Believing Weird Things
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Why People Believe Weird Things
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Author : Michael Shermer
language : en
Publisher: Souvenir Press
Release Date : 2011-02-01
Why People Believe Weird Things written by Michael Shermer and has been published by Souvenir Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2011-02-01 with Science categories.
A survey of a range of irrationalisms, with explanations of their empirical and logical flaws, this book describes the differences between science and pseudo-science, and goes on to describe and critique popular contemporary irrationalisms. Why do smart people believe weird things?Why do so many people believe in mind reading, past-life regression therapy, extra-terrestrial abduction and ghosts? What is behind the rise of 'scientific creationism' and Holocaust denial? In an age of supposed scientific enlightenment why do we appear more impressionable than ever?Scientific historian, and director of the Skeptics Society, Michael Shermer debunks these extraordinary claims in a no-holds-barred assault on the popular superstitions and confused prejudices of our time. Exploring the very human reasons behind otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories and cults Shermer explains why are they are so appealing to so many."Skepticism is the agent of reason against organized irrationalism -and is therefore one of the keys to human social and civic decency."Stephen Jay Gould, from his forewordShermer reveals the darker side of wishful thinking, through the recovered memory movement, satanic rituals and other modern witch hunts, and ideologies of racial superiority. Confronting those who take advantage of the gullibility of other people to advance their own, self-serving agendas Why People Believe Weird Things is compelling and often disturbing. It is a perceptive portrait of the human capacity for self-delusion and a celebration of the scientific spirit.
Why People Believe Weird Things
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Author : Michael Shermer
language : en
Publisher: Turtleback Books
Release Date : 2002
Why People Believe Weird Things written by Michael Shermer and has been published by Turtleback Books this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2002 with Creative ability in science categories.
With this no-holds-barred assault on popular myths and prejudices, a science historian debunks psychobabble and extraordinary, nonsensical claims. 25 illustrations.
Believing Weird Things
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Author : Bernard N. Wills
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2018-08-25
Believing Weird Things written by Bernard N. Wills and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2018-08-25 with categories.
Believing Weird Things is a somewhat playful response to the author happening upon a book by Michael Shermer entitled Why People Believe Weird Things. It may be read as a set of skeptical exercises following the tradition that runs from Cicero and Sextus Empiricus to Feyerabend and Latour. Some weird beliefs, the author finds, can be defended as rational if one or two crucial assumptions are changed. Conversely, putatively rational beliefs can be made to seem quite bizarre. The reader may enjoy this process as an intellectual parlor game but it becomes an important consideration when epistemic privilege is at stake: the uses to which notions of 'rationality' and 'irrationality' can be put are not always politically or socially innocent Though begun in a playful mode the author could not ignore the events about him as he worked on this book. Accordingly, the second part of this collection takes on a more serious tone as dogmas that animate both the right and left in contemporary politics and society come under scrutiny. Once, long ago, the author held corrosive skepticism to be the chief ill of contemporary society. Somewhat ruefully, he has concluded that our problem is in fact corrosive dogmatism. In science, religion and politics credulity reigns in forms ranging from un-sophisticated fundamentalism to dense, complex rationalizations of largely a-rational belief systems. In short, the world could use a healthy dose of responsible skepticism in the Antique tradition.
The Believing Brain
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Author : Michael Shermer
language : en
Publisher: Hachette UK
Release Date : 2012-06-07
The Believing Brain written by Michael Shermer and has been published by Hachette UK this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2012-06-07 with Science categories.
Synthesizing thirty years of research, psychologist and science historian, Michael Shermer upends the traditional thinking about how humans form beliefs about the world. Simply put, beliefs come first and explanations for beliefs follow. The brain, Shermer argues, is a belief engine. Using sensory data that flow in through the senses, the brain naturally looks for and finds patterns - and then infuses those patterns with meaning, forming beliefs. Once beliefs are formed, our brains subconsciously seek out confirmatory evidence in support of those beliefs, which accelerates the process of reinforcing them, and round and round the process goes in a positive-feedback loop. In The Believing Brain, Shermer provides countless real-world examples of how this process operates, from politics, economics, and religion to conspiracy theories, the supernatural, and the paranormal. Ultimately, he demonstrates why science is the best tool ever devised to determine whether or not our belief matches reality.
Skeptic
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Author : Michael Shermer
language : en
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Release Date : 2016-01-12
Skeptic written by Michael Shermer and has been published by Macmillan + ORM this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2016-01-12 with Science categories.
Collected essays from bestselling author Michael Shermer's celebrated columns in Scientific American For fifteen years, bestselling author Michael Shermer has written a column in Scientific American magazine that synthesizes scientific concepts and theory for a general audience. His trademark combination of deep scientific understanding and entertaining writing style has thrilled his huge and devoted audience for years. Now, in Skeptic, seventy-five of these columns are available together for the first time; a welcome addition for his fans and a stimulating introduction for new readers.
How To Think About Weird Things
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Author : Schick, Jr. (Theodore)
language : en
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
Release Date : 2010-05
How To Think About Weird Things written by Schick, Jr. (Theodore) and has been published by McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2010-05 with Critical thinking categories.
This brief, inexpensive text helps the reader to think critically, using examples from the weird claims and beliefs that abound in our culture to demonstrate the sound evaluation of any claim. The authors focus on types of logical arguments and proofs, making How to Think about Weird Things a versatile supplement for logic, critical thinking, philosophy of science, or any other science appreciation courses.
The Weirdest People In The World
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Author : Joseph Henrich
language : en
Publisher: Penguin UK
Release Date : 2020-09-10
The Weirdest People In The World written by Joseph Henrich and has been published by Penguin UK this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2020-09-10 with Psychology categories.
'A landmark in social thought. Henrich may go down as the most influential social scientist of the first half of the twenty-first century' MATTHEW SYED Do you identify yourself by your profession or achievements, rather than your family network? Do you cultivate your unique attributes and goals? If so, perhaps you are WEIRD: raised in a society that is Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic. Unlike most who have ever lived, WEIRD people are highly individualistic, nonconformist, analytical and control-oriented. How did WEIRD populations become so psychologically peculiar? What part did these differences play in our history, and what do they mean for our collective identity? Joseph Henrich, who developed the game-changing concept of WEIRD, uses leading-edge research in anthropology, psychology, economics and evolutionary biology to explore how changing family structures, marriage practices and religious beliefs in the Middle Ages shaped the Western mind, laying the foundations for the world we know today. Brilliant, provocative, engaging and surprising, this landmark study will revolutionize your understanding of who - and how - we are now. 'Phenomenal ... The only theory I am aware of that attempts to explain broad patterns of human psychology on a global scale' Washington Post 'You will never look again in the same way at your own seemingly universal values' Uta Frith, Professor of Cognitive Development, University College London
How We Believe
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Author : Michael Shermer
language : en
Publisher: W H Freeman & Company
Release Date : 2000
How We Believe written by Michael Shermer and has been published by W H Freeman & Company this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2000 with Religion categories.
Attempts to understand the balance between faith in God and scientific reason, focusing on the impact of religion in modern American society, as well as examining theories of nonbelievers in such fields as anthropology and psychology.
50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True
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Author : Guy P. Harrison
language : en
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Release Date : 2012-01-03
50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True written by Guy P. Harrison and has been published by Prometheus Books this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2012-01-03 with Social Science categories.
“What would it take to create a world in which fantasy is not confused for fact and public policy is based on objective reality?" asks Neil deGrasse Tyson, science popularizer and author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. "I don't know for sure. But a good place to start would be for everyone on earth to read this book." Maybe you know someone who swears by the reliability of psychics or who is in regular contact with angels. Or perhaps you're trying to find a nice way of dissuading someone from wasting money on a homeopathy cure. Or you met someone at a party who insisted the Holocaust never happened or that no one ever walked on the moon. How do you find a gently persuasive way of steering people away from unfounded beliefs, bogus cures, conspiracy theories, and the like? This down-to-earth, entertaining exploration of commonly held extraordinary claims will help you set the record straight. The author, a veteran journalist, has not only surveyed a vast body of literature, but has also interviewed leading scientists, explored "the most haunted house in America," frolicked in the inviting waters of the Bermuda Triangle, and even talked to a "contrite Roswell alien." He is not out simply to debunk unfounded beliefs. Wherever possible, he presents alternative scientific explanations, which in most cases are even more fascinating than the wildest speculation. For example, stories about UFOs and alien abductions lack good evidence, but science gives us plenty of reasons to keep exploring outer space for evidence that life exists elsewhere in the vast universe. The proof for Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster may be nonexistent, but scientists are regularly discovering new species, some of which are truly stranger than fiction. Stressing the excitement of scientific discovery and the legitimate mysteries and wonder inherent in reality, this book invites readers to share the joys of rational thinking and the skeptical approach to evaluating our extraordinary world.
Giving The Devil His Due
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Author : Michael Shermer
language : en
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Release Date : 2020-04-09
Giving The Devil His Due written by Michael Shermer and has been published by Cambridge University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2020-04-09 with Political Science categories.
Explores how free speech and open inquiry are integral to science, politics, and society for the survival and progress of our species.