answer and I wonder if the book might be too dense and scholarly to be much use. Nevertheless this is a start. The main thing I take away from it is the conviction that the option to avoid nasty chemical products shouldn't be limited to only those who can afford it.… (mere)