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Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time
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Average Rating:  out of 159 Reviews
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Price: $17.00
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Sale: $4.97
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Manufacturer: Holt Paperbacks
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780805070897
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: Michael Shermer
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Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
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Edition: Revised
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Dewey Decimal Number: 133
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Publication Date: 2002-09-01
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Reading Level: 384
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Description: 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
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Skeptical os skepticism |
Date: 2008-11-29 |
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Details: Why People Believe weird Things--Michael Shermer
Strong bias is provided in the book which itself has much pseudoscience in the guise of science |
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Review Summary: Skeptics who don't know anything about the paranormal shouldn't be writing books on them! |
Date: 2008-10-15 |
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Details: It annoys me when skeptics who don't know anything about the paranormal write books on them and pretend to be experts.
In Demon Haunted World for example, Sagan never even met any alien abductees, yet he devotes a whole chapter to them?
If you ask a real researcher like Bud Hopkins, who has interviewed hundreds of abductees, you'll learn a lot more than this pseudo-skeptic and scientist Sagan who is trying to bat out of his league.
These debunkers never present the best arguments from the paranormal believers/experiencers side. They just build up straw mens and knock them down.
Plus they insult our intelligence, with notions like astrology is all general hits that fit everyone. If that was the case, no one would believe in it. Duh! Truth is, they are not general hits, but highly specific.
The vedic version of astrology as well as the Chinese purple heart astrology, are even far more accurate and specific than the western astrology.
And FYI, science is not "a candle in the dark". Science is a tool, a useful one at that, but it does not have a position on whether the paranormal is true or false. That's something that pseudo-skeptics try to do, is make science appear to have a say in all this when it doesn't. Scientists may have their opinions, but not science itself.
See my essay which exposes the fallacies and misinformation that skeptics spread about the paranormal, to get a dose of truth.
[...]
Also see my youtube channel where I expose some of the lies and misinformation James Randi spread about Uri Geller.
[...]
Thanks,
Winston
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Review Summary: Well thought out book showing how even smart people can believe weird things. |
Date: 2008-08-04 |
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Details: Well written easy to understand book about the psychology of how people (even smart people) can fall into common logical fallacies and come to wrong conclusions if they aren't careful.
Must read. |
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Review Summary: debunkers are losers! |
Date: 2008-07-31 |
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Details: debunkers are losers
whats the difference between debunkers and Christian fundamentalist..there isn't one there!
there both cults!
there is an esoteric side to life that the scientist don't know much about..I have had experience with ESP,OBE and helped make 2 documentary's on UFO phenomena.The reason people believe in strange things is because TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION!
I have no time for sceptic debunkers
OBTW it's possible to get 3 pairs dice correct in a row! Because I have done it (without conscious effort) "small inner voice"..it comes to when NOT thinking about it.
all I can say to debunkers..is get real..it's DIRECT EXPERIENCE!..positive people know the truth!
I feel sorry for debunkers.. |
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Review Summary: Why People Believe |
Date: 2008-07-30 |
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Details: Great book by Michael Shermer and a foreward by Stephen Jay Could.
I love the section on History and Pseudohistory-Holocaust- Debunking the deniers
Great book to retool our "Skepticism Radar".
Question....everything! |
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