Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time Revised & enlarged Edition

by Michael Shermer (Author), Stephen Jay Gould (Foreword)

213 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0805070897

ISBN-10: 0805070893

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In this age of supposed scientific enlightenment, many people still believe in mind reading, past-life regression theory, New Age hokum, and alien abduction. A no-holds-barred assault on popular superstitions and prejudices, with more than 80,000 copies in print, Why People Believe Weird Things debunks these nonsensical claims and explores the very human reasons people find otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories, and cults so appealing. In an entirely new chapter, "Why Smart People Believe in Weird Things," Michael Shermer takes on science luminaries like physicist Frank Tippler and others, who hide their spiritual beliefs behind the trappings of science.

Shermer, science historian and true crusader, also reveals the more dangerous side of such illogical thinking, including Holocaust denial, the recovered-memory movement, the satanic ritual abuse scare, and other modern crazes. Why People Believe Strange Things is an eye-opening resource for the most gullible among us and those who want to protect them.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“This sparkling book romps over the range of science and anti-science.” ―Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel

“Splendid.” ―Vanity Fair

About the Author

Michael Shermer is the author of The Believing Brain, Why People Believe Weird Things, The Science of Good and Evil, The Mind Of The Market, Why Darwin Matters, Science Friction, How We Believe and other books on the evolution of human beliefs and behavior. He is the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, the editor of Skeptic.com, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and an adjunct professor at Claremont Graduate University. He lives in Southern California.

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; Revised & enlarged edition (September 1, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805070893
ISBN-13: 978-0805070897
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 213 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #17 in Creationism
- #20 in Science Essays & Commentary (Books)
- #26 in Unexplained Mysteries

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KrD

There are two things I really liked about this book

January 6, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

There are two things I really liked about this book. First, Shermer raises a much-warranted alarm for all of us when he explains the distorting influence of confirmation bias and intellectual attribution bias on everyone’s development of beliefs; we are all at risk of standing in our own, distorted, self-ingratiating echo chambers. Second, he explains how we can combat the development of distorted beliefs through the use of measured skepticism. That said, with three chapters dedicated to debunking creationism and three chapters dedicated to debunking holocaust denial, a full one third of the book’s 18 chapters deals with these two topics. If you have to contend with anyone who subscribes to these views, this book is a valuable, in-depth resource. If not, you may feel you want to just bust through some sections. I do have to contend with a creationist, so I was pleased with the depth of coverage on that topic, but I don’t have to deal with any holocaust deniers and found myself anxious to get through that section. Regardless, there are many other ‘weird’ beliefs touched on, so it’s a great read. A great book from a great thinker of our time; highly recommended.

9 people found this helpful

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Tim Schumacher

Somewhat frustrating

September 23, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I didn't have a problem with most of the author's arguments or conclusions. My biggest problem with it was, it wasn't very well written. I mean, it really does read like it was a collection long magazine pieces, that although about the same topic, have been cobbled together into book form, and therefore it doesn't flow very well.

8 people found this helpful

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Patrick T. Baggett

Enjoyed it a lot

January 23, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I've always been curious why humans have such faulty logic, and this books goes into great pains to explain some of the more natural reasons that humans are prone to believe weird things. The author describes not just scenarios he's dealt with, but scenarios that have occurred in history and some of the arguments made. All in all, it's an interesting read if you've ever had a close encounter with a New Age website detailing its pricing catalog for remote psychic activation of ethereal DNA. However, if you really want to study more on this topic, I strongly recommend "Mistake Were Made (But Not By Me)" which details actual studies done on various human ... thinking errors.

9 people found this helpful

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Mike Smith

A Fearsome Weapon Against Lazy Thinking

December 9, 2007

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

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.

15 people found this helpful

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Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time Revised & enlarged Edition

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