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Why People Believe Weird Things
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Few can talk with more personal authority about the range of human beliefs than Michael Shermer. At various times in the past, Shermer has believed in fundamentalist Christianity, alien abductions, Ayn Rand, megavitamin therapy, and deep-tissue massage. Now he believes in skepticism, and his motto is "Cognite tute--think for yourself." This updated edition of Why People Believe Weird Things covers Holocaust denial and creationism in considerable detail, and has chapters on abductions, Satanism, Afrocentrism, near-death experiences, Randian positivism, and psychics. Shermer has five basic answers to the implied question in his title: for consolation, for immediate gratification, for simplicity, for moral meaning, and because hope springs eternal. He shows the kinds of errors in thinking that lead people to believe weird (that is, unsubstantiated) things, especially the built-in human need to see patterns, even where there is no pattern to be seen. Throughout, Shermer emphasizes that skepticism (in his sense) does not need to be cynicism: "Rationality tied to moral decency is the most powerful joint instrument for good that our planet has ever known." --Mary Ellen Curtin
From School Library Journal
YA?Dedicated 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
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.
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Format:Taschenbuch
Pssst. You know the Roswell alien autopsy video? It's a government plant- the real alien they found had far more hideous tentacles....What? You don't believe me! You...you...skeptic! As Michael Shermer, professor at Occidental College and publisher of SKEPTIC magazine, points out in Why People Believe Weird Things, calling someone a skeptic can almost take on a pejorative meaning, equating skepticism with the worst possible cynicism. This in spite of the fact that skepticism is a methodology used at least partially in one circumstance or another by virtually every human being. Though some feel that skepticism should only be directed against used-car salesman, or followers of "them there false I-D-eol-O-g-eez" (from Satan no doubt)- never towards oneself- Shermer makes the case that skepticism merits attention in a wide variety of spheres. Using examples drawn from such diverse elements as Creationism, Alien Abduction, Near Death Experiences, and Holocaust Revisionism- as well as lesser known cases of pseudo-thought, such as the personality "cult" surrounding Ayn Rand- Shermer deftly explores the wide applicability of skepticism in debunking frivolous and sometimes even harmful pseudoscience, pseudohistory, and pseudo-truth. And importantly, he does so without a "holier than thou" style- even divulging in a few passages his own bouts of credulity. Shermer makes a valiant effort to follow one of Spinoza's dictums: "I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand them." Although he mentions a number of reasons human perception goes awry, one of the key ones he cites is the exaltation of wishful thinking- also known as faith. As Nietzsche would say of anyone who thought that the strength of one's conviction was proof of the truth of one's conviction, a short stroll through an insane asylum might be just the antidote. In a culture inundated with a gamut of extraordinary claims based on strongly held yet-not-so-strongly-examined beliefs- where belief in the paranormal, supernatural, and extraterrestrial is encouraged by much of popular cinema and media- Why People Believe Weird Things is an invaluable tool for becoming a better critical thinker. (Or is it? ) Yes, for X-files fans (myself included) it can often be thrilling to imagine government conspiracies, classified alien technologies, and occult phenomenon. Unfortunately, there is no program on the tube today (that I'm aware of) that makes it just as thrilling to understand the roots of pseudoscience, pseudohistory, and superstition. For now we have to content ourselves with a smattering of outstanding books (Carl Sagan's Demon-Haunted World is another fine example) that pull the curtains on much of what tries to pass muster as truth- which turns out can be just as fun as credulously lapping up what the latest series of gurus, psychobabblers, quacks, and charlatans have to disperse in their plague of unreason.
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Shermer's analysis of some of the stranger social phenomenon of our time is crisp. Many have said that he doesn't talk about why people believe wierd things (the title of the book, after all, slightly overblown as it is) but he does offer some general explanations of strange behavior. (The "feedback" system he describes, for example.) The really good thing about his book is how it shows that anyone, even the most rational of people, can fall into "cultish" or peculiar behavior. The chapter on Ayn Rand and how her philosophy of Objectivism, which is supposed to be all about rationality and individuality, turned into a cult centered on her is a fantastic read, and goes beyond the usual focusing on UFOs, Roswell, JFK assassination type of material. But, all of that's there too, in its bizarre glory. There's also an excellent chapter(s) on the phenomenon of Holocaust denial that, while utterly wrong on its face, isn't always just about anti-Semitism, as Shermer points out. He does a very good recap of how historical evidence is collected, and how that collection builds a preponderance of information, something that deniers usually don't get. Shermer's an historian, so historical aspects are a strength to his book, as you would expect.
Shermer sings the praises of rationality and skepticism, things I'm all in favor of, but he doesn't get as negative about irrational behavior as some other skeptics have. He claims that he himself, in the past, participated in a couple of bizarre fads and faddish behaviors, so he has an understanding for their appeal. A sense of mystery, alienation, deviancy, a bit of paranoia, societal reinforcement, all are ways that bizarre ideas proliferate, and we're all susceptable to them from time to time.
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Shermer presents an excellent analysis of the differences between science and pseudoscience, and reveals in clear terms the underpinnings of the scientific method. Anyone who can read this book and fail to understand the differences between objective science and its antithesis isn't reading very deeply.
Following this introductory material Shermer presents us with a number of concrete examples, including Holocaust denial, UFOlogy, and the "recovered memory" phenomenon. All are presented with clarity, wit, and purpose and illustrate the book's primary topic extremely well.
Highly recommended.
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Das Buch hat 306 Seiten; 15 S. Bibliographie (ca. 230 Titel); 12 S. Index (ca. 1200 Stichwörter); 25 Abb. (Fotos, Grafiken). Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 17. Juli 2009 von Lothar Völler
Not your typical Skeptic
When the top Skeptics of the 20th century were listed by Skeptical Enquirer recently, Michael Shermer was not among those named.
He should have been. Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 17. Mai 2000 von Joel M Sax
Education on Reality
I am so thankful that someone wrote a book like this one -- it is a great reality check! I would have liked the book more, though, if the author had taken a more psychological and... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 6. April 2000 von "jechlin"
right on some counts, wrong on others
This book is right on concerning the bankrupt psuedoscience "young-earthism." But notice the book only addresses young-earther claims? Lesen Sie weiter...
Am 25. März 2000 veröffentlicht
Shermer incorrect about creationism
I have perused this book in the bookstore, though not actually bought it and read it; so that's my upfront disclaimer. Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 18. März 2000 von Dan Hochberg
bombastic, fantastic, wonderful
This is one of the most important book I have ever read. Lot of facts, a perfect book for people who are interested in critical thinking and the psychology of superstition. Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 10. März 2000 von gwup@friendfactory.de
A well-written book of modern skepticism
I must come to admire the writings of Michael Shermer and the technique he used in this book. Rather than simply disaproving the New Age philosophy, the author tells you what it is... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 19. Februar 2000 von Yi Lei Wu
Very well-written and illuminating
Quite a few reviews of this book have been posted, so I won't write a comprehensive review, just a couple of points that struck me:
1) The book is exceptionally well-written,... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 14. Januar 2000 von mohan s kalelkar
Worth reading, but barely
The title is what attracted me at first; who doesn't want to know the answer to that question? I found the first half of the book to be informative and interesting, particularly... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 14. Dezember 1999 von R. Todd Ogrin
A great book that distinguishes Skepticism vs. Cynicism
This book is a pleasure to read--I couldn't put it down! It is direct, insightful, and humorous.
One of the author's main themes is that healthy skepticism does NOT go hand in... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 11. Dezember 1999 von Miguel A. Castro
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