Product Description

This brief, inexpensive text helps students think critically, using examples from the weird claims and beliefs that abound in our culture to demonstrate the sound evaluation of any claim. The authors focus on types of logical arguments and proofs, making "How to Think about Weird Things" a versatile supplement for logic, critical thinking, philosophy of science, or any other science appreciation courses.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #529043 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

From the Publisher
A section on logic in Chapter 6 explains the nature and function of both deductive and inductive reasoning, and is followed by a case study and exercises for analysis.
A new section focuses on communicating with the dead and cold reading.
Treatment of evolution and creationism has been updated (see Chapter 4), and coverage of intelligent design theory has been expanded.
Many additional exercises, discussion questions, and 'field problems' have been added.
A revised chapter on cognitive relativism covers subjectivism, social constructivism, and conceptual relativism.
The text utilizes a detailed, step-by-step procedure-the SEARCH formula-for evaluating extraordinary claims.
Explanations of vital principles of knowledge, reasoning, and evidence help students sharpen their judgment and problem-solving skills.
Numerous boxes are integrated throughout the text, offering details on various beliefs, assessments by believers and skeptics, and reports of relevant scientific research.
Study questions appear at the end of each chapter.
An appendix contains additional information on informal fallacies.

Customer Reviews

The ultimate freedom; How to think properly
I initially thought this book would simply debunk a number of commonly held non-scientific beliefs; a book that will give Astrology, Faith, etc, a good kick.

Instead, the book shows how to look deeper at *any* purported truth, and reach a sensible conclusion as to whether it is actually true. This is the process of rational thinking.

Early on at junior school, I saw that the hardest lesson was not Maths or English, but getting my head around the process of learning how to learn. Once you have that, school work is easy! Rational thinking is the next step up; the `learning how to learn' for adults; the `how to think properly'.

So, this book is not just about showing how science is `better than religion'. If you want to read books that aim at the easy targets, read Richard Dawkins or any number of other authors who seem to replace one bad dogma with another. The truth is not just about science and facts, but also about perception, belief, emotion and expectation.

Neither is this book just a textbook for students. This book is deeply relevant to everyone who needs to solve problems of the modern world; the dieter who wants to go on a lose weight but is put off by the conflicting noises made by all the experts, or the tv viewer who wants to sit back and think objectively about what she has just seen on the news regarding the war against terror.

A brain primer for the modern world. If you have a mind, and don't want to leave it floundering in the 17th century, or don't want to allow it to be bought over by the new politik, buy this book, and get that brain thinking properly!

A must for the serious thinker!
Well, I'm working to the final thesis for my university degree on the topic "Psychology of belief in the paranormal". This book has had an enormous value for my work, because the matter is examined very precisely, very sharply. Episthemology is not something for everyone, but this book, with many examples both from everyday life and advanced science, brings you through the fallacies of the mind. You can't be the same after having read this book, but, to start, you need to be very open-minded and give up all your prejudices on your thinking skills. This book destroys the motto "There's a sucker born every minute".

A fantastic read!
This is one excellent little book!

In the spirit of Michael Shermer's "Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time", it is a book I believe every child in every school of the world should read and be taught. (It is slightly more academic than Shermer's book, and more clearly laid out with less personal stuff, but that makes for a very easily accessible content, and very transparent laying-out of the key concepts, ideas and arguments of the book.)

It shows the vulnerabilities of knowing, the dangers of thinking you know, the benefits of really knowing, and the tools with which you can come closer to establishing when to believe in something or not.

It lays out simple concepts of philosophy of knowledge, logical thinking, epistemology, and scientific evaluation, and they are all illustrated very interestingly by a big variety of footnotes, examples, and case-studies. A very comprehensive bibliography follows at the end of each chapter with material related to what has just been covered, along with some thought-experiments and questions to think about.

Great great book, but I wouldn't say read this *instead* of Shermer's book - I would say, read both!