I. L. Baldwin was a bacteriologist and biological weapons researcher who wrote a critical review of Silent Spring in Science in 1962. While he agreed with all of Rachel Carson’s conclusions, he thought that she was too “impassioned” and pessimistic about technology. In the 21st century, contrarians began citing Baldwin’s review as evidence as part of a media campaign to defend DDT and promote free market fundamentalism.
Get the entire Merchants of Doubt LitChart as a printable PDF.
I. L. Baldwin Character Timeline in Merchants of Doubt
The timeline below shows where the character I. L. Baldwin appears in Merchants of Doubt. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 7
...New York Times Magazine ran articles questioning Carson’s research and citing the work of bacteriologist I. L. Baldwin .
(full context)
I. L. Baldwin , the bacteriologist cited by Rachel Carson’s 21st-century detractors, never even researched DDT. Instead, he...
(full context)