From
Bloomberg News Michael Crichton, the best-selling author of science-infused thrillers including ``Jurassic Park'' and ``The Andromeda Strain,'' has died. He was 66. Crichton died yesterday in Los Angeles ``after a courageous and private battle against cancer,'' according to an announcement on his Web site. It said Crichton's works ``challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us.'' In addition to his books, Crichton created the hit television show ``ER.'' In recent years, the Harvard University and Harvard Medical School graduate was known as a high-profile doubter about the threat posed by global warming. His 2004 book ``State of Fear'' conjured a group of eco-terrorists trying to sow panic over the topic. ``In my view, our approach to global warming exemplifies everything that is wrong with our approach to the environment,'' he said in a 2005 speech at the National Press Club in Washington. ``We are basing our decisions on speculation, not evidence.
Commonwealth Club, San Francisco, CA, September 15, 2003
Michael Crichton: Environmentalism As Religion

This was not the first discussion of environmentalism as a religion, but it caught on and was widely quoted. Michael explains why religious approaches to the environment are inappropriate and cause damage to the natural world they intend to protect.
I have been asked to talk about what I consider the most important challenge facing mankind, and I have a fundamental answer. The greatest challenge facing mankind is the challenge of distinguishing reality from fantasy, truth from propaganda. Perceiving the truth has always been a challenge to mankind, but in the information age (or as I think of it, the disinformation age) it takes on a special urgency and importance.