Robyn Williams is a science journalist, but Ockham's Razor, his weekly radio program, is more than a science program. It's a show about anything you can think of: science, politics, culture, technology, sociology, sustainability. Ockham's Razor lets guests argue whatever they want without interruptions from interviewers or contradictions from those who hold opposing views.
Lies, Deep Fries & Statistics is a collection of 28 essays drawn from the program, with an introduction by Williams. The topics are diverse: Tony Barta, a historian at La Trobe University, explains why Charles Darwin should be "counted among the founding fathers of genocide"; former Attorney-General, Kep Enderby, draws parallels between the case of David Hicks and the Dreyfus affair in France at the turn of the 20th century; director of the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Don Weatherburn, argues for evidence-based policies for the prevention of crime; nuclear physicist Geoffrey Hudson suggests that Australia is an ideal place for a nuclear waste dump.
Each of the essays is short, which places some serious limitations on the authors. Many of the subjects are deep, but in some cases the treatments are relatively superficial, which is frustrating and unsatisfying for the reader. For example, Don Weatherburn's essay concerning evidence-based crime prevention is both interesting and important, yet he repeatedly refers to the evidence for the effectiveness of particular crime prevention policies without explaining the nature of that evidence.
The book's format also has its advantages. In spite of the weighty subject matter, this book is very easy to read. Reading Lies, Deep Fries & Statistics is more like reading a magazine than a book. Although they are grouped into related subject areas, you can browse through the essays in your own order and in your own time.
If you are expecting another typical science book, you will be disappointed. As Lies, Deep Fries & Statistics wanders into such areas as politics and sociology, the essays become necessarily more opinionated. But whether you agree or disagree with the opinions that are presented, the arguments are, nevertheless, interesting and stimulating.
