Customer Reviews

Cult Archaeology and Creationism: Understanding Pseudoscientific Beliefs about the Past

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Harrold and Eve have contributed significantly to the study of pseudoscientific beliefs in this volume and their previous work The Creationist Movement in Modern America (also highly recommended). This volume is the result of a 1986 multidisciplinary symposium, and chapters were contributed by authors from fields such as anthropology, psychology, sociology, and history.

Of particular interest for researchers is the original Student Opinion Questionnaire that was used in a national survey of college student pseudoscientific beliefs which was conducted simultaneously in three seperate areas of the country. The results of this survey are presented within the book.

The second edition is preferable, as it includes a new chapter by Bernard Ortiz de Montellano on the increasingly prominent topic of "Afrocentric" history, as well as an updated final chapter covering changes in pseudoscientific beliefs from the 80s to the 90s.

This is an invaluable tool for all social scientists interested in understanding how people come to accept many things as fact, even when presented with evidence to the contrary. Explorered are the ways in which people are socialized to adhere to specific belief systems; via family, religious and educational institutions... The primary focus is on false belief systems which have origins in fundamentalist religion.