How Do You Know It's True?: Discovering the Difference Between Science & Superstition [Paperback]

Hy Ruchlis (Author), Hyman Ruchlis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1991

Superstition still requires that many buildings have no floor numbered thirteen. Over 25 percent of Americans say they believe in astrology. Knocking on wood is an almost universal habit. Are these harmless notions - or dangerous delusions? Unfortunately, "fairy-tale thinking" is still the greatest enemy of progress, and education often bypasses the teaching of cognitive skills young readers can use to think independently. "How Do You Know It's True?" will provide young readers with an understanding of the basic nature of science, not just as a body of knowledge, but as a way of thinking. Hy Ruchlis addresses the main theme by contrasting the Cinderella fable with the way scientists establish facts; he describes the scientific method and how it has been applied to increase human knowledge. In subsequent chapters, Ruchlis demonstrates the unobservable nature of superstition, illustrates the dangers of magical thinking using the example of the Salem witch trials, explores the contradictions of such elaborate superstitions as astrology, and shows how astonishing events can be analysed and explained using rational methods.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... should be required reading for all junior high school students. That would go a long way towards helping each new young adult be able to reason his or her way out of the traps that slick promoters of the irrational are always trying to pass off as truth." -- The America Rationalist "... a clearly written, level-headed, down-to-earth, no-nonsense introduction to the scientific method and scientific thought." -- San Diego Tribune

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (August 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879756578
• ISBN-13: 978-0879756574
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #757,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Immunizing yourself vs. superstition and uncritical thinking, August 4, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: How Do You Know It's True?: Discovering the Difference Between Science & Superstition (Paperback)

HOW DO WE KNOW IT'S TRUE by Hy Ruchlis. Far and away the best of the best of new releases for teaching critical thinking to young people. Actually, this is for anybody, young or old, who still has a tendency to flirt with any form of superstition or fairy-tale thinking or is curious why other people do so. Ruchlis patiently leads the reader through an appreciation of science as a way of thinking about the world we live in. A short history of superstitions and the occasional horrors attributed to magical thinking (e.g., fear and persecution of "witches)" are provided, along with a delightful and entertaining commentary on astrology as an example of worseness tendencies in contemporary mental processes. Highlights include an explanation of science as a way of thinking critically, with examples of how facts are discovered. Vital to an understanding of why there is so much superstition and other forms of magical thinking is to know the history of religious repression of free thought, with stories about the struggles of such heroes of science as Nicolas Copernicus, Giordano Bruno, Galileo Galilei and the framers of our own Bill of Rights in 1789. By the way, the photos and illustrations are also terrific. But, it's words like the following that lead me to urge that you check this one out if you want to incorporate CT into wellness: "All of us stand on the shoulders of giants. Every bit of food we eat, the clothes we wear, the houses we live in and anything else we know how to make or do today would not be possible without the knowledge given to us by people who lived in the past. We must be ever grateful to the many thousands of people, past and present, who made it all possible. What part of these great accomplishments has been contributed by the superstitious way of thinking? Absolutely nothing. The belief in fairy-tale magichas blocked attempts to explain how and why things happen. Today it is a lazy person's excuse to avoid thinking about why things happen."

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book should be required reading at schools!, July 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: How Do You Know It's True?: Discovering the Difference Between Science & Superstition (Paperback)

This is an excellent book. It really does a number on superstition! I can't imagine anyone reading this book would still be superstitious. And since far too many people waste time and money on superstition (I couldn't believe one of our PRESIDENTS would change his schedule based on superstition), putting the axe in this kind of thinking at a young age, would benefit everybody (as the book so well explains).

My 8 year old was very curious about this book. I could let her read some of it, but since she has not yet learned division and multiplication, the section on probability would be completely lost on her, which is a shame, since the probability theory so well explains unusual events. This is important, since so many superstitious people would attribute the unusual events to something superstitious; using probability to explain these events defuses their so-called "proofs".

My daughter will have to wait for a while, but she will definitely read it when she is older (and so will my other - younger - daughters). This is a must for every schoolkid 10 or older (actually, it's a must for just about anybody with any superstitious tendencies, including those who believe in horoscopes).

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mike in TN, December 1, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How Do You Know It's True?: Discovering the Difference Between Science & Superstition (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book about scientific thinking for kids older than 10. Warning to parents: this book does a number on Santa! My son (younger and not yet de-mythed) enjoyed the book immensely. I read it to him and skipped the offending paragraphs. Had the author skipped the Santa stuff this book would be great for gifted/talented kids who are much younger -- the writing is that clear and engaging!