Customer Reviews

The Weird 100

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

With all due respect to the author as a person, this is undoubtedly the dumbest book I have ever had the opportunity to read. It exemplifies many of the problems with modern education, particularly the reluctance to teach rational thinking.

You don't even have to finish the Introduction before the author makes the following argument: Many insurance companies pay for chiropractic sessions. Therefore, chiropractic medicine is legitimate (i.e, effective).

Regardless of whether chiropractic medicine is or isn't legitimate, this is not an argument based on good logic or evidence. Furthermore, like many of the topics addressed in the book, the author lumps together all aspects of chiropractic medicine, from manipulation to pharamceuticals, as if they must be judged as a whole...if any aspect of treatment is worthwhile, then they ALL must be worthwhile.

While decrying the "hubris" of mankind in denying the reality of some of the phenomena described in this book, the author demonstrates a pretty healthy dose of it himself by making bold statements about the "quality of evidence" in each case. As far as I can tell, his judgment is almost entirely unsupported by the facts. He will offer footnotes and citations when arguing that a "skeptical" view is self-contradictory, but he often asserts that "some people" have experienced or witnessed a phenomena without offereing any citations, names, dates, or other corroborating information. Check out the section on "Angel Hair", where he simply states that "some people" have been able to capture and contain the material. Who? When? Where? Under what conditions? Were there corroborating witnesses?

I realize that it is absolutely futile for me to argue with someone who believes in this stuff. Beliefs of this type are based on faith, and no amount of logical argument, nor any actual evidence, will sway a true believer. It just frustrates me that people choose the easy way, unfounded and unsubstantiated belief based on the presumed authority of someon like the author, over the option of educating themselves and learning to make objective, rational decisions based on scientific methods.

OK, my rant is over.

I like a presentation of facts, so when an author's opinions get mixed into topics such as these, a book often turns very controversial . . . and most of the time not in a favorable way. Although this book does have some interesting information, I don't think it let's readers decide for themselves. Aside from that, there are some topics mixed in to the whole jumble where your forced to ask, "Why is THIS in here?"

I'll be returning my book soon, it was disappointing. Look for things by Rosemary Ellen Guiley, she presents facts and beliefs from all over the world . . . and lets YOU decide what to believe.

It is a nice book... Book to be read on the train... before bed time! Some of the weird stuff I never have heard about... I like it very much.

Fun and sometimes scary... :)

This is book is about whether or not something has anything to do with the supernatural, which it annoying refers to as the paranormal.

One of the worst and most misleading parts of this book is the chapter on the creation of the universe. It heavily cites a one sided book called Evolution and the Myth of Creationism which although cites good creationist arguments, doesn't tell the whole story. For example it cites that creationists say Earth's magnetic field shows the Earth is young (for various reasons) and it's argument against that is that is that the magnetic field regenerates itself now and then. Wrong, it didn't tell the whole story and the evidence for regeneration is FALSE. See [...] as to why it can't regenerate.

An example of his poor poor reasoning is he concludes that the creation of stone henge was supernatural was low to fair and yet in his list of references cites a meager two sources which give no evidence for it having been a supernatural creation. In contrast he believes that the evidence for PALMISTRY is IS FAIR!

He didn't do his homework on the lost colony of Roanoke, he thinks it's still unsolved yet it was solved many years ago. It's interesting that Even the wikipedia article on the colony is clueless on clues.

I gave it two stars rather than one because at least it teaches a little of a big part of rational thinking: to consider the EVIDENCE as to whether or not something is true or not, which it repeatedly repeats all throught the book. But it would still be better off being thrown ino the fire.

See my reviews for two much better books that are like this one.

You don't have to believe a word of what is in this book to love it. Frankly, I found it fascinating, even the things I disagreed with. I would recommend it to anyone who has the spare time to buy and read this book. It gives information on most unexplained phenomena, from Aliens to the Paul McCartney conspiracy.