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Michael Shermer

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Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time Paperback – January 1, 1998

by Michael Shermer (Author)

4.2 602 ratings

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Argues that the search for meaning and spiritual fulfillment often results in the embracing of extraordinary claims and controversial ideas

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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

Review

"...for every soundly documented and reasoned set of specifics, I know of no better single volume than this one. Give it to everybody you know whose head and heart you respect, but who is flirting with irrationality." -- Baltimore Sun

"A provocative volume." -- Publishers Weekly

"[A] splendid book." -- Vanity Fair

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W H Freeman & Co (January 1, 1998)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 306 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0716733870
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0716733874
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,643,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #41,051 in Psychology & Counseling
- #109,757 in Science & Math (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 602 ratings

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Michael Shermer

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Dr. Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of the Science Salon Podcast, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University where he teaches Skepticism 101. For 18 years he was a monthly columnist for Scientific American. He is the author of New York Times bestsellers Why People Believe Weird Things and The Believing Brain, Why Darwin Matters, The Science of Good and Evil, The Moral Arc, and Heavens on Earth. His new book is Giving the Devil His Due: Reflections of a Scientific Humanist.

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Customers find the book readable and interesting. They appreciate the enlightening content, which explores topics like intelligent design and the Holocaust. Readers praise the writing quality as well-written, articulate, and humorous. They consider it a valuable resource and useful in today's society.

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Readability Enlightened content Writing quality Value for money Humor

48 customers mention "Readability"39 positive9 negative

Customers find the book readable and interesting. They say it's an engaging treatise on thought and behavior that should be required reading in high school. The initial part of the book is good and entertaining.

"...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..." Read more

"This is an interesting book where Shermer explores why people believe weird things by which he means things that once considered seemed odd or..." Read more

"A Good Book aith a lot of interesting details on creationists, cult and UFO believers and generally anyone that never learned how to think..." Read more

"...into some very tricky topics and presents a comprehensive and readable treatise on thoguht and behavior...." Read more

40 customers mention "Enlightened content"36 positive4 negative

Customers find the book's content enlightening and thorough. They appreciate the author's debunking of specific topics like intelligent design and the holocaust. The book explores the topic in-depth, with an excellent summary of logical fallacies. It is a valuable resource that comes to reasonable conclusions. There are interesting tidbits and explanations of various weirdnesses that readers find fun.

"...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

"...The book is divided into five parts. which dela with sciecne and skepticism, pseudoscience and superstition, evolution and creationism, history and..." Read more

"...presenting his thesis, examining the data, and deriving the only reasonable conclusions possible, all the while being careful to emphasize that the..." Read more

"...There is in my opinion some interesting tidbits that you normally do not run into in this kind of book --- the section on the disease of holocaust..." Read more

17 customers mention "Writing quality"12 positive5 negative

Customers find the writing quality engaging and well-crafted. They praise the author's articulate style, engaging tone, and sound reasoning. The vocabulary is appreciated, and the explanations of various weirdnesses are enjoyable. Readers appreciate the rhetorical frameworks provided for discussion and consider the book a valuable guide to appropriate skepticism.

"...Shermer is a very bright, articulate, experienced, and educated person, so it would have been easy for him to demolish the weird believers with..." Read more

"...'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

"...Schermer is a self-admitted skeptic, but he's fair and sound in his reasoning...." Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a valuable and useful resource. They say it's worth its cost, especially in today's society with the amount of data we are exposed to.

"...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..." Read more

"...to contend with anyone who subscribes to these views, this book is a valuable, in-depth resource...." Read more

"...Especially useful in today's society with the amount of data we are exposed to, especially from the Internet and the media...." Read more

"That is the most valuable part of the book...." Read more

3 customers mention "Humor"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the author's humor. They find it entertaining and humorous.

"...very interesting and informative, not to mention well written and sometimes funny, so I reluctantly give the book full marks...." Read more

"...the academic settings, Michael Shermer is articulate, entertaining, humorous, and fascinating in his story lines about human factors having minds..." Read more

"Awesome reading here he writes clearly, honestly, with humour and facts. I'm really enjoying this book...." Read more

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Mike Smith
A Fearsome Weapon Against Lazy Thinking
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2007
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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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Christian Orlic
Good book about weird ideas and why people believe them
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2013
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This is an interesting book where Shermer explores why people believe weird things by which he means things that once considered seemed odd or strange. The book is divided into five parts. which dela with sciecne and skepticism, pseudoscience and superstition, evolution and creationism, history and pseudohistory, and hope springs eternal. Shermer deals with a number of topics. The book begins with some anecdotes and an attempt to define skepticism. By skeptic, Shermer tells readers he means, "one who questions the validity of a a particular claim by calling for evidence to prove or disprove it" (17) and emphasizes that this ought to be a self correcting approach to the positions one holds. Chapter 2 discusses some of the differences between science and pseudoscience and briefly explores the internalist v. externalist debate in the historiography of science. Shermer suggests that even though scientific principles only exist in people's mind; the actual phenomena they describe exist outside of us.; "all description is in the mind, but scientific laws describe repeating natural phenomena while pseudoscientific claims are idiosyncratic. Further, he contends, that science, at least on average, moves forward due its cumulative nature while recognize that "there is no question that science is heavily influenced by the culture in which it is embedded, and that scientists may al share a common bias that leads them to think a certain way about nature" (41). Chapter 3 discusses ways in which thinkers commonly make mistakes (theory influences observations, observer changes the observed, equipment constructs results, anecdotal thinking, the use of scientific language cab mislead, bold statements, heresy, rumors, where the burden of proof lies, after the fact reasoning, coincidence, etc). Part II begins begins with a Chapter on Deviations where Shermer briefly explores how deviations from the mean will statistically occur when experiments are run. Chapter 5 is about near death experiences and explores the phenomena concluding that it is likely the result of chemical interactions in the brain when people are close to dying. Chapter 6 is about alien abductions; here Shermer explores, recovered (read implanted) memories. He further wonders why aliens never actually give important information. Lastly, Shermer points out that these fantasies which human experience are culturally affected: "humans are experiencing fantasies and interpreting them in the social context of their age and culture" (98). Chapter 7 is about epidemics of accusations - where he discusses witch crazes, crazes about satanic abuse cults, and so forth. In chapter 7 he describes how individuals can 'acquire' memories and come to belief that they did things they did not do. Chapter 8 is about the cult of Ayn Rand, which Shermer (who once considered himself an Objectivist), calls "the unlikeliest cult" (114). This chapter offers a brief history of Rand and her work. Rand's philosophy is supposedly based on reason and argues that an objective reality exists which can be understood by reason, thus one must be self-interested and support capitalism.Strangely, and unlike, science, Objectivism is not self-correcting, once something is established it is taken as truth. Shermer claims that the "great flaw in her philosophy is that morals can be held to some absolute standard or criteria" (123). Part III begins with chapter 9 on the question of origins. Chapter 10 is about confronting creationists. Chapter 11 is about a supreme court case about creationism and evolution. Part 4 is about history and pseudohistory. This part deals mostly with holocaust denialism. Chapter 15 looks at race, variation and the like. Part 5, begins with Chapter 15 and attempts by scientists to find evidence to support some of their metaphysical conveptions (Tipler and christianity). Chapter 17 is why people belief weird things - because of immediate gratification, simplicity and morality/meaning Shermer suggests. In Chapt 18 Shermer explores why smart people belief weird things (they are better at rationalizing beliefs they reached without evidence)

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Cliente de Amazon
Muy recomendable
Reviewed in Mexico on January 5, 2025
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Una lectura súper recomendable, ahonda sobre la diferencia entre ciencia y pseudociencia, así como la suceptibilidad de la mente humana para creer en mitos y fantasías paranormales y de corte ideológico.

El autor hace uso de ejemplos reales, utiliza un lenguaje ameno y entretenido.

Muy bueno y actual, a pesar de ser escrito hace más de 20 años el contenido es más relevante que nunca. Desmitifica la pseudociencia y charlatanería dentras de adivinos, extraterrestres, fantasmas y demás eventos paranormales.

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Walter
Unveiling the Intricacies of Pseudoscience and Superstition: Michael Shermer's Masterpiece
Reviewed in Brazil on August 29, 2023
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In a world brimming with unfounded beliefs and baffling misconceptions, Michael Shermer's thought-provoking work, "Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time," shines as a beacon of clarity and reason. Accessible to all readers, Shermer's articulate narrative elucidates the origins of bizarre beliefs and their enduring influence on society, revealing a disconcerting relevance that persists even nowadays.

Shermer's prowess lies in his remarkable ability to dissect and unravel the intricate tapestry of pseudoscience and superstition. With a lucid prose style, he lays out the historical context and psychological underpinnings that facilitate the emergence of implausible beliefs. Shermer navigates through a multitude of perplexing notions, ranging from UFO sightings to creationism, addressing each with a blend of rigorous research and logical analysis.

What sets Shermer's work apart is his unwavering commitment to clarity. He possesses a unique talent for presenting complex ideas in a comprehensible manner, making the intricacies of cognitive biases and fallacious reasoning accessible to a broad readership. This quality ensures that his insights penetrate the public consciousness, fostering a deeper understanding of how and why irrational beliefs take root.

Moreover, Shermer's exploration of how these bewildering beliefs infiltrate society resonates strongly with today's world. Despite the passage of time, the allure of pseudoscience and superstition remains as potent as ever, and Shermer's observations on this phenomenon continue to ring true. He skillfully dissects the mechanisms that facilitate the spread of misinformation, shedding light on the susceptibility of individuals to succumb to unfounded convictions.

Shermer's book serves as a sobering reminder of the challenges that persist in the realm of critical thinking. While society has made significant strides in the pursuit of knowledge, the allure of "weird things" lingers on, often fueled by a combination of misinformation, cognitive shortcuts, and a longing for certainty. By acknowledging the persistence of these challenges, Shermer compels readers to remain vigilant in the face of unsubstantiated claims and to actively engage in the process of skepticism.

In conclusion, Michael Shermer's "Why People Believe Weird Things" stands as an eloquent testament to the power of rational inquiry in an age inundated with misinformation and peculiar beliefs. His adeptness at unraveling the complexities of pseudoscience and superstition, coupled with his knack for lucid communication, makes this work a timeless masterpiece. As we navigate an era where irrational beliefs continue to flourish, Shermer's insights remain a vital resource, guiding us toward a more critical and discerning understanding of the world around us.

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serafeim l.
Bon livre à lire
Reviewed in France on May 26, 2020
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Bon livre à lire

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Marco
Excelente libro
Reviewed in Spain on January 2, 2020
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Excelente lectura para entender a aquellas personas con creencias excéntricas. Lectura obligada para psicólogos y terapeutas.

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batman
Well worth the read
Reviewed in Canada on March 3, 2016
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Michael Shermer is one of the most interesting writers I have read in recent memory. I would recommend Michael Shermer to anybody who wants to get to the heart of the matter. Unfortunately this book is a bit of a slog and could have done with some reduction. Most interesting was the author' account of his own alien abduction. (The abduction was the result of total exhaustion and lack of sleep and was carried out by his support crew during a cross country road race.)

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