| Full title |
Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time [permalink] |
| Language |
English |
| Authors |
Michael Shermer (author) and Stephen Jay Gould (foreword) |
| Publisher |
W. H. Freeman and Company |
| Categories |
Philosophy, science and skepticism |
| Publication year |
1997 |
| ISBN |
0-7167-3387-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages |
306 |
| Images |
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| Structure |
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- Foreword: The Positive Power of Skepticism by Stephen Jay Gould
- Introduction to the Paperback Edition: Magical Mystery Tour: The Whys and Wherefores of Weird Things
- Prologue: Next on Oprah
Part 1: Science and Skepticism
- 1. I Am Therefore I Think: A Skeptic's Manifesto
- 2. The Most Precious Thing We Have: The Difference Between Science and Pseudoscience
- 3. How Thinking Goes Wrong: Twenty-five Fallacies That Lead Us to Believe Weird Things
Part 2: Pseudoscience and Superstition
- 4. Deviations: The Normal, the Paranormal, and Edgar Cayce
- 5. Through the Invisible: Near-Death Experiences and the Quest for Immortality
- 6. Abducted!: Encounters with Aliens
- 7. Epidemics of Accusations: Medieval and Modern Witch Crazes
- 8. The Unlikeliest Cult: Ayn Rand, Objectivism, and the Cult of Personality
Part 3: Evolution and Creationism
- 9. In the Beginning: An Evening with Duane T. Gush
- 10. Confronting Creationists: Twenty-five Creationist Arguments, Twenty-five Evolutionist Answers
- 11. Science Defended, Science Defined: Evolution and Creationism at the Supreme Court
Part 4: History and Pseudohistory
- 12. Doing Donahue: History, Censorship, and Free Speech
- 13. Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened, and Why Do They Say It?: An Overview of a Movement
- 14. How We Know the Holocaust Happened: Debunking the Deniers
- 15. Pigeonholes and Continuums: An African-Greek-German-American Looks at Race
Part 5: Hope Springs Eternal
- 16. Dr. Tipler Meets Dr. Pangloss: Can Science Find the Best of All Possible Worlds?
- 17. Why Do People Believe Weird Things?
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