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Michael Shermer's "Why People Believe Weird Things" is a terrific book. Wow.
I cannot emphasize enough what an enjoyable read this book is for anybody tired of being surrounded by people who view the world as some sort of unsolvable supernatural puzzle. Because the world isn't!
Sure, we can't explain the entire world. If we could, we wouldn't need science or reason or philosophy or psychology or logic or anything--if we could, we could just recite the same dogmas and platitudes of earlier generations and never have to bother thinking about anything beyond how things make us feel.
...Like a lot of people do.
This book systematically moves through a large number of the more persistent myths of our age--from Biblical creationism, to Holocaust denial, to psychic detectives--and while it spends quite a bit of time exploring the strangeness and the details of such ideas, it also spends quite a bit exploring why such beliefs are ultimately false, why people choose to believe such things, and how we can avoid such errors in our own thoughts.
Reading it, I constantly found myself wanting to force it onto everyone I talked with, whether they would agree with me about it or not. This book is a weapon against lazy thinking--particularly its chapter, "How Thinking Goes Wrong: Twenty-five Fallacies that Lead Us to Believe Weird Things"--a chapter that I wouldn't mind seeing expanded into an entire book of its own--and I really could not recommend it more highly.
Most of the book originally appeared as essays in "Skeptic" magazine, so it may feel a bit episodic at points--but holy cow, what great episodes! Also, there's a huge section in the middle dedicated to Holocaust denial--perhaps more than the subject warrants, as arguing down people who believe the Holocaust never happened is not all that difficult. All right, all right, all right already, the sky is blue, humans need water, you got me. (Shermer wrote an entire book about Holocaust denial, "Denying History," so it's obviously an important topic to him, and he does make it interesting.) Also, some of the slower pieces seem to have been saved for the end, and the book does feel a bit uneven at times, but overall, I just felt absolutely gleeful reading this.
The famous alien autopsy video, TV psychics, Edgar Cayce, the 1980s Satanic Panic, even the cult of writer Ayn Rand--all are not safe here, and the book is worth its cost just for the many brilliant parallels it draws between Creationism and Holocaust Denial.
There is just so much nonsense out there threatening to indoctrinate our children, dictate our lives, and make us afraid, that this is just nothing but refreshing; this exudes truth and reason; this should be read by everyone, and I do mean everyone.
Read it, read it, read it--and be enlightened.
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Customers say
Customers find the book enlightening and appreciate its thorough treatment of topics, particularly its excellent summary of logical fallacies. Moreover, the book is thought-provoking, helping readers open their minds, and customers consider it worth its cost. However, the writing quality and argumentation receive mixed reviews, with some finding it well written while others disagree.
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51 customers mention content, 45 positive, 6 negative
Great book, summarizing not only the evidence against supernatural and pseudoscientific claims, but explaining why such claims continue to appear...Read more
Great textbook for school!Read more
Fun to read.Read more
Enlightening, and troubling, to learn that there are so many Holocaust & evolution deniers out there, and a lot of space is given to countering them...Read more
26 customers mention informative, 25 positive, 1 negative
...chapter by itself is an excellent summary of the logical fallacies, better than those in most textbooks that include the subject....Read more
Excellent research with actual examples of events. Good discussion on the possible reason why people do these things....Read more
Awesome reading here he writes clearly, honestly, with humour and facts. I'm really enjoying this book....Read more
Lots of information if you like weird things.Read more
12 customers mention thought-provoking, 11 positive, 1 negative
...He keeps an open mind, while at the same time utilizing the power scientific skepticism....Read more
This is a thoughtful and analytic exploration of the type of arguments that frustrate people on both sides of cultural debates....Read more
...Definitely keeps you thinking. I'm letting my uncle and grandfather read it next.Read more
...This book is a weapon against lazy thinking--particularly its chapter, "How Thinking Goes Wrong: Twenty-five Fallacies that Lead Us to Believe...Read more
7 customers mention value for money, 5 positive, 2 negative
That is the most valuable part of the book....Read more
...to contend with anyone who subscribes to these views, this book is a valuable, in-depth resource....Read more
Not worth it....Read more
Fantastic reading and well worth the effort. It makes you reassess your beliefs, why and how you choose to believe what you believe....Read more
12 customers mention writing quality, 7 positive, 5 negative
...'s title, is still very interesting and informative, not to mention well written and sometimes funny, so I reluctantly give the book full marks....Read more
Very useful reading, though not particularly well written....Read more
Shermer is a talented writer and explores the topic well. The initial part of the book is good....Read more
...My biggest problem with it was, it wasn't very well written....Read more
5 customers mention argumentation, 3 positive, 2 negative
...presenting his thesis, examining the data, and deriving the only reasonable conclusions possible, all the while being careful to emphasize that the...Read more
...But, there was too much long stories and yada yada. If someone edited a 3-hour pocket book of this, it deserves 5 stars.Read more
...Michael Shermer is articulate, entertaining, humorous, and fascinating in his story lines about human factors having minds that lead us astray....Read more
Poorly written. Sloppy argumentation....Read more
