Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Supersition, and Other Confusions of Our Time by Michael Shermer, Stephen Jay Gould (Foreword by)

From the Publisher

In Why People Believe Weird Things, science historian Michael Shermer explores the very human reasons we find otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories, and cults so appealing. The editor of Skeptic magazine and the director of the Skeptics Society, Shermer shows how the eternal search for meaning and spiritual fulfillment often results in our thinking being led astray by extraordinary claims and controversial ideas - particularly in the realms of superstition and the supernatural. But Shermer also reveals the darker and more fearful side of wishful thinking, including Holocaust denial, creationism, the recovered memory movement, alien abduction experiences, the satanic ritual abuse scare and other modern witch crazes, extreme Afrocentrism, and ideologies of racial superiority. As Shermer investigates these movements and the people behind them, you'll be introduced to the strange debating tactics of creationist Duane T. Gish as he goes toe-to-toe with the author over evolutionary theory; the apocalyptic visions of a leading racial pseudoscientist; ESP adherents who claim they've proved the power of thought-control; the "magical" techniques a famous psychic uses to fool his audiences; and the leaders of the Holocaust denial movement and their views on Nazis, freedom of speech, and future goals. A compelling, and often disturbing, portrait of our immense capacity for self-delusion, Why People Believe Weird Things is ultimately a celebration of the scientific spirit - and the joy to be found in exploring the world's greatest mysteries, even if many of the questions remain unanswered.

School Library Journal

YADedicated to Carl Sagan, with a foreword by Stephen Jay Gould, this book by the publisher of Skeptic magazine and the Director of the Skeptics Lecture Series at California Institute of Technology, has the pedigree to be accepted as a work of scholarly value. Fortunately, it is also readable, interesting, and well indexed and provides an extensive bibliography. The author discusses such topics of current interest as alien abduction, near-death experiences, psychics, recovered memories, and denial of the Holocaust. Never patronizing to his opponents, Shermer explains why people may truly believe that they were held by aliens (he had a similar experience himself) or have recovered a memory of childhood satanic-ritual abuse. He clearly explains, often with pictures, tables, or graphs, the fallacy of such beliefs in terms of scientific reasoning. While teens may find the first section of the book about "Science and Skepticism" a bit too philosophical and ponderous, the rest of it will surely captivate them. Read cover to cover or by section, or used as a reference tool, this book is highly recommended for young adults.Carol DeAngelo, Garcia Consulting Inc., EPA Headquarters, Washington, DC

Booknews

In league with Carl Sagan, who touted the scientific method as baloney detector, and with foreword author Stephen Jay Gould (on "The Positive Power of Skepticism"), the Skeptics Society director draws on Skeptic magazine essays to deconstruct the pseudoscience of creationism, recovered memories, and UFOs as well as the pseudohistory spewed by Holocaust deniers. Cogita tute, think for yourself, despite a mind evolved to discern causal patterns lurking everywhere. Cloth edition reviewed July 1997. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Todd Gitlin

"The perfect handbook to thrust on anyone you know who has been lured into the conforting paranoias that circulate amid the premillennial jitters." -- Los Angeles Times

Richard Bernstein

"A useful antidote to the nonesense that surrounds us." -- New York Times

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents