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50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True
Length: 13 hrs and 54 mins
Maybe you know someone who swears by the reliability of psychics or who is in regular contact with angels. Or perhaps you're trying to find a nice way of dissuading someone from wasting money on a homeopathy cure. Or you met someone at a party who insisted the Holocaust never happened or that no one ever walked on the moon. How do you find a gently persuasive way of steering people away from unfounded beliefs, bogus cures, conspiracy theories, and the like? Longtime skeptic Guy P. Harrison shows you how in this down-to-earth, entertaining exploration of commonly held extraordinary claims. A veteran journalist, Harrison has not only surveyed a vast body of literature, but has also interviewed leading scientists, explored "the most haunted house in America," frolicked in the inviting waters of the Bermuda Triangle, and even talked to a "contrite Roswell alien." Harrison is not out simply to debunk unfounded beliefs. Wherever possible, he presents alternative scientific explanations, which in most cases are even more fascinating than the wildest speculation. For example, stories about UFOs and alien abductions lack good evidence, but science gives us plenty of reasons to keep exploring outer space for evidence that life exists elsewhere in the vast universe. The proof for Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster may be nonexistent, but scientists are regularly discovering new species, some of which are truly stranger than fiction. Stressing the excitement of scientific discovery and the legitimate mysteries and wonder inherent in reality, Harrison invites readers to share the joys of rational thinking and the skeptical approach to evaluating our extraordinary world.
Maybe you know someone who swears by the reliability of psychics or who is in regular contact with angels. Or perhaps you're trying to find a nice way of dissuading someone from wasting money on a homeopathy cure. Or you met someone at a party who insisted the Holocaust never happened or that no one ever walked on the moon. How do you find a gently persuasive way of steering people away from unfounded beliefs, bogus cures, conspiracy theories, and the like? Longtime skeptic Guy P. Harrison shows you how in this down-to-earth, entertaining exploration of commonly held extraordinary claims. A veteran journalist, Harrison has not only surveyed a vast body of literature, but has also interviewed leading scientists, explored "the most haunted house in America," frolicked in the inviting waters of the Bermuda Triangle, and even talked to a "contrite Roswell alien." Harrison is not out simply to debunk unfounded beliefs. Wherever possible, he presents alternative scientific explanations, which in most cases are even more fascinating than the wildest speculation. For example, stories about UFOs and alien abductions lack good evidence, but science gives us plenty of reasons to keep exploring outer space for evidence that life exists elsewhere in the vast universe. The proof for Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster may be nonexistent, but scientists are regularly discovering new species, some of which are truly stranger than fiction. Stressing the excitement of scientific discovery and the legitimate mysteries and wonder inherent in reality, Harrison invites readers to share the joys of rational thinking and the skeptical approach to evaluating our extraordinary world.
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First published December 20, 2011
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About the author
Guy P. Harrison
9 books105 followersI have a deep passion for science, history, anthropology, and nature. My mission is to inform and inspire as many people as I can about the workings and content of our world and universe. Reality is infinitely beautiful and endlessly fascinating. It's tragic that some people never quite glimpse the wonder of it all. Please don't be one of those people. I want you to be fully alive and awake as a human being.
Science is a body of knowledge and a practical tool available for everyone everywhere. Professional historians, anthropologists, and archaeologists tell the human story--your story. Listen to them. You live in exciting times because so much remains to be discovered and understood. In a sense, your home is an alien world filled with mystery and surprises. Learn, explore, dream. The more we know, the more we can imagine. The more we can imagine, the more we can do.
I am a positive and constructive skeptic. Think of me as a human who warns humans about being human. I use my imperfect brain to talk and write about the human brain's imperfections. I try to overcome my irrational beliefs and subconscious miscues so that I may better teach others about the problems of irrational belief and subconscious miscues.
I believe that our world could be much better - and a lot less crazy - if more people simply understood how science works and appreciated the protective value of scientific thinking in everyday life.
I've held numerous positions in the news industry, including editorial writer, world news editor, sports editor, photographer, page designer, and columnist. I've traveled extensively, having visited 30 countries on six continents. I have also had some very rewarding jobs teaching history and science to bright kids. My degree is in history and anthropology (University of South Florida). I've won some nice international awards for my writing and photography, including the WHO (World Health Organization) Award for Health Reporting and the Commonwealth Media Award for Excellence in Journalism.
What I am most proud of in relation to my work is that my writing has touched and helped many people. I consistently receive messages from around the world and it's always rewarding to learn that my words have inspired one more person to think in new and better ways.
When I'm not staring at a blank computer screen hoping my subconscious will deliver the next word, I'm likely running, hiking, reading, or teaching critical life lessons to my children via repeated viewings of Star Trek. When normal people are consumed with thoughts of politics, economics, or the Kardashians, there's a good chance I'll be daydreaming about time travel, the Singularity, ancient Greece, microbial life, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, World War II, robots, interstellar space travel, viruses, Homo erectus, the Apollo Moon landings . . .
Science is a body of knowledge and a practical tool available for everyone everywhere. Professional historians, anthropologists, and archaeologists tell the human story--your story. Listen to them. You live in exciting times because so much remains to be discovered and understood. In a sense, your home is an alien world filled with mystery and surprises. Learn, explore, dream. The more we know, the more we can imagine. The more we can imagine, the more we can do.
I am a positive and constructive skeptic. Think of me as a human who warns humans about being human. I use my imperfect brain to talk and write about the human brain's imperfections. I try to overcome my irrational beliefs and subconscious miscues so that I may better teach others about the problems of irrational belief and subconscious miscues.
I believe that our world could be much better - and a lot less crazy - if more people simply understood how science works and appreciated the protective value of scientific thinking in everyday life.
I've held numerous positions in the news industry, including editorial writer, world news editor, sports editor, photographer, page designer, and columnist. I've traveled extensively, having visited 30 countries on six continents. I have also had some very rewarding jobs teaching history and science to bright kids. My degree is in history and anthropology (University of South Florida). I've won some nice international awards for my writing and photography, including the WHO (World Health Organization) Award for Health Reporting and the Commonwealth Media Award for Excellence in Journalism.
What I am most proud of in relation to my work is that my writing has touched and helped many people. I consistently receive messages from around the world and it's always rewarding to learn that my words have inspired one more person to think in new and better ways.
When I'm not staring at a blank computer screen hoping my subconscious will deliver the next word, I'm likely running, hiking, reading, or teaching critical life lessons to my children via repeated viewings of Star Trek. When normal people are consumed with thoughts of politics, economics, or the Kardashians, there's a good chance I'll be daydreaming about time travel, the Singularity, ancient Greece, microbial life, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, World War II, robots, interstellar space travel, viruses, Homo erectus, the Apollo Moon landings . . .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
June 15, 2012
REVIEW ALSO ON: http://bibliomantics.com/2012/03/30/a......
I had a lot of trouble with this book, and it wasn’t for lack of trying. When I purchased it I was genuinely interested in reading a scientific take on the paranormal and the various mysteries of the universe. The problem: I seemed to be under the impression there would be concrete evidence to support most of these beliefs, which is silly considering if there was incontrovertible proof against ghosts and cryptozoology we would have seen it. Strike one: my perception of the world. Although to be fair, I didn’t hear anything about a giant squid being captured until I saw a special on the Discovery Channel, so anything is possible.
This is where the problem lies in this novel, there are more arguments than evidence. As is touched upon in this book, it’s incredibly hard to disprove stuff. We can point others in the right direction with reason and logic, but evidence that completely says these beliefs are false is hard to come by. For example, it should be easy to prove the Loch Ness Monster is real (a body), than to disprove it, the only way to do that would be to completely drain Loch Ness and not locate a sea monster. A lack of proof doesn’t necessarily mean that something isn’t true. I am of course applying this to the more fantastical ideas, not necessarily topics about biological race, evolution, and alternative medicine.
For the most part I felt a lack of interest in the way Harrison presented the material. This is mostly because he seemed more indebted in talking about himself than using anecdotal evidence, which would have been much more interesting. Rather than hear about the time Harrison thought he saw a UFO, explored the pyramids, interviewed Olympic athletes, was a news anchor, and even watched more videos about space than most astronauts (yeah, he went there), I would have rather enjoyed specific examples from history or the news. Anyone but the author himself and how awesome and amazing and more biologically adept he thinks he is. For example, in the chapter about Holocaust deniers, why not explain why they believe it never happened versus that time you felt sad interviewing a Holocaust survivor? If I wanted to read 400 pages of self-congratulatory writing I would have read a memoir. This is not a memoir.
Another problem was that I had to slog through a lot of chapters I didn’t care about just to get to the parts I did. I didn’t buy this book to read two sections about constructed versus biological race, nor did I pick it up to read chapters that seemed to repeat themselves back to back. This felt like a huge waste of time and information, especially when more interesting sections were whittled down to only four pages. Three chapters on biological race and its fallacies, and a chapter on creationism and another on intelligent design seemed like they could have been condensed into one chapter versus several. The same can be said of each chapter on medicine other than scientific (alternative and homeopathic), where I just felt like the same information was being constantly reiterated.
That’s not to say that this book wasn’t interesting. I generally like non-fiction because the real can be more fantastic than the imagined. Without reading this novel I wouldn’t have discovered interesting tidbits such as: 41% of Americans believe in Atlantis, 18% of Americans think the sun revolves around the earth, 40% of Americans believe in creationism, and 42% of college students will never read another novel for the rest of their lives after they graduate. This last statistic probably horrified me the most considering the obvious love and reverence for reading we have on this blog. Although the statistics about creationism and the sun are disturbing, it probably pains scientists way more than me.
Even more interesting, I learned about the Bible Code (one of the few concrete examples mentioned), which when used in conjunction with Moby Dick “predicted” the assassination of Lincoln, MLK, and John F Kennedy. The Bible Code basically works by choosing a locus letter and then finding other words a certain amount of places after, above, below, etc around this locus by choosing a number. Both arbitrary options. Using this code (which feels very Dan Brown), believers have pointed to examples which they believe prove the existence of a divine being, using the Bible Code to create words like Holocaust, Kennedy, Roswell, and UFO. Skeptics took this same process and found similar words in Moby Dick, which just made some believe that Herman Melville could also see into the future. ::facepalm::
Ultimately, 50 Beliefs isn’t the success I anticipated because it relies on argument over evidence (discussed previously) but also because its scope is much too big. With 50 beliefs to cover in 40 pages, that only equates to roughly eight pages per topic, which isn’t nearly enough space to properly devote to each idea. If the idea behind this book was more limited perhaps I wouldn’t have felt so lackluster while reading and been more indebted to finishing it quicker. It was definitely a struggle to get through the majority of the material.
I had a lot of trouble with this book, and it wasn’t for lack of trying. When I purchased it I was genuinely interested in reading a scientific take on the paranormal and the various mysteries of the universe. The problem: I seemed to be under the impression there would be concrete evidence to support most of these beliefs, which is silly considering if there was incontrovertible proof against ghosts and cryptozoology we would have seen it. Strike one: my perception of the world. Although to be fair, I didn’t hear anything about a giant squid being captured until I saw a special on the Discovery Channel, so anything is possible.
This is where the problem lies in this novel, there are more arguments than evidence. As is touched upon in this book, it’s incredibly hard to disprove stuff. We can point others in the right direction with reason and logic, but evidence that completely says these beliefs are false is hard to come by. For example, it should be easy to prove the Loch Ness Monster is real (a body), than to disprove it, the only way to do that would be to completely drain Loch Ness and not locate a sea monster. A lack of proof doesn’t necessarily mean that something isn’t true. I am of course applying this to the more fantastical ideas, not necessarily topics about biological race, evolution, and alternative medicine.
For the most part I felt a lack of interest in the way Harrison presented the material. This is mostly because he seemed more indebted in talking about himself than using anecdotal evidence, which would have been much more interesting. Rather than hear about the time Harrison thought he saw a UFO, explored the pyramids, interviewed Olympic athletes, was a news anchor, and even watched more videos about space than most astronauts (yeah, he went there), I would have rather enjoyed specific examples from history or the news. Anyone but the author himself and how awesome and amazing and more biologically adept he thinks he is. For example, in the chapter about Holocaust deniers, why not explain why they believe it never happened versus that time you felt sad interviewing a Holocaust survivor? If I wanted to read 400 pages of self-congratulatory writing I would have read a memoir. This is not a memoir.
Another problem was that I had to slog through a lot of chapters I didn’t care about just to get to the parts I did. I didn’t buy this book to read two sections about constructed versus biological race, nor did I pick it up to read chapters that seemed to repeat themselves back to back. This felt like a huge waste of time and information, especially when more interesting sections were whittled down to only four pages. Three chapters on biological race and its fallacies, and a chapter on creationism and another on intelligent design seemed like they could have been condensed into one chapter versus several. The same can be said of each chapter on medicine other than scientific (alternative and homeopathic), where I just felt like the same information was being constantly reiterated.
That’s not to say that this book wasn’t interesting. I generally like non-fiction because the real can be more fantastic than the imagined. Without reading this novel I wouldn’t have discovered interesting tidbits such as: 41% of Americans believe in Atlantis, 18% of Americans think the sun revolves around the earth, 40% of Americans believe in creationism, and 42% of college students will never read another novel for the rest of their lives after they graduate. This last statistic probably horrified me the most considering the obvious love and reverence for reading we have on this blog. Although the statistics about creationism and the sun are disturbing, it probably pains scientists way more than me.
Even more interesting, I learned about the Bible Code (one of the few concrete examples mentioned), which when used in conjunction with Moby Dick “predicted” the assassination of Lincoln, MLK, and John F Kennedy. The Bible Code basically works by choosing a locus letter and then finding other words a certain amount of places after, above, below, etc around this locus by choosing a number. Both arbitrary options. Using this code (which feels very Dan Brown), believers have pointed to examples which they believe prove the existence of a divine being, using the Bible Code to create words like Holocaust, Kennedy, Roswell, and UFO. Skeptics took this same process and found similar words in Moby Dick, which just made some believe that Herman Melville could also see into the future. ::facepalm::
Ultimately, 50 Beliefs isn’t the success I anticipated because it relies on argument over evidence (discussed previously) but also because its scope is much too big. With 50 beliefs to cover in 40 pages, that only equates to roughly eight pages per topic, which isn’t nearly enough space to properly devote to each idea. If the idea behind this book was more limited perhaps I wouldn’t have felt so lackluster while reading and been more indebted to finishing it quicker. It was definitely a struggle to get through the majority of the material.
February 29, 2012
This is the only book I've started this year that I couldn't get through. I made it through 130 or so pages, but found no real reason to keep reading. I had it for a month and when the library due date came, I abandoned it for more interesting reading material. I even had to make a new "abandoned" bookshelf to store this book.
This book just doesn't offer anything new. If it is intended to act as a Skepticism for Dummies handbook, then it seems to have succeeded. Aside from believers in any of these 50 topics who are looking for the lightest already-available evidence to no longer believe in them, I don't know who is the intended audience for this book.
For example...
If you believe in psychic powers, are you convinced they don't exist due from the author's insistence that he could do an accurate cold-reading of a person with only a few minutes of studying the technique? Doubt it.
If you believe aliens crashed at Roswell, are you persuaded otherwise by the author's statements that the government said it was a top secret spy balloon and not a spacecraft? Probably not. If you already don't believe aliens crashed, well, why the fuck are you reading this chapter anyway?
As a skeptic, I just didn't need to keep reading about things I already know aren't true. Maybe the sum of the parts would have added up to something worthwhile, but I just couldn't keep going.
This book just doesn't offer anything new. If it is intended to act as a Skepticism for Dummies handbook, then it seems to have succeeded. Aside from believers in any of these 50 topics who are looking for the lightest already-available evidence to no longer believe in them, I don't know who is the intended audience for this book.
For example...
If you believe in psychic powers, are you convinced they don't exist due from the author's insistence that he could do an accurate cold-reading of a person with only a few minutes of studying the technique? Doubt it.
If you believe aliens crashed at Roswell, are you persuaded otherwise by the author's statements that the government said it was a top secret spy balloon and not a spacecraft? Probably not. If you already don't believe aliens crashed, well, why the fuck are you reading this chapter anyway?
As a skeptic, I just didn't need to keep reading about things I already know aren't true. Maybe the sum of the parts would have added up to something worthwhile, but I just couldn't keep going.
February 17, 2023
Bullet Review:
Since this book is essentially 50 short essays, I'm doing this differently than normal - enjoy!
NOTE: I am curious, where did the author come up with these? Was there a study produced that labeled these the top 50 popular beliefs? Or was it just the author's fancy?
1 Supernatural/Paranormal - Gods, religions, ghosts, atlantis - this is a broad chapter about anything not natural.
2 The Afterlife - Focusing mostly on Near Death Experiences.
3 Psychics - Felt like expanding on chapter 1
4 Intelligence/any skill is in the genes - People aren't necessarily "born smart" they just had the privilege
5 Bible/Torah/Quran Code - Need I say more?
6 Reincarnation exists - Another that felt like a copy of chapter 1
7 ESP works - And another dupe of chapter 1
8 Nostradamus was right - Here's a different one (slightly)
9 Miracles - Again, feels heavily overlapping with chapter 1
10 The Moon Landing - One of the longest chapters in this entire book by far, and I'm not sure why. I have no doubt we landed on the moon, but aren't some of these far more critical than the moon landing?!
11 Ancient Aliens - This one is silly but the TV show was amazing to watch while sick.
12 UFOs - The second longest chapter in the book, for no gorram reason. Felt somewhat the same as the previous chapter.
13 The Roswell Crash - Again, felt the same as the previous chapters. Also one of the few 20+ minute chapters.
14 Alien Abductions - And again, feels like the same point over and over and over.
15 Astrology is a real science - Didn't we basically cover this in chapter 1???
This is the point where I decided to skip if the subject didn't interest me or if I felt I had basically already heard the major talking points.
16 Science is perfect - No comment, science is absolutely not perfect.
17 Holocaust denialism - This chapter was shorter than most of the alien ones, and yet there are still a substantial amount of people who believe this. This is where I began to wonder what determined the length the author would go into each of these. I skipped because I couldn't emotionally deal with hearing about the trauma.
18 Global Warming is fake - Sadly, people still believe this, 10 years after this book's publication. Another one that could have been double or tripled the length.
19 TV news is 100% accurate - Again, this one is just sad 10 years later. We've learned and done nothing. (This one is one of the longer ones, and I can kinda understand why)
20 Races mean different species of humans - Like with 17, I'm surprised at how short this is given how important the repercussions of this are. People will literally use "black people are different species" as a reason for treating them lesser - and yet, we spend a little over 10 min on this.
21 Race determines your skill in athletics - This is essentially chapter 4 again; skipped.
22 Conspiracy theories - Larger scale of the Roswell Crash; skipped
23 Alternative medicine is better - Yet another chapter where we've learned nothing in 10 years.
24 Homeopathy works - How is this different than the previous chapter? Skipped.
25 Faith healing works - again, feels like the last three chapters, but I'm mildly curious.
26 Race based medicine - no, just no. This definitely feels repetitive and I can't. Skipped.
27 Vaccinations - Who would have thought this would be one of the most divisive topics of the 21st century? I'll listen, because it's basically like reliving the last 3 years, and I hate myself. Also surprising that this isn't one of the longer chapters, barely clocking in at 20 min
28 My god is the real one - Seems a bit weird after chapter 1, but okay.
29 My religion is the right one - OKAY WAIT A MINUTE. I know this is slightly different than the previous chapter but only just barely. This book is totally just trying to get 50 items. Skipped.
30 Creationism is valid - Okay, this is a juicy one that I'm totally down for. This is the second longest chapter and I'm OK with that. If this were my book, this chapter and the vaccination chapters would be the longest, not the dumb UFO one.
31 Intelligent Design - Okay, come on. I can be an understanding gal, but this is basically the previous chapter! Skipped.
32 The universe was designed - I don't really know how this is different than the last two, but I'll humor it for a minute.
33 Prophesies - Big overlap with the Nostradamus chapter, but I gave it a pass.
34 Prayers - Almost indistinguishable from the chapter on faith healing, but I was doing chores and didn't bother to skip.
35 Cults - Feels repetitive, but again, I'm doing chores so I didn't bother to skip
36 Noah's Ark - A twist on the "my religion is the right one" but I'll bite. (Funny because the Ark Encounter was in the development stages and hadn't been completed yet.)
37 Archaeology proves my religion - I feel like this is a twist on something earlier. Skipped.
38 Holy Relics - Basically a smaller version (ish) of the previous chapter that I humored.
39 Donating to Televangelists - No, no, no, feels like we've been here before. Skipped.
40 Ghosts and Haunted Houses - I thought we already covered this ground - this book is truly repetitive. I honestly don't recommend the average person reading every single chapter because they are barely different from each other. I'll see how far I make it through this.
41 Bigfoot - Why is this the longest chapter?! Who the eff cares?! Didn't the author give a statistic for how many people believe in Bigfoot, and it was less than those who believe in Atlantis?! Then why is this nearly an hour long?! Skipped after about 2/3.
42 Angels - I'm just repeating myself at this point - feels repetitive, didn't skip because it's short.
43 Magic and Witches - See above; didn't skip because it was short.
44 Atlantis - See above; didn't skip because it was short.
45 Heaven - How is this different than the afterlife? Skipped.
46 Bermuda Triangle - Mildly interested in this one, but man, this guy has basically been everywhere, hasn't he! Also, there is no goddamn reason why this needs to be 20 min long...skipped halfway through.
47 Area 51 - No, just no. We already did Roswell. Skipped.
48 December 12, 2012 - LOL. Skipped
49 The Rapture - I read all the Left Behind books. Skipped halfway through.
50 Human Extinction - I have almost never heard this one, but of course, my anecdotal experience doesn't mean this isn't a popular belief.
Who should read this? A person who maybe has some goofy beliefs but none so tightly held they would be unable to listen to conflicting evidence. People who are really inclined to believe in aliens & UFOs (those are the biggest sections for no justifiable reason).
Who should not read this? People who are already pretty skeptical or are well read in psychology and topics like confirmation bias.
Should you buy or borrow? Borrow - pick the ones you are most interested in and then read those.
Since this book is essentially 50 short essays, I'm doing this differently than normal - enjoy!
NOTE: I am curious, where did the author come up with these? Was there a study produced that labeled these the top 50 popular beliefs? Or was it just the author's fancy?
1 Supernatural/Paranormal - Gods, religions, ghosts, atlantis - this is a broad chapter about anything not natural.
2 The Afterlife - Focusing mostly on Near Death Experiences.
3 Psychics - Felt like expanding on chapter 1
4 Intelligence/any skill is in the genes - People aren't necessarily "born smart" they just had the privilege
5 Bible/Torah/Quran Code - Need I say more?
6 Reincarnation exists - Another that felt like a copy of chapter 1
7 ESP works - And another dupe of chapter 1
8 Nostradamus was right - Here's a different one (slightly)
9 Miracles - Again, feels heavily overlapping with chapter 1
10 The Moon Landing - One of the longest chapters in this entire book by far, and I'm not sure why. I have no doubt we landed on the moon, but aren't some of these far more critical than the moon landing?!
11 Ancient Aliens - This one is silly but the TV show was amazing to watch while sick.
12 UFOs - The second longest chapter in the book, for no gorram reason. Felt somewhat the same as the previous chapter.
13 The Roswell Crash - Again, felt the same as the previous chapters. Also one of the few 20+ minute chapters.
14 Alien Abductions - And again, feels like the same point over and over and over.
15 Astrology is a real science - Didn't we basically cover this in chapter 1???
This is the point where I decided to skip if the subject didn't interest me or if I felt I had basically already heard the major talking points.
16 Science is perfect - No comment, science is absolutely not perfect.
17 Holocaust denialism - This chapter was shorter than most of the alien ones, and yet there are still a substantial amount of people who believe this. This is where I began to wonder what determined the length the author would go into each of these. I skipped because I couldn't emotionally deal with hearing about the trauma.
18 Global Warming is fake - Sadly, people still believe this, 10 years after this book's publication. Another one that could have been double or tripled the length.
19 TV news is 100% accurate - Again, this one is just sad 10 years later. We've learned and done nothing. (This one is one of the longer ones, and I can kinda understand why)
20 Races mean different species of humans - Like with 17, I'm surprised at how short this is given how important the repercussions of this are. People will literally use "black people are different species" as a reason for treating them lesser - and yet, we spend a little over 10 min on this.
21 Race determines your skill in athletics - This is essentially chapter 4 again; skipped.
22 Conspiracy theories - Larger scale of the Roswell Crash; skipped
23 Alternative medicine is better - Yet another chapter where we've learned nothing in 10 years.
24 Homeopathy works - How is this different than the previous chapter? Skipped.
25 Faith healing works - again, feels like the last three chapters, but I'm mildly curious.
26 Race based medicine - no, just no. This definitely feels repetitive and I can't. Skipped.
27 Vaccinations - Who would have thought this would be one of the most divisive topics of the 21st century? I'll listen, because it's basically like reliving the last 3 years, and I hate myself. Also surprising that this isn't one of the longer chapters, barely clocking in at 20 min
28 My god is the real one - Seems a bit weird after chapter 1, but okay.
29 My religion is the right one - OKAY WAIT A MINUTE. I know this is slightly different than the previous chapter but only just barely. This book is totally just trying to get 50 items. Skipped.
30 Creationism is valid - Okay, this is a juicy one that I'm totally down for. This is the second longest chapter and I'm OK with that. If this were my book, this chapter and the vaccination chapters would be the longest, not the dumb UFO one.
31 Intelligent Design - Okay, come on. I can be an understanding gal, but this is basically the previous chapter! Skipped.
32 The universe was designed - I don't really know how this is different than the last two, but I'll humor it for a minute.
33 Prophesies - Big overlap with the Nostradamus chapter, but I gave it a pass.
34 Prayers - Almost indistinguishable from the chapter on faith healing, but I was doing chores and didn't bother to skip.
35 Cults - Feels repetitive, but again, I'm doing chores so I didn't bother to skip
36 Noah's Ark - A twist on the "my religion is the right one" but I'll bite. (Funny because the Ark Encounter was in the development stages and hadn't been completed yet.)
37 Archaeology proves my religion - I feel like this is a twist on something earlier. Skipped.
38 Holy Relics - Basically a smaller version (ish) of the previous chapter that I humored.
39 Donating to Televangelists - No, no, no, feels like we've been here before. Skipped.
40 Ghosts and Haunted Houses - I thought we already covered this ground - this book is truly repetitive. I honestly don't recommend the average person reading every single chapter because they are barely different from each other. I'll see how far I make it through this.
41 Bigfoot - Why is this the longest chapter?! Who the eff cares?! Didn't the author give a statistic for how many people believe in Bigfoot, and it was less than those who believe in Atlantis?! Then why is this nearly an hour long?! Skipped after about 2/3.
42 Angels - I'm just repeating myself at this point - feels repetitive, didn't skip because it's short.
43 Magic and Witches - See above; didn't skip because it was short.
44 Atlantis - See above; didn't skip because it was short.
45 Heaven - How is this different than the afterlife? Skipped.
46 Bermuda Triangle - Mildly interested in this one, but man, this guy has basically been everywhere, hasn't he! Also, there is no goddamn reason why this needs to be 20 min long...skipped halfway through.
47 Area 51 - No, just no. We already did Roswell. Skipped.
48 December 12, 2012 - LOL. Skipped
49 The Rapture - I read all the Left Behind books. Skipped halfway through.
50 Human Extinction - I have almost never heard this one, but of course, my anecdotal experience doesn't mean this isn't a popular belief.
Who should read this? A person who maybe has some goofy beliefs but none so tightly held they would be unable to listen to conflicting evidence. People who are really inclined to believe in aliens & UFOs (those are the biggest sections for no justifiable reason).
Who should not read this? People who are already pretty skeptical or are well read in psychology and topics like confirmation bias.
Should you buy or borrow? Borrow - pick the ones you are most interested in and then read those.
January 1, 2012
50 popular beliefs that people think are true by Guy P. Harrison
"50 popular beliefs that people think are true" is a fascinating book about skepticism and critical thinking applied to fifty popular beliefs. In a true open-minded and respectful manner, Guy Harrison takes us on a wonderful journey of applying the best current evidence to popular beliefs. This 458-page book is broken out by the following eight sections: Magical Thinking, Out There, Science and Reason, Strange Healings, Lure of the Gods, Bizarre Beings, Weird Places, and Dreaming of the End.
Positives:
1. As accessible a book as you will find and written in an elegant and engaging conversational tone. A fun, page turner of a book to read.
2. A well-researched book evidenced by the number of books referenced and comprehensive bibliography.
3. Excellent format! Each chapter begins with an appropriate quote or two about the popular belief and ends with a "Go Deeper" section of further reading.
4. A respectful and sympathetic tone used throughout. Mr. Harrison treats his topics with utmost respect and care. He's one of the few authors that can take on "sensitive" topics in a considerate manner. A rare quality indeed.
5. Fascinating topics! There is something for everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The book covers a great and diverse selection of popular beliefs. Bravo!
6. The ability to express his thoughts in a logical and lucid manner. It's such a treat to read a book in which the author makes clear and succinct points.
7. Thought-provoking quotes and comments. "Being a skeptic means being honest and mature enough to seek answers that are based on evidence and logic rather than hopes and dreams."
8. A great defender of science and logic. The author does a great job of providing meaningful statistics and illustrations to back his points. Furthermore, he relies on subject matter experts to provide the best current evidence.
9. Some key concepts introduced that really helps understand why we believe. How we really see for instance and how our memories work. Great stuff.
10. The author makes it very clear what we know versus what we do not know. A good job of keeping things in perspective.
11. How cold readings work and an amusing tale that illustrates the points.
12. Wisdom and knowledge throughout. Everyone will have their favorite chapters, I enjoyed those that taught me knew things and are helping me change my perspective. The chapters involving intelligence and race were a pleasant surprise to me.
13. Chapters and concepts involving the supernatural are always a personal favorite and the author doesn't disappoint. Miracles, angels, souls, spirits...oh my.
14. This is an engaging book because the author's innate curious personality comes through so genuinely. There are many popular beliefs that the author himself would love to be true and hasn't completely ruled out. As an example the chapters on Aliens and UFOs. Absolutely love the self-deprecating humor and love for the awe of the unknown.
15. Pseudoscience placed in its proper place but done so as mentioned before with respect. Surprisingly but necessary, the author also does so with science.
16. The author provides a great point about global warming.
17. Guy Harrison's background is so vast and interesting that he is able to talk about topics from a firsthand perspective such as television news. Insightful takes on journalism and science.
18. A refreshing look at conspiracies. I'm a better person for having read it.
19. Great takes on alternative medicine, homeopathy, and faith healing. Benny Hinn...
20. Topics on religion are very interesting and even more so because the author is able to talk about all the main religions and not just Christianity which adds depth to the conversation.
21. Creationism and evolution, and even more interesting potential future debates.
22. Prophecies. The chapter on Nostradamus is fascinating and there is a separate one on worldwide prophecies, good stuff.
23. An interesting look at prayers.
24. Archaeology and what we don't know with conviction.
25. Bizarre beings like Bigfoot were fun chapters to read.
26. Loved the chapter on the Bermuda Triangle.
27. The Mayans and 2012 so topical and a great water-cooler topic for months to come and Mr. Harrison provides the insight.
28. The book "ends" with a bang. No really...many examples of how it will end.
Negatives:
1. Having to wait for the Kindle version. I couldn't wait so I purchased the book instead. No big deal.
2. Because this book is so ambitious and covers fifty popular beliefs; some chapters may not have the depth that some readers would have liked but the author did a wonderful job of providing further reading material.
In summary, I absolutely loved this book! It's one of the reasons why I enjoy reading so much. This is one of those few books available that everyone can enjoy. You can jump to your favorite topics if you desire or read it straight through. Either way you will at the very least respect the author's approach or best, enjoy it as thoroughly as I have. This is a book about skepticism that is fun to read, thought-provoking while never being unintelligible. Don't hesitate to get it! I highly recommend it!
Further suggestions: "50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God" by the same author, "The Believing Brain..." and "Why People Believe Weird Things" by Michael Shermer, "Scientific Paranormal Investigations" by Benjamin Radford, "The Belief Instinct" by Jesse Bering, "Why Evolution Is True" by Jerry A. Coyne, "Godless..." by Dan Barker, "Society without God" Phil Zuckerman, "The Faith Healers" by James Randi, "The Christian Delusion" by John W. Loftus, "Caveman Logic" by Hank Davis, "The Fallacy of Fine-Tuning" by Victor J. Stenger, "The Blind Spot" by William Byers, "Paranormality" Richard Wiseman, "Storms of My Grandchildren" by James Hansen, "Braintrust" by Patricia S. Churchland, "The Panic Virus" by Seth Mnookin, "Science Under Siege" by Kendrick Frazier, "Superstition" by Robert Park and "Science and Nonbelief" by Taner Edis.
"50 popular beliefs that people think are true" is a fascinating book about skepticism and critical thinking applied to fifty popular beliefs. In a true open-minded and respectful manner, Guy Harrison takes us on a wonderful journey of applying the best current evidence to popular beliefs. This 458-page book is broken out by the following eight sections: Magical Thinking, Out There, Science and Reason, Strange Healings, Lure of the Gods, Bizarre Beings, Weird Places, and Dreaming of the End.
Positives:
1. As accessible a book as you will find and written in an elegant and engaging conversational tone. A fun, page turner of a book to read.
2. A well-researched book evidenced by the number of books referenced and comprehensive bibliography.
3. Excellent format! Each chapter begins with an appropriate quote or two about the popular belief and ends with a "Go Deeper" section of further reading.
4. A respectful and sympathetic tone used throughout. Mr. Harrison treats his topics with utmost respect and care. He's one of the few authors that can take on "sensitive" topics in a considerate manner. A rare quality indeed.
5. Fascinating topics! There is something for everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The book covers a great and diverse selection of popular beliefs. Bravo!
6. The ability to express his thoughts in a logical and lucid manner. It's such a treat to read a book in which the author makes clear and succinct points.
7. Thought-provoking quotes and comments. "Being a skeptic means being honest and mature enough to seek answers that are based on evidence and logic rather than hopes and dreams."
8. A great defender of science and logic. The author does a great job of providing meaningful statistics and illustrations to back his points. Furthermore, he relies on subject matter experts to provide the best current evidence.
9. Some key concepts introduced that really helps understand why we believe. How we really see for instance and how our memories work. Great stuff.
10. The author makes it very clear what we know versus what we do not know. A good job of keeping things in perspective.
11. How cold readings work and an amusing tale that illustrates the points.
12. Wisdom and knowledge throughout. Everyone will have their favorite chapters, I enjoyed those that taught me knew things and are helping me change my perspective. The chapters involving intelligence and race were a pleasant surprise to me.
13. Chapters and concepts involving the supernatural are always a personal favorite and the author doesn't disappoint. Miracles, angels, souls, spirits...oh my.
14. This is an engaging book because the author's innate curious personality comes through so genuinely. There are many popular beliefs that the author himself would love to be true and hasn't completely ruled out. As an example the chapters on Aliens and UFOs. Absolutely love the self-deprecating humor and love for the awe of the unknown.
15. Pseudoscience placed in its proper place but done so as mentioned before with respect. Surprisingly but necessary, the author also does so with science.
16. The author provides a great point about global warming.
17. Guy Harrison's background is so vast and interesting that he is able to talk about topics from a firsthand perspective such as television news. Insightful takes on journalism and science.
18. A refreshing look at conspiracies. I'm a better person for having read it.
19. Great takes on alternative medicine, homeopathy, and faith healing. Benny Hinn...
20. Topics on religion are very interesting and even more so because the author is able to talk about all the main religions and not just Christianity which adds depth to the conversation.
21. Creationism and evolution, and even more interesting potential future debates.
22. Prophecies. The chapter on Nostradamus is fascinating and there is a separate one on worldwide prophecies, good stuff.
23. An interesting look at prayers.
24. Archaeology and what we don't know with conviction.
25. Bizarre beings like Bigfoot were fun chapters to read.
26. Loved the chapter on the Bermuda Triangle.
27. The Mayans and 2012 so topical and a great water-cooler topic for months to come and Mr. Harrison provides the insight.
28. The book "ends" with a bang. No really...many examples of how it will end.
Negatives:
1. Having to wait for the Kindle version. I couldn't wait so I purchased the book instead. No big deal.
2. Because this book is so ambitious and covers fifty popular beliefs; some chapters may not have the depth that some readers would have liked but the author did a wonderful job of providing further reading material.
In summary, I absolutely loved this book! It's one of the reasons why I enjoy reading so much. This is one of those few books available that everyone can enjoy. You can jump to your favorite topics if you desire or read it straight through. Either way you will at the very least respect the author's approach or best, enjoy it as thoroughly as I have. This is a book about skepticism that is fun to read, thought-provoking while never being unintelligible. Don't hesitate to get it! I highly recommend it!
Further suggestions: "50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God" by the same author, "The Believing Brain..." and "Why People Believe Weird Things" by Michael Shermer, "Scientific Paranormal Investigations" by Benjamin Radford, "The Belief Instinct" by Jesse Bering, "Why Evolution Is True" by Jerry A. Coyne, "Godless..." by Dan Barker, "Society without God" Phil Zuckerman, "The Faith Healers" by James Randi, "The Christian Delusion" by John W. Loftus, "Caveman Logic" by Hank Davis, "The Fallacy of Fine-Tuning" by Victor J. Stenger, "The Blind Spot" by William Byers, "Paranormality" Richard Wiseman, "Storms of My Grandchildren" by James Hansen, "Braintrust" by Patricia S. Churchland, "The Panic Virus" by Seth Mnookin, "Science Under Siege" by Kendrick Frazier, "Superstition" by Robert Park and "Science and Nonbelief" by Taner Edis.
June 19, 2018
First things first: that title is annoyingly redundant. Okay, now the review.
Chances are you know someone who harbors what you know to be irrational beliefs, and chances are they hold the same opinion about you. It isn't easy to stay sober with a monkey brain trying to impose order on the chaos of life, sometimes mesmerizing itself with its own fiction. 50 Popular Beliefs consists of an introduction, fifty brief essays debunking various icons of culture from ghosts to horoscopes, and a conclusion. Those who count themselves skeptics already will find no surprises, and should not anticipate anything that will add greatly to their own knowledge, like The Demon Haunted World or Why People Believe Weird Things. This is straightforward debunking, along with some information on how we are so easy to fool -- especially when we're fooling ourselves. The ideal audience is people who regard themselves as well-informed and appropriately skeptical, but who are exposed to some ideas so often that they're wanting confirmation that yes, horoscopes really are BS.
While many of the essays address areas of constant skeptic scorn -- astrology, homeopathy, ancient aliens, Area 51, Holocaust denial -- Guy Harrison also covers matters that aren't low-hanging fruit, like the value of television and the dimensions of race. He explores race as a concept, then some stereotypes about it in regards to sports and intelligence. The pieces have a strong personal flavor, as Harrison uses his own experiences to try to understand those of others, and he attempts to experiment directly when he can. For instance, in the chapter on psychics he successfully cold-reads someone, and in the chapter on faith healing he attends a Benny Hinn performance. The pieces are sometimes too short to do their topic service, which I think will expose them to "what about" rebuttals as believers present similar convictions from a slightly different angle Not every article has the same length, however; Harrison is partcularly passionate about the veracity of the Moon landings and that essays goes on for a bit rebutting the various arguments for their being a fraud.
The most valuable part of 50 Beliefs, personally, are its resources for extended reading. I saw more than a few titles in here which I'd either long forgotten about or had never heard of at all. Harrison has written more in this genre, but I'm more interested in Brian Dunning's new book dissecting conspiracies or The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe's October release of a book using their name.
Chances are you know someone who harbors what you know to be irrational beliefs, and chances are they hold the same opinion about you. It isn't easy to stay sober with a monkey brain trying to impose order on the chaos of life, sometimes mesmerizing itself with its own fiction. 50 Popular Beliefs consists of an introduction, fifty brief essays debunking various icons of culture from ghosts to horoscopes, and a conclusion. Those who count themselves skeptics already will find no surprises, and should not anticipate anything that will add greatly to their own knowledge, like The Demon Haunted World or Why People Believe Weird Things. This is straightforward debunking, along with some information on how we are so easy to fool -- especially when we're fooling ourselves. The ideal audience is people who regard themselves as well-informed and appropriately skeptical, but who are exposed to some ideas so often that they're wanting confirmation that yes, horoscopes really are BS.
While many of the essays address areas of constant skeptic scorn -- astrology, homeopathy, ancient aliens, Area 51, Holocaust denial -- Guy Harrison also covers matters that aren't low-hanging fruit, like the value of television and the dimensions of race. He explores race as a concept, then some stereotypes about it in regards to sports and intelligence. The pieces have a strong personal flavor, as Harrison uses his own experiences to try to understand those of others, and he attempts to experiment directly when he can. For instance, in the chapter on psychics he successfully cold-reads someone, and in the chapter on faith healing he attends a Benny Hinn performance. The pieces are sometimes too short to do their topic service, which I think will expose them to "what about" rebuttals as believers present similar convictions from a slightly different angle Not every article has the same length, however; Harrison is partcularly passionate about the veracity of the Moon landings and that essays goes on for a bit rebutting the various arguments for their being a fraud.
The most valuable part of 50 Beliefs, personally, are its resources for extended reading. I saw more than a few titles in here which I'd either long forgotten about or had never heard of at all. Harrison has written more in this genre, but I'm more interested in Brian Dunning's new book dissecting conspiracies or The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe's October release of a book using their name.
June 12, 2012
Eh. Interesting, but one-sided. And while skepticism is all well and good I found this a bit repetitive and problematic.
Beyond the simple fact that this is a book where the author presents his refutations or skepticism about beliefs according to his own opinions (which is fine as such, but gets dull), it's the fact that this throws a hell of a lot of things together that I don't think balance well.
If you're writing a serious book refuting theories of religious belief, or racial prejudices, or health concerns, those are some big, meaty and pretty serious topic points that people have argued over for centuries. If, on the other hand you're writing a book refuting or questioning belief in aliens, ghosts, Atlantis and Bigfoot, well that's also been argued over a lot, but not as seriously. To associate the two sets of ideas in the same book tends to imply they be afforded the same weight of thought. This can be interpreted as offensive (if you're religious and do not like religion being equated with something like Bigfoot) or dangerous (race as a definition being refuted and Atlantis being refuted in the same pages kind of makes the race question seem fanciful, when it is dead serious for many). Also, I have add that this is a very "Western" sort of stance and attitude, and I find myself wondering how it would play to other corners of the world.
Lumping all this stuff together doesn't really work well as a book for me.
Beyond the simple fact that this is a book where the author presents his refutations or skepticism about beliefs according to his own opinions (which is fine as such, but gets dull), it's the fact that this throws a hell of a lot of things together that I don't think balance well.
If you're writing a serious book refuting theories of religious belief, or racial prejudices, or health concerns, those are some big, meaty and pretty serious topic points that people have argued over for centuries. If, on the other hand you're writing a book refuting or questioning belief in aliens, ghosts, Atlantis and Bigfoot, well that's also been argued over a lot, but not as seriously. To associate the two sets of ideas in the same book tends to imply they be afforded the same weight of thought. This can be interpreted as offensive (if you're religious and do not like religion being equated with something like Bigfoot) or dangerous (race as a definition being refuted and Atlantis being refuted in the same pages kind of makes the race question seem fanciful, when it is dead serious for many). Also, I have add that this is a very "Western" sort of stance and attitude, and I find myself wondering how it would play to other corners of the world.
Lumping all this stuff together doesn't really work well as a book for me.
April 20, 2014
I like the ideas of the author. I even thought one or two similar ideas myself years ago. That's why I still read this book until the end although this book is so boring for me especially after I have read about 40% of the book.
Well, it is subjective from me. My opinion is if the author/editor could cut-off some 50-100 pages, the book would be an easy 3 star or even 4 star (if they could cut-of 150 pages, it would be even better). There are so many similar ideas/arguments between chapters/topics.
Well, it is subjective from me. My opinion is if the author/editor could cut-off some 50-100 pages, the book would be an easy 3 star or even 4 star (if they could cut-of 150 pages, it would be even better). There are so many similar ideas/arguments between chapters/topics.
August 29, 2012
This is a good book if what you're looking for is a sort of overview of the possibilities of critical thinking. The only real problem with it is that every false belief addressed is treated with the same reverent and respectful tone-- Harrison takes great pains to be non-offensive-- when some of the subjects are clearly unworthy (belief in Atlantis, for instance, or the Bermuda Triangle, are given just as much space as Creationism or the anti-vaccine crusaders, positions that Harrison admirably shows to be quite dangerous). Fortunately, the book is set up in such a way that jumping around to subjects of particular interest is easy to do.
So: a suitable book to act as a starting point on your way to deeper and more meaningful books about the value of skepticism. And a fun read.
So: a suitable book to act as a starting point on your way to deeper and more meaningful books about the value of skepticism. And a fun read.
January 12, 2013
I didnt read this whole book, just skipped to the chapter of Ghosts to see how the author handled the subject. It goes like this;
The concept of ghosts have been around forever because prehistoric man had dreams of the dead he didn't understand. Author goes on vision quest - see raccoon. imagines communion. Goes to haunted house feels something- imagination. Sees plastics - ah that's the reflection in photos! Mystery solved. End the section with whenever he encounter believers he remembers that he too "was once scared by a few un identified silly sounds". It makes him humble. . What the ?...?...
The concept of ghosts have been around forever because prehistoric man had dreams of the dead he didn't understand. Author goes on vision quest - see raccoon. imagines communion. Goes to haunted house feels something- imagination. Sees plastics - ah that's the reflection in photos! Mystery solved. End the section with whenever he encounter believers he remembers that he too "was once scared by a few un identified silly sounds". It makes him humble. . What the ?...?...
July 1, 2019
Starting this book, I did not realize that it was written by a scientific skeptic who wanted to use the book as a primer for skepticism, although I quickly was informed. And then repeatedly beat over the head with this throughout the entire book.
I am definitely a scientific skeptic and am proud to apply it to many aspects of my life, but even I found this book to be holier-than-thou and overbearing. The author heavily relies on personal anecdotes to demonstrate how our perception of the world is not always accurate, but, rather than feel closer to the author's experiences and observe correlations with my life, I felt that the author was speaking down to the reader and pulling away from objective facts.
Speaking about objective facts, often the author makes statements that the reader is supposed to accept without sufficient evidence provided, which is antithetical to skepticism. In addition, I was hoping to find intriguing and creative ways to approach non-scientific beliefs to encourage conversation and discussion about those beliefs, perhaps opening people up to skeptical viewpoints. Instead, the author repeats "well, there just isn't good evidence for this belief, so it's probably not true", which is an accurate statement, but ultimately unhelpful for approaching supernatural/untrue beliefs with other people.
I am definitely a scientific skeptic and am proud to apply it to many aspects of my life, but even I found this book to be holier-than-thou and overbearing. The author heavily relies on personal anecdotes to demonstrate how our perception of the world is not always accurate, but, rather than feel closer to the author's experiences and observe correlations with my life, I felt that the author was speaking down to the reader and pulling away from objective facts.
Speaking about objective facts, often the author makes statements that the reader is supposed to accept without sufficient evidence provided, which is antithetical to skepticism. In addition, I was hoping to find intriguing and creative ways to approach non-scientific beliefs to encourage conversation and discussion about those beliefs, perhaps opening people up to skeptical viewpoints. Instead, the author repeats "well, there just isn't good evidence for this belief, so it's probably not true", which is an accurate statement, but ultimately unhelpful for approaching supernatural/untrue beliefs with other people.
August 1, 2016
I got the point by the second belief people think are true but are not. This book is awfully repetitive. Yes, I know what Harrison has to say is important but GEEZ. 25 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True would have made the point and would have quickened the book up a pace. It gets to be a real chore at times working through this book.
The book did describe a couple of beliefs I had never heard of before such as race-based medicine. Now I know how to demolish anyone promoting race-based medicine should I ever meet someone dumb enough to fall for the race-based medicine premise. I also did not know that Jane Goodall believes in Bigfoot.
Another good point were the cartoons but they appeared infrequently. They did not adorn each of the 50 beliefs so sometimes it was a good gap of ho-hum text until the next cartoon appeared.
The book did describe a couple of beliefs I had never heard of before such as race-based medicine. Now I know how to demolish anyone promoting race-based medicine should I ever meet someone dumb enough to fall for the race-based medicine premise. I also did not know that Jane Goodall believes in Bigfoot.
Another good point were the cartoons but they appeared infrequently. They did not adorn each of the 50 beliefs so sometimes it was a good gap of ho-hum text until the next cartoon appeared.
April 8, 2019
Just another rant by a smarmy skeptic who is skeptical of everything except his own skepticism. Some of the things omitted from his 50 Popular Beliefs include global warming, species change via gradualism, string theory, and a host of others. In other words, if a scientist says something scientific sounding, he accepts it as a given. However, he fails to credit scientists like Jane Goodall who believe in Bigfoot/Sasquatch but rather points to them as exhibits of how smart people can believe dumb things.
I'm marking this as read because I've read enough to know there isn't much in here worth reading. It's just the same old same old.
I'm marking this as read because I've read enough to know there isn't much in here worth reading. It's just the same old same old.
October 10, 2017
Take the sceptic approach and do fact checking and here you go ....you have a book.
Pop corn reading
Pop corn reading
September 5, 2019
1.5/5
I suppose I dived into this audiobook hoping to laugh at silly things that people believe in and finding out why people believe in these things.
Instead, this was a very repetitive book that seems to focus on how to think skeptically about everything and how to debunk popular myths with the power of skepticism.
Honestly, I didn't believe any of the myths prior to reading this book (such as ghosts, alien abductions, psychics, ESP, faked moon landing, astrology, etc.) so I wasn't interested in listening to the repetitive explanations of how there aren't any scientific evidence to back any of these claims. Again, I'm more interested in why people believe these myths and where these myths originated from.
While some chapters did include a brief explanation to the origins of these beliefs, I felt like this book placed too much emphasis on the fact that there aren't enough evidence to support these myths. I would much rather learn more about these strange beliefs and perhaps a psychological analysis as to why people are so quick to believe the improbable.
tl;drI think this book would have benefited from scientific evidence, such as a psychologist's take on why people choose to think a certain way and believe in the strange or explanations as to why certain things are not scientifically possible (like superpowers and faith healing). This book would be so much more interesting if it was written by a psychologist or scientist rather than from a skeptic voicing his biased skeptic opinions about other people's beliefs.
Also, I'm skeptical about most things in life so this book just felt like repetitive common sense to me. Unless you want a lesson on how to think more skeptically, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book.
I suppose I dived into this audiobook hoping to laugh at silly things that people believe in and finding out why people believe in these things.
Instead, this was a very repetitive book that seems to focus on how to think skeptically about everything and how to debunk popular myths with the power of skepticism.
Honestly, I didn't believe any of the myths prior to reading this book (such as ghosts, alien abductions, psychics, ESP, faked moon landing, astrology, etc.) so I wasn't interested in listening to the repetitive explanations of how there aren't any scientific evidence to back any of these claims. Again, I'm more interested in why people believe these myths and where these myths originated from.
While some chapters did include a brief explanation to the origins of these beliefs, I felt like this book placed too much emphasis on the fact that there aren't enough evidence to support these myths. I would much rather learn more about these strange beliefs and perhaps a psychological analysis as to why people are so quick to believe the improbable.
tl;drI think this book would have benefited from scientific evidence, such as a psychologist's take on why people choose to think a certain way and believe in the strange or explanations as to why certain things are not scientifically possible (like superpowers and faith healing). This book would be so much more interesting if it was written by a psychologist or scientist rather than from a skeptic voicing his biased skeptic opinions about other people's beliefs.
Also, I'm skeptical about most things in life so this book just felt like repetitive common sense to me. Unless you want a lesson on how to think more skeptically, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book.
February 22, 2012
Thank you Marianne D for a great review for my PSLA books:
Harrison, Guy P. 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2012. 978-1-61614-795-1. 485p. $18.00 Gr. 9-12
This book concerns itself with the beliefs of people which they hold dear to their hearts, believe completely with their minds, just know they are true…but are they? One needs to keep an open mind when reading this book. The author just might step on your own toes. Harrison takes time honored areas of our world such as global warming, creationism, alien visitors from outer space, the existence of Noah’s ark, even the existence of God. He delves into alternative medicine, the existence of Atlantis and the 2012 Mayan end of the world and lots more. He presents each topic and the beliefs and then he respectfully and gently presents the facts or the lack of facts. He is scientific, logical and thoughtful but humorous at times. A great book for students who want to explore new ways of thinking about our world. Excellent, promotes thinking outside the box. Marianne D
Harrison, Guy P. 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2012. 978-1-61614-795-1. 485p. $18.00 Gr. 9-12
This book concerns itself with the beliefs of people which they hold dear to their hearts, believe completely with their minds, just know they are true…but are they? One needs to keep an open mind when reading this book. The author just might step on your own toes. Harrison takes time honored areas of our world such as global warming, creationism, alien visitors from outer space, the existence of Noah’s ark, even the existence of God. He delves into alternative medicine, the existence of Atlantis and the 2012 Mayan end of the world and lots more. He presents each topic and the beliefs and then he respectfully and gently presents the facts or the lack of facts. He is scientific, logical and thoughtful but humorous at times. A great book for students who want to explore new ways of thinking about our world. Excellent, promotes thinking outside the box. Marianne D
October 31, 2017
Read this one if you like taking a critical (i.e., 'fact-based') view of things we hold dear in our popular culture, such as climate change, Bigfoot, and the existence of God/god(s). Even if you disagree with some of the authors' premises (as I do), you'll probably have to admit that logic is the best way to approach these things.
November 21, 2019
Although progress was slow, I learned a great deal from his book and have been prepared for any absurd beliefs people might spit at me. Giving the nature of our world, this book is essential to living your life properly.
November 7, 2012
Excellent book, but a little too repetitive in its explanation of all 50 beliefs.
February 1, 2019
Love the concept but the author's tone is so pompous and patronising that I wanted to throw the book across the room, even though I agreed with what he was saying.
April 3, 2019
This book should be a compulsory reading for all students, I wish it were a part of the curriculum.
July 16, 2014
50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True
Of course what is implied is that these beliefs are not true, or at least unproven. And as it happens that's quite right, he sets about dismantling each of these beliefs. Harrison does this by assembling the facts, the evidence, the basis of the story. Where did it come from? Who said this? What evidence is there for this belief? With some beliefs like flying saucers, he is ready to believe, he does not dispute the possibility, but is waiting for reliable evidence, which he shows does not yet exist. Because something is not understood, that does not mean we should believe in some explanation that has no factual basis, like ancient Greeks thinking Zeus was throwing lightning bolts whenever there was a storm.
There are plenty of beliefs to consider. Here's a list of a dozen.
Your Either Born Smart Or You're Not.
Astrology is Scientific
A Psychic Read My Mind
Atlantis is Down There Somewhere
Creationism is True and Evolution is Not
Stories of Past Lives Prove Reincarnation is Real
Ghosts Are Real and They Live in Haunted Houses
UFOs Are Visitors From Other Worlds
Area 51 is Where They Keep the Aliens
My Religion is the One That is True
Global Warming is A Political Issue and Nothing More
Television News Gives Me An Accurate View of the World
Well there are still about 40 more beliefs to be examined.
This is an interesting book, one that you can dip into at any chapter. First he gives a presentation of the belief, and then explains why it is false or unsubstantiated. That is, he gives factual evidence, not opinions.
Yet there is another aspect to this book; someone who believes in Creationism -- that the world is only 6,000 years old and was created in six days--is not going to be convinced by any amount of factual information. Their beliefs are not evidence-based, but faith-based. People who believe in many of these beliefs do so not from logical, scientific, reasoned information, they do it from emotional convictions, or accepting the word of some authority. Facts are not going to disturb their beliefs. And yes, they have a perfect right to their beliefs as all of us have.
We can understand that, because most of our beliefs become set with emotion, and once that happens it is hard to shift them. For example, most of us vote for one political party, and will do so all our lives no matter what happens. It is the small number of swinging voters who actually decide who wins elections.
Harrison met a woman in California who carried a sandwich board which proclaimed the world would end on May 21, 2011. She believed that 97% of the world's population would be destroyed; only the faithful, the chosen, would be taken to heaven. Despite all his arguments, she was utterly convinced of her belief. The Judgement day had been proclaimed by Harold Camping, but when it failed to occur he told his followers, it was an "invisible Judgment Day" and the actual date of destruction had been revised to October 21, 2011. Even after this, many of his followers still believed in his prophecy.
This book is interesting reading, particularly if you are prepared to listen to what is presented. For example, "A Flying Saucer Crashed Near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947... " Personally, I have always had doubts about this, possibly it could be right, yep, I saw some blurred photo of a Martian, but was never quite convinced either way. It is nice to get some unbiased information about something that so many people believe in.
Reading this book will expand your understanding of life. It gives you both sides of many issues, and teaches you to consider the facts, the science if there is any, without swallowing some internet story without thought.
Harrison points out that good sceptics don't accept any wacky claim that comes along without evidence, but neither do they reject wacky claims totally. There is always a door left open, waiting for evidence.
Harrison discusses some of his own experiences, which leads him to understand why people believe things that are not true. He tells of his college days when he lived in an old two-storey house. Often he was alone in the upstairs section, but he would hear creaking noises, as if someone was walking around downstairs. When he investigated, he found nothing. Although he logically came to accept this, his emotions often cried out with fear. So when he hears of people believing that a house is haunted, he feels some sympathy, some understanding.
He makes an interesting point about miracle cures by evangelical preachers when he points out that although there have been many thousands of people who say they are cured from various illnesses, in all history there has never been a case of an amputee being restored. The cures are all on the inside. He once went to a religious meeting and wrote about an elderly woman who was taken up to the stage, blessed, and cured of cancer. He wrote this case up for his newspaper. But the following week she died. The newspaper editor told him not to run the story of her death. So people were misled.
Harrison explains how we accept some of these beliefs. Think of a stage magician, he is not using magic to perform these miraculous tricks. He is using Tricks! Smoke and mirrors, psychological tricks, false panels. Sure, you can enjoy the "magic" but don't for a minute believe in his "magical powers" just because you don't understand how his tricks are done.
In this book, each belief fits into a larger pattern, such as Magical Thinking, or Strange Healings. At the end of each chapter he provides a list of books that give evidence about each belief so that you can follow-up with some more detailed information.
If you read this book, it is certain that you will broaden your mind, and learn to think more objectively. You will be more aware, not sceptical, but less unsuspecting.
Finally, he provides a theory as to why people continue to believe unproven, discredited beliefs.
"... it is important to be aware of how we perceive and assess the world around us. We know that humans are pattern-seeking creatures. Without even trying, we naturally attempt to connect the dots in almost everything we see and hear. This is a great ability if you are trying to catch a camouflaged bird in a tree for your dinner... But pattern seeking also leads us to see things that are not there... which might waste our time and maybe get us into trouble... we also have a tendency to automatically make connections and find patterns in our thinking. This is one reason that unlikely conspiracy theories are able to take root and blossom in the minds of so many people."
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October 12, 2014
Guy Harrison writes about 50 popular beliefs that he claims are actually false.
Largely, he is convincing on each issue chapter by chapter.
For example, he addresses the issue of the bible code revealing the future.
That is, take every 10th letter (or some other made up rule) in the bible and a midst the noise the bible code predicts JFK's assassination or some other event.
To counter this claim he shows that any random string of letters, if long enough, will eventually describe some event in history.
Ironically, a discovered bible code prediction always describes something that happened in the past and never in the future which eventually occurs, stretching the meaning of the word "prediction".
Another popular belief he tackles is television news accuracy.
Harrison's expose on television news is insightful and demonstrates how television news looks for stories that will increase ratings and not necessarily provide an accurate view of the world.
However, some of his arguments fall short of convincing.
Harrison spends a chapter explaining why biological races do not actually exist.
I found this topic interesting since I have heard the claim before but never heard the reasoning.
His argument is that because there is no definitive dividing mark between Asian or Caucasian or any other race then races to not exist.
If you lined up all the people in the world from darkest skin to lightest skin you would find a gradual change in skin color without any definite change from darkest to lightest.
Because of this lack of a clear boundary line between races he concludes that biological race does not exist.
To illustrate his argument he gives the example that the distinct oceans also do not exist because there is no clear dividing line between the Pacific and Indian oceans as you sail through the Indonesian islands.
Because you cannot draw an exact line to distinguish the oceans then distinct oceans do not exist.
And because you cannot draw an exact line to distinguish the biological races then races do not exist.
I find this argument lacking.
Simply because there is no agreed upon exact line of demarcation does not mean that the concept is void.
If his argument was applied to many other concepts the absurdity would quickly be seen.
For example, take the color spectrum of the rainbow.
As you move across the color spectrum red slowly becomes more and more orange which slowly becomes more and more yellow.
While the dividing line between red and orange is hazy that does not mean that color does not exist.
We simply navigate the ambiguity when it is there and accept red and orange when the ambiguity is not there.
We do not throw up our hands and say that "red" does not exist.
Try applying his logic to the difference between homo sapiens and homo erectus - species do not exist!
And where is the exact dividing line between the troposphere and the stratosphere? - the atmosphere does not exist!
Where is the exact dividing line between a white lie and a regular lie? - Lying does not exist!
In the same way, we do not discard the useful concept of race simply because the dividing line between Asian and Caucasian is hazy.
Harrison also tackled the popular belief that NASA faked the moon landings.
This belief happens to be much more popular in Russia than in the US.
I suppose if a Soviet Union craft had landed on the moon in 1969 then Americans would be just as skeptical.
Some people believe that NASA filmed the moon landing on earth in a movie set.
There was plenty of motivation to fake a landing since we were in the middle of a heated space race and there was no outside observer to witness the occasion.
But denying that the moon landing was faked is just silly in the face of all the evidence.
However, I for one was unclear on what that evidence was and so I eagerly looked forward to this chapter.
Unfortunately, I am always disappointed with the arguments showing that the US did indeed land on the moon.
These arguments usually throw out the normal skeptical view of a claim and ask the moon-landing-deniers to prove that we didn't land there.
Harrison was no different.
Instead of showing proof why we did in fact land on the moon he turned the tables and put the burden of proof on the deniers.
He asked deniers to prove a negative (which is scientifically impossible) and prove that we did not land on the moon.
The chapter then proceeded to go through each of the deniers claims and debunk them.
Okay, so the deniers have no proof for their point.
But where is the proof for the moon-landing-believers side?
I want to believe, but I am always disappointed in the arguments presented by Harrison and other believers.
Ultimately, we must rely on a government agency's word that we did in fact land on the moon.
No rock hard proof is offered, at least not in this book.
My disappointment is in how Harrison throws out his normal skepticism and accepts the moon landing.
He then puts his skepticism hat back on for the remaining chapters and carries on as normal.
I have no sympathy for moon-landing-denier's sketchy arguments.
But I am disappointed in the lack of skepticism on Harrison's part.
Suppose before the 1969 Neil Armstrong moon landing that President Nixon, under pressure to win the space race with the Soviet Union, instructed NASA to film a faked moon landing in a movie set just in case we failed.
Nixon has done much worse.
Suppose the first landing was faked and we didn't actually make it to the moon until the Jack Schmitt landed on the moon in 1972.
However, to save face, we told the Soviets and the rest of the world a slightly different story.
I doubt these scenarios were actually played.
I bet that NASA actually did land on the moon.
But it would be nice to see more convincing arguments to support the claim.
I am disappointed in the arguments that throw out standard scientific skepticism when refuting moon-landing-deniers.
Finally, Harrison is a journalist and not a scientist.
Books from journalists on scientific topics should always be taken with a grain of salt.
Journalists have engaging and entertaining writing styles but lack expertise on their subject matter.
Scientists have great expertise in their fields but lack the enjoyable writing style of journalists.
This book would have been a step above the rest if he had co-authored each chapter with a field expert rather than tackling each subject himself.
November 22, 2021
I enjoyed this author's valiant attempt to clear up popular misconceptions on a wide variety of topics. I feel his arguments are the strongest and most convincing on some like his photography experience in debunking a faked Moon landing and distilling The Roswell Report: Case Closed along with explanations of the memory timeline in tackling Area 51 alien corpses. In other subjects, like racial medicine and Biblical beliefs like The Flood I feel he too strongly just argues that a "scientific" approach should in a way that I don't think is convincing or particularly helpful.
March 18, 2014
Last month I picked up this book at the library. The premise of the book was to present silly things that people believe in.
Glancing through the table of contents, I saw a number of beliefs that I could shake my head about and think, ¨Man, how can people belief such stuff?¨ These included:
A Psychic Read My Mind
ESP Is the Real Deal
Nostradamus Saw It All Coming
The Holocaust Never Happened
NASA Faked the Moon Landings
A Flying Saucer Crashed Near Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 and the Government Knows All about It
Astrology Is Scientific
Most Conspiracy Theories Are True
Something Very Strange Is Going on in the Bermuda Triangle
The idea is that believing in such things is kooky, irrational, silly, wrong, and possibly dangerous.
Also on Harrison's list are a bunch of stuff that I believe in (and you might too) that he also thinks is kooky, irrational, silly, wrong, and dangerous, such as:
I Know There Is an Afterlife Because of All the Near-Death Experiences
I Believe in Miracles
Global Warming Is a Political Issue and Nothing More
Faith Healing Cures the Sick and Saves Lives
Intelligent Design Is Real Science
Prayer Works
Archaeology Proved My Religion Is True
Angels Watch Over Me
I'm Going to Heaven When I Die
I will address a few of these individually, but how many people really believe the world would be a better place if everyone thought all of these beliefs were false? I think the world would be a better place if more people believed these things.
I doubt what I have to say will change Mr. Harrison's mind, because he is very good at making his case in a narrow, legalistic way. However, I think there can be a strong case made that these things that I, and many others, believe in are true.
For example, Harrison is skeptical of near-death experiences. He wrote his book before Ebam Alexander's excellent book Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife. I think I will believe Dr. Alexander over Mr. Harrison. Harrison would find it difficult to explain how Alexander found out about his dead sister that he only learned about through his near-death experience.
Harrison's position on global warming is equally laughable. A fair-minded skeptic would include global warming as something that you can't believe in based on what we know. However, Harrison blinding states, ¨I am convinced that global warming is real.¨ So debate over, move on. Sorry, but the science is not settled, and more important, the solutions proposed by liberals to address the ¨problem¨ cost so much that the solution is worse than the problem.
Harrison is once again showing his bias (and ignorance) when he lazily claims intelligent design is just repackaged creationism. His book came out before Stephen Meyer's excellent Darwin's Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design. Meyer's argument is clearly not repackaged creationism, but something tells me that Harrison would not even bother to read the book because it would undermine his belief system. Having written a book on the subject myself (Inherit the Wind Overturned by Design), I wonder if Harrison is so off the mark on a subject I am very familiar with, how accurate can he be in other areas that I am not so familiar with.
Until an angel personally visits Harrison, he believes such beings are all a figment of our imaginations. My grandfather's elder brother fought in World War I. He ran messages through the trenches. While he was in Europe, his father died but the news did not reach him when a week later he was lost in the trenches. If he went the wrong way he would be captured by the Germans. To his surprise his father appeared to him and pointed the direction to safety. Well, because Mr. Harrison was not there, I guess we have to believe that this never happened.
Harrison obviously believes that any time spent on religion is a waste of time. Prayer is pointless. Jesus never did any miracles. And don't bother looking to archaeology to find proof of your religion because the Bible is just a bunch of fables recorded by ignorant goat herders. I disagree. Harrison's ¨better, more rational¨ world without religion would not be pretty. Believers know better about the power of prayer, the reality of miracles (ancient and modern), and even the archaeological evidence of Biblical events.
Skeptical secularists like Harrison dream of a better world where people have abandoned the silly belief in God and all that comes with it. Well, they don't have to dream about it. We already have examples of society where the rulers and decision makers are skeptical secularists. Secularism gave us Stalin's Russia, Mao's China, and Pol Pot's Cambodia.
If we want America to be a better place we need less skeptical secularism, not more.
P.S. There is a chapter titled ¨The Bible Code Reveals the Future.¨ One of the evidences Harrison uses to debunk this believe is to point out that the Bible Code got it wrong when it predicted Yasser Arafat would be assassinated when he actually died of illness at age seventy-five. Whoops! Since Harrison wrote his book we have learned that Arafat died from polonium poisoning. Queue the Twilight Zone music.
Glancing through the table of contents, I saw a number of beliefs that I could shake my head about and think, ¨Man, how can people belief such stuff?¨ These included:
A Psychic Read My Mind
ESP Is the Real Deal
Nostradamus Saw It All Coming
The Holocaust Never Happened
NASA Faked the Moon Landings
A Flying Saucer Crashed Near Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 and the Government Knows All about It
Astrology Is Scientific
Most Conspiracy Theories Are True
Something Very Strange Is Going on in the Bermuda Triangle
The idea is that believing in such things is kooky, irrational, silly, wrong, and possibly dangerous.
Also on Harrison's list are a bunch of stuff that I believe in (and you might too) that he also thinks is kooky, irrational, silly, wrong, and dangerous, such as:
I Know There Is an Afterlife Because of All the Near-Death Experiences
I Believe in Miracles
Global Warming Is a Political Issue and Nothing More
Faith Healing Cures the Sick and Saves Lives
Intelligent Design Is Real Science
Prayer Works
Archaeology Proved My Religion Is True
Angels Watch Over Me
I'm Going to Heaven When I Die
I will address a few of these individually, but how many people really believe the world would be a better place if everyone thought all of these beliefs were false? I think the world would be a better place if more people believed these things.
I doubt what I have to say will change Mr. Harrison's mind, because he is very good at making his case in a narrow, legalistic way. However, I think there can be a strong case made that these things that I, and many others, believe in are true.
For example, Harrison is skeptical of near-death experiences. He wrote his book before Ebam Alexander's excellent book Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife. I think I will believe Dr. Alexander over Mr. Harrison. Harrison would find it difficult to explain how Alexander found out about his dead sister that he only learned about through his near-death experience.
Harrison's position on global warming is equally laughable. A fair-minded skeptic would include global warming as something that you can't believe in based on what we know. However, Harrison blinding states, ¨I am convinced that global warming is real.¨ So debate over, move on. Sorry, but the science is not settled, and more important, the solutions proposed by liberals to address the ¨problem¨ cost so much that the solution is worse than the problem.
Harrison is once again showing his bias (and ignorance) when he lazily claims intelligent design is just repackaged creationism. His book came out before Stephen Meyer's excellent Darwin's Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design. Meyer's argument is clearly not repackaged creationism, but something tells me that Harrison would not even bother to read the book because it would undermine his belief system. Having written a book on the subject myself (Inherit the Wind Overturned by Design), I wonder if Harrison is so off the mark on a subject I am very familiar with, how accurate can he be in other areas that I am not so familiar with.
Until an angel personally visits Harrison, he believes such beings are all a figment of our imaginations. My grandfather's elder brother fought in World War I. He ran messages through the trenches. While he was in Europe, his father died but the news did not reach him when a week later he was lost in the trenches. If he went the wrong way he would be captured by the Germans. To his surprise his father appeared to him and pointed the direction to safety. Well, because Mr. Harrison was not there, I guess we have to believe that this never happened.
Harrison obviously believes that any time spent on religion is a waste of time. Prayer is pointless. Jesus never did any miracles. And don't bother looking to archaeology to find proof of your religion because the Bible is just a bunch of fables recorded by ignorant goat herders. I disagree. Harrison's ¨better, more rational¨ world without religion would not be pretty. Believers know better about the power of prayer, the reality of miracles (ancient and modern), and even the archaeological evidence of Biblical events.
Skeptical secularists like Harrison dream of a better world where people have abandoned the silly belief in God and all that comes with it. Well, they don't have to dream about it. We already have examples of society where the rulers and decision makers are skeptical secularists. Secularism gave us Stalin's Russia, Mao's China, and Pol Pot's Cambodia.
If we want America to be a better place we need less skeptical secularism, not more.
P.S. There is a chapter titled ¨The Bible Code Reveals the Future.¨ One of the evidences Harrison uses to debunk this believe is to point out that the Bible Code got it wrong when it predicted Yasser Arafat would be assassinated when he actually died of illness at age seventy-five. Whoops! Since Harrison wrote his book we have learned that Arafat died from polonium poisoning. Queue the Twilight Zone music.
July 24, 2021
I tried to enjoy this.
The concept is grand. As a sceptic I love hearing deep thinkers help clarify the misunderstandings of our general zeitgeist.
But this book is one man’s judgement of anything he doesn’t already like.
It’s not so much a course on helping us get back on track with general knowledge as much as a platform for him to shame anyone who doesn’t already believe the same as him.
It’s judgmental and polarizing. The opposite of any good science information book.
Couldn’t get through. Regret buying.
The concept is grand. As a sceptic I love hearing deep thinkers help clarify the misunderstandings of our general zeitgeist.
But this book is one man’s judgement of anything he doesn’t already like.
It’s not so much a course on helping us get back on track with general knowledge as much as a platform for him to shame anyone who doesn’t already believe the same as him.
It’s judgmental and polarizing. The opposite of any good science information book.
Couldn’t get through. Regret buying.
July 5, 2020
"What would it take to create a world in which fantasy is not confused for fact and public policy is based on objective reality?" asksNeil deGrasse Tyson, science popularizer and author ofAstrophysics for People in a Hurry."I don't know for sure. Buta good place to start would be for everyone on earth to read this book." Maybe you know someone who swears by the reliability of psychics or who is in regular contact with angels. Or perhaps you're trying to find a nice way of dissuading someone from wasting money on a homeopathy cure. Or you met someone at a party who insisted the Holocaust never happened or that no one ever walked on the moon. How do you find a gently persuasive way of steering people away from unfounded beliefs, bogus cures, conspiracy theories, and the like?This down-to-earth, entertaining exploration of commonly held extraordinary claims will help you set the record straight. The author, a veteran journalist, has not only surveyed a vast body of literature, but has also interviewed leading scientists, explored "the most haunted house in America," frolicked in the inviting waters of the Bermuda Triangle, and even talked to a "contrite Roswell alien." He is not out simply to debunk unfounded beliefs. Wherever possible, he presents alternative scientific explanations, which in most cases are even more fascinating than the wildest speculation. For example, stories about UFOs and alien abductions lack good evidence, but science gives us plenty of reasons to keep exploring outer space for evidence that life exists elsewhere in the vast universe. The proof for Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster may be nonexistent, but scientists are regularly discovering new species, some of which are truly stranger than fiction.Stressing the excitement of scientific discovery and the legitimate mysteries and wonder inherent in reality, this book invites readers to share the joys of rational thinking and the skeptical approach to evaluating our extraordinary world.
**
November 28, 2016
I have read several books by Guy Harrison so I consider myself a fan of his works. He writes very clearly and respectfully - even in the face of what I would consider complete nonsense.
The problem with this book is that it had a lot of topics I was just not interested in. ESP. Mayan Calendar, Bermuda Triangle, Ghosts, Witches, Holy Relics with Power, TV Preachers, Faith Healing, Astrology, Psychics, etc... These are all topics that - to me at least - are so obviously not true that I had not desire to see them debunked.
I was hoping for much juicier topics than these soft lobs.
There were, however, a handful of topics that did interest me deeply:
* Bible codes (I knew they were bullshit but I loved reading about the prophecies Moby Dick can provide when using the same methodology.)
* Faked Moon Landing (Not sure why - I just really enjoy reading about those who think this was faked - I think its because I once saw a very convincing documentary so now I am always intrigued by the latest conspiracy theory on this topic.)
* Science also makes mistakes (Due Bias, prejudice, bad data, human error, intentional fraud, etc...)
* Race - Is there such thing as race and do some races perform better in sports.
To me, the last topic (actually 2 different topics) was the most interesting. While I still disagree that there is such a thing as differences among races Harrison definitely made strong points that has made me change some of my viewpoints on this topic. At the end, I still think that just as there are differences in build, eye shape, skin color, etc...there are also populations (read: races) that have specific genetic differences that allows them to perform specific tasks (physical or mental) better than other populations:
In athletics for example there may be specific structural differences that allow swimmers an advantage. Similarly with Sprinting. Here's one such example:
The Evolution Of Speed In Athletics: Why The Fastest Runners Are Black And Swimmers White
Additionally, some researchers have shown that certain groups score better on IQ measures. For example: The 10,000 Year Explosion: How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution
and A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History
So again, to me, the evidence seems to show there are clear race differences but Harrison has convinced me that they are not nearly as large nor prominent nor as clear as I previously thought. And, of course, regardless of these differences, we are much more alike then different.
[Additional comment on race after thinking about this a bit more: I think Harrison's mistake regarding race is the related to the "Paradox of the Heap". This philosophical thought experiment basically states that it is impossible to declare when a heap of sand actually becomes a heap of sand. And at what point does a heap stop being called a heap. There is no true demarcation - even though we know there is such a thing as a heap of sand and we know there is such a thing as sand that is not in a heap. Maybe a better example - When on a diet, at what point does a person go from being considered overweight to thin? If a person weights 400 pounds and he loses a pound he is still overweight. If he loses another pound he went from 399 to 398. He is still overweight. This continues ad-infinitum - but at no specific point (you can't say when he went from 183 pouuds to 182 ponds he finally changed labels) can you say - he is no longer overweight. But yet we know there are concepts such as overweight and thin. Similarly with Race. It may be difficult to pinpoint where the cutoff is between groups but they are there nonetheless.]
Many of the chapters seemed a bit redundant and therefore repetitive - this is unavoidably due to the nature of the topics. Usually the same method to debunk one idea can be used to debunk others as well: Show me the evidence. Until then its just confirmation bias, over-eager pattern recognition, human persuasion, and hope.
I'm glad I read the book. I did learn from it. As I noted, I learned new information regarding race differences (or the lack thereof). I learned how easily literary codes can be manipulated in books besides the Bible. I also learned some scary things - like how many people actually believe in some of these topics. Astrology, Faith Healers, Atlantis, Etc... The percentages were frightening.
Recommended reading - but skip the topics that don't interest you.
The problem with this book is that it had a lot of topics I was just not interested in. ESP. Mayan Calendar, Bermuda Triangle, Ghosts, Witches, Holy Relics with Power, TV Preachers, Faith Healing, Astrology, Psychics, etc... These are all topics that - to me at least - are so obviously not true that I had not desire to see them debunked.
I was hoping for much juicier topics than these soft lobs.
There were, however, a handful of topics that did interest me deeply:
* Bible codes (I knew they were bullshit but I loved reading about the prophecies Moby Dick can provide when using the same methodology.)
* Faked Moon Landing (Not sure why - I just really enjoy reading about those who think this was faked - I think its because I once saw a very convincing documentary so now I am always intrigued by the latest conspiracy theory on this topic.)
* Science also makes mistakes (Due Bias, prejudice, bad data, human error, intentional fraud, etc...)
* Race - Is there such thing as race and do some races perform better in sports.
To me, the last topic (actually 2 different topics) was the most interesting. While I still disagree that there is such a thing as differences among races Harrison definitely made strong points that has made me change some of my viewpoints on this topic. At the end, I still think that just as there are differences in build, eye shape, skin color, etc...there are also populations (read: races) that have specific genetic differences that allows them to perform specific tasks (physical or mental) better than other populations:
In athletics for example there may be specific structural differences that allow swimmers an advantage. Similarly with Sprinting. Here's one such example:
The Evolution Of Speed In Athletics: Why The Fastest Runners Are Black And Swimmers White
Additionally, some researchers have shown that certain groups score better on IQ measures. For example: The 10,000 Year Explosion: How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution
and A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History
So again, to me, the evidence seems to show there are clear race differences but Harrison has convinced me that they are not nearly as large nor prominent nor as clear as I previously thought. And, of course, regardless of these differences, we are much more alike then different.
[Additional comment on race after thinking about this a bit more: I think Harrison's mistake regarding race is the related to the "Paradox of the Heap". This philosophical thought experiment basically states that it is impossible to declare when a heap of sand actually becomes a heap of sand. And at what point does a heap stop being called a heap. There is no true demarcation - even though we know there is such a thing as a heap of sand and we know there is such a thing as sand that is not in a heap. Maybe a better example - When on a diet, at what point does a person go from being considered overweight to thin? If a person weights 400 pounds and he loses a pound he is still overweight. If he loses another pound he went from 399 to 398. He is still overweight. This continues ad-infinitum - but at no specific point (you can't say when he went from 183 pouuds to 182 ponds he finally changed labels) can you say - he is no longer overweight. But yet we know there are concepts such as overweight and thin. Similarly with Race. It may be difficult to pinpoint where the cutoff is between groups but they are there nonetheless.]
Many of the chapters seemed a bit redundant and therefore repetitive - this is unavoidably due to the nature of the topics. Usually the same method to debunk one idea can be used to debunk others as well: Show me the evidence. Until then its just confirmation bias, over-eager pattern recognition, human persuasion, and hope.
I'm glad I read the book. I did learn from it. As I noted, I learned new information regarding race differences (or the lack thereof). I learned how easily literary codes can be manipulated in books besides the Bible. I also learned some scary things - like how many people actually believe in some of these topics. Astrology, Faith Healers, Atlantis, Etc... The percentages were frightening.
Recommended reading - but skip the topics that don't interest you.
September 21, 2025
Should have been titled 50 Wacko beliefs that incredibly Stupid People still believe despite mountains of evidence. I skipped around a lot reading this.
Who should NOT read this? People who are already pretty skeptical or are well read in psychology and topics like confirmation bias.
Who should read this? A person who maybe has some goofy beliefs but none so tightly held they would be unable to listen to conflicting evidence. People who are really inclined to believe in these 50 topics will not read this because they are too ignorant to read.
Mostly shit I borrowed from other reviews so I can remember that I read this utterly forgettable book.
I read books like this because I check my beliefs to see if they are true. This book just doesn't offer me anything new. If it is intended to act as a Skepticism for Dummies handbook, why would those dummies read it? People like that don't question their beliefs. If they believe aliens crashed at Roswell, would they be persuaded otherwise by the author's statements that the government said it was a top secret spy balloon and not a spacecraft? Aside from believers in any of these 50 topics who are looking for the lightest already-available evidence to no longer believe in them, I don't know who is the intended audience for this book. As a skeptic, I just didn't need to keep reading about things I already know aren't true.
Joe's notes to himself ~ So I can remember what I read:
1 Supernatural/Paranormal - Gods, religions, ghosts, Atlantis - this is a broad chapter about anything not natural.
2 The Afterlife - Focusing mostly on Near Death Experiences.
3 Psychics - Felt like expanding on chapter 1
4 Intelligence/any skill is in the genes - People aren't necessarily "born smart" they just had the privilege
5 Bible/Torah/Quran Code -
6 Reincarnation exists - Another that felt like a copy of chapter 1
7 ESP works - And another dupe of chapter 1
8 Nostradamus was right - Here's a different one (slightly)
9 Miracles - Again, feels heavily overlapping with chapter 1
10 The Moon Landing - One of the longest chapters in this entire book by far, and I'm not sure why. I have no doubt we landed on the moon, but aren't some of these far more critical than the moon landing?!
11 Ancient Aliens - This one is silly but the TV show was amazing to watch while sick.
12 UFOs - The second longest chapter in the book, for no gorram reason. Felt somewhat the same as the previous chapter.
13 The Roswell Crash - Again, felt the same as the previous chapters. Also one of the few 20+ minute chapters.
14 Alien Abductions - And again, feels like the same point over and over and over.
15 Astrology is a real science - Didn't we basically cover this in chapter 1???
This is the point where I decided to skip if the subject didn't interest me or if I felt I had basically already heard the major talking points.
16 Science is perfect - No comment, science is absolutely not perfect.
17 Holocaust denialism - This chapter was shorter than most of the alien ones, and yet there are still a substantial amount of people who believe this. This is where I began to wonder what determined the length the author would go into each of these. I skipped because I couldn't emotionally deal with hearing about the trauma.
18 Global Warming is fake - Sadly, people still believe this, 10 years after this book's publication. Another one that could have been double or tripled the length.
19 TV news is 100% accurate - Again, this one is just sad 10 years later. We've learned and done nothing. (This one is one of the longer ones, and I can kinda understand why)
20 Races mean different species of humans - Like with 17, I'm surprised at how short this is given how important the repercussions of this are. People will literally use "black people are different species" as a reason for treating them lesser - and yet, we spend a little over 10 min on this.
21 Race determines your skill in athletics - This is essentially chapter 4 again; skipped.
22 Conspiracy theories - Larger scale of the Roswell Crash; skipped
23 Alternative medicine is better - Yet another chapter where we've learned nothing in 10 years.
24 Homeopathy works - How is this different than the previous chapter? Skipped.
25 Faith healing works - again, feels like the last three chapters, but I'm mildly curious.
26 Race based medicine - no, just no. This definitely feels repetitive and I can't. Skipped.
27 Vaccinations - Who would have thought this would be one of the most divisive topics of the 21st century? I'll listen, because it's basically like reliving the last 3 years, and I hate myself. Also surprising that this isn't one of the longer chapters, barely clocking in at 20 min
28 My god is the real one - Seems a bit weird after chapter 1, but okay.
29 My religion is the right one - OKAY WAIT A MINUTE. I know this is slightly different than the previous chapter but only just barely. This book is totally just trying to get 50 items. Skipped.
30 Creationism is valid - Okay, this is a juicy one that I'm totally down for. This is the second longest chapter and I'm OK with that. If this were my book, this chapter and the vaccination chapters would be the longest, not the dumb UFO one.
31 Intelligent Design - Okay, come on. I can be an understanding gal, but this is basically the previous chapter! Skipped.
32 The universe was designed - I don't really know how this is different than the last two, but I'll humor it for a minute.
33 Prophesies - Big overlap with the Nostradamus chapter, but I gave it a pass.
34 Prayers - Almost indistinguishable from the chapter on faith healing, but I was doing chores and didn't bother to skip.
35 Cults - Feels repetitive, but again, I'm doing chores so I didn't bother to skip
36 Noah's Ark - A twist on the "my religion is the right one" but I'll bite. (Funny because the Ark Encounter was in the development stages and hadn't been completed yet.)
37 Archaeology proves my religion - I feel like this is a twist on something earlier. Skipped.
38 Holy Relics - Basically a smaller version (ish) of the previous chapter that I humored.
39 Donating to Televangelists - No, no, no, feels like we've been here before. Skipped.
40 Ghosts and Haunted Houses - I thought we already covered this ground - this book is truly repetitive. I honestly don't recommend the average person reading every single chapter because they are barely different from each other. I'll see how far I make it through this.
41 Bigfoot - Why is this the longest chapter?! Who the eff cares?! Didn't the author give a statistic for how many people believe in Bigfoot, and it was less than those who believe in Atlantis?! Then why is this nearly an hour long?! Skipped after about 2/3.
42 Angels - I'm just repeating myself at this point - feels repetitive, didn't skip because it's short.
43 Magic and Witches - See above; didn't skip because it was short.
44 Atlantis - See above; didn't skip because it was short.
45 Heaven - How is this different than the afterlife? Skipped.
46 Bermuda Triangle - Mildly interested in this one, but man, this guy has basically been everywhere, hasn't he! Also, there is no goddamn reason why this needs to be 20 min long...skipped halfway through.
47 Area 51 - No, just no. We already did Roswell. Skipped.
48 December 12, 2012 - LOL. Skipped
49 The Rapture - I read all the Left Behind books. Skipped halfway through.
50 Human Extinction - I have almost never heard this one, but of course, my anecdotal experience doesn't mean this isn't a popular belief.
Who should read this? A person who maybe has some goofy beliefs but none so tightly held they would be unable to listen to conflicting evidence. People who are really inclined to believe in aliens & UFOs (those are the biggest sections for no justifiable reason).
Who should not read this? People who are already pretty skeptical or are well read in psychology and topics like confirmation bias.
Should you buy or borrow? Borrow - pick the ones you are most interested in and then read those.
Who should NOT read this? People who are already pretty skeptical or are well read in psychology and topics like confirmation bias.
Who should read this? A person who maybe has some goofy beliefs but none so tightly held they would be unable to listen to conflicting evidence. People who are really inclined to believe in these 50 topics will not read this because they are too ignorant to read.
Mostly shit I borrowed from other reviews so I can remember that I read this utterly forgettable book.
I read books like this because I check my beliefs to see if they are true. This book just doesn't offer me anything new. If it is intended to act as a Skepticism for Dummies handbook, why would those dummies read it? People like that don't question their beliefs. If they believe aliens crashed at Roswell, would they be persuaded otherwise by the author's statements that the government said it was a top secret spy balloon and not a spacecraft? Aside from believers in any of these 50 topics who are looking for the lightest already-available evidence to no longer believe in them, I don't know who is the intended audience for this book. As a skeptic, I just didn't need to keep reading about things I already know aren't true.
Joe's notes to himself ~ So I can remember what I read:
1 Supernatural/Paranormal - Gods, religions, ghosts, Atlantis - this is a broad chapter about anything not natural.
2 The Afterlife - Focusing mostly on Near Death Experiences.
3 Psychics - Felt like expanding on chapter 1
4 Intelligence/any skill is in the genes - People aren't necessarily "born smart" they just had the privilege
5 Bible/Torah/Quran Code -
6 Reincarnation exists - Another that felt like a copy of chapter 1
7 ESP works - And another dupe of chapter 1
8 Nostradamus was right - Here's a different one (slightly)
9 Miracles - Again, feels heavily overlapping with chapter 1
10 The Moon Landing - One of the longest chapters in this entire book by far, and I'm not sure why. I have no doubt we landed on the moon, but aren't some of these far more critical than the moon landing?!
11 Ancient Aliens - This one is silly but the TV show was amazing to watch while sick.
12 UFOs - The second longest chapter in the book, for no gorram reason. Felt somewhat the same as the previous chapter.
13 The Roswell Crash - Again, felt the same as the previous chapters. Also one of the few 20+ minute chapters.
14 Alien Abductions - And again, feels like the same point over and over and over.
15 Astrology is a real science - Didn't we basically cover this in chapter 1???
This is the point where I decided to skip if the subject didn't interest me or if I felt I had basically already heard the major talking points.
16 Science is perfect - No comment, science is absolutely not perfect.
17 Holocaust denialism - This chapter was shorter than most of the alien ones, and yet there are still a substantial amount of people who believe this. This is where I began to wonder what determined the length the author would go into each of these. I skipped because I couldn't emotionally deal with hearing about the trauma.
18 Global Warming is fake - Sadly, people still believe this, 10 years after this book's publication. Another one that could have been double or tripled the length.
19 TV news is 100% accurate - Again, this one is just sad 10 years later. We've learned and done nothing. (This one is one of the longer ones, and I can kinda understand why)
20 Races mean different species of humans - Like with 17, I'm surprised at how short this is given how important the repercussions of this are. People will literally use "black people are different species" as a reason for treating them lesser - and yet, we spend a little over 10 min on this.
21 Race determines your skill in athletics - This is essentially chapter 4 again; skipped.
22 Conspiracy theories - Larger scale of the Roswell Crash; skipped
23 Alternative medicine is better - Yet another chapter where we've learned nothing in 10 years.
24 Homeopathy works - How is this different than the previous chapter? Skipped.
25 Faith healing works - again, feels like the last three chapters, but I'm mildly curious.
26 Race based medicine - no, just no. This definitely feels repetitive and I can't. Skipped.
27 Vaccinations - Who would have thought this would be one of the most divisive topics of the 21st century? I'll listen, because it's basically like reliving the last 3 years, and I hate myself. Also surprising that this isn't one of the longer chapters, barely clocking in at 20 min
28 My god is the real one - Seems a bit weird after chapter 1, but okay.
29 My religion is the right one - OKAY WAIT A MINUTE. I know this is slightly different than the previous chapter but only just barely. This book is totally just trying to get 50 items. Skipped.
30 Creationism is valid - Okay, this is a juicy one that I'm totally down for. This is the second longest chapter and I'm OK with that. If this were my book, this chapter and the vaccination chapters would be the longest, not the dumb UFO one.
31 Intelligent Design - Okay, come on. I can be an understanding gal, but this is basically the previous chapter! Skipped.
32 The universe was designed - I don't really know how this is different than the last two, but I'll humor it for a minute.
33 Prophesies - Big overlap with the Nostradamus chapter, but I gave it a pass.
34 Prayers - Almost indistinguishable from the chapter on faith healing, but I was doing chores and didn't bother to skip.
35 Cults - Feels repetitive, but again, I'm doing chores so I didn't bother to skip
36 Noah's Ark - A twist on the "my religion is the right one" but I'll bite. (Funny because the Ark Encounter was in the development stages and hadn't been completed yet.)
37 Archaeology proves my religion - I feel like this is a twist on something earlier. Skipped.
38 Holy Relics - Basically a smaller version (ish) of the previous chapter that I humored.
39 Donating to Televangelists - No, no, no, feels like we've been here before. Skipped.
40 Ghosts and Haunted Houses - I thought we already covered this ground - this book is truly repetitive. I honestly don't recommend the average person reading every single chapter because they are barely different from each other. I'll see how far I make it through this.
41 Bigfoot - Why is this the longest chapter?! Who the eff cares?! Didn't the author give a statistic for how many people believe in Bigfoot, and it was less than those who believe in Atlantis?! Then why is this nearly an hour long?! Skipped after about 2/3.
42 Angels - I'm just repeating myself at this point - feels repetitive, didn't skip because it's short.
43 Magic and Witches - See above; didn't skip because it was short.
44 Atlantis - See above; didn't skip because it was short.
45 Heaven - How is this different than the afterlife? Skipped.
46 Bermuda Triangle - Mildly interested in this one, but man, this guy has basically been everywhere, hasn't he! Also, there is no goddamn reason why this needs to be 20 min long...skipped halfway through.
47 Area 51 - No, just no. We already did Roswell. Skipped.
48 December 12, 2012 - LOL. Skipped
49 The Rapture - I read all the Left Behind books. Skipped halfway through.
50 Human Extinction - I have almost never heard this one, but of course, my anecdotal experience doesn't mean this isn't a popular belief.
Who should read this? A person who maybe has some goofy beliefs but none so tightly held they would be unable to listen to conflicting evidence. People who are really inclined to believe in aliens & UFOs (those are the biggest sections for no justifiable reason).
Who should not read this? People who are already pretty skeptical or are well read in psychology and topics like confirmation bias.
Should you buy or borrow? Borrow - pick the ones you are most interested in and then read those.
September 17, 2013
This was a fun book to read. Each chapter is dedicated to a different belief, ranging from fun beliefs, such as ghosts, UFOs, and Bigfoot, to more dangerous beliefs, such as faith healing and alternative medicine.
I grew up watching a lot of those shows on the Discovery channel, Animal Planet and the History channel about the Bermuda Triangle, Area 51, various monsters, and Roswell. Harrison shows how the "evidence" used on those shows is either completely made-up or distorted. He also talks about how, thanks to politicians, science has turned into a political issue, especially in cases such as climate change and evolution. Harrison especially emphasizes that being a skeptic isn't the same as being cynical and is actually a positive thing in a world of ignorance and misunderstanding.
Also, at the end of each chapter, Harrison includes a list of books for further reading about each topic. I now have a long list of new books to check out.
I only had one problem with the book. There were a lot of grammatical errors that shouldn't be in a finished book (and in this case, the errors weren't from a lack of knowing better but just from a lack of proper editing). A couple of the chapters also got a little repetitive. Otherwise, I recommend this to anyone interested in science and the truth behind a lot of the world's mysteries.
I grew up watching a lot of those shows on the Discovery channel, Animal Planet and the History channel about the Bermuda Triangle, Area 51, various monsters, and Roswell. Harrison shows how the "evidence" used on those shows is either completely made-up or distorted. He also talks about how, thanks to politicians, science has turned into a political issue, especially in cases such as climate change and evolution. Harrison especially emphasizes that being a skeptic isn't the same as being cynical and is actually a positive thing in a world of ignorance and misunderstanding.
Also, at the end of each chapter, Harrison includes a list of books for further reading about each topic. I now have a long list of new books to check out.
I only had one problem with the book. There were a lot of grammatical errors that shouldn't be in a finished book (and in this case, the errors weren't from a lack of knowing better but just from a lack of proper editing). A couple of the chapters also got a little repetitive. Otherwise, I recommend this to anyone interested in science and the truth behind a lot of the world's mysteries.
April 25, 2013
I'll start off very strait forward. The main concept of the book about how being skeptical can help avoid or think through irrational supernatural beliefs is repetitive, almost insanely so. If you are a person who is already skeptical of religion, U.F.O sightings, etc., then you might not be impressed with the book because you might find most of it to be review. If you are a believer, you might not like this book because it will very likely challenge your beliefs.
That said, I gave this book 4 stars because it does have a lot of interesting information in it that some people, like myself, don't know prior to reading the book. For example, in the chapter about horoscopes, Guy P. Harrison talks about how horoscopes can have a great potential to be harmful because it isn't just the average Joe who reads and believes them, but also world leaders. He makes a brief point that, former President, Ronald Reagan's wife would often plan who, when, and where Reagan would be scheduled to meet based on the former Presidents horoscope, and that kind of thing can have a severe impact on society.
Overall, most of the interesting information I found in this book pertained to how some spiritual or supernatural beliefs that are mostly considered benign can and are, in fact, harmful to people.
That said, I gave this book 4 stars because it does have a lot of interesting information in it that some people, like myself, don't know prior to reading the book. For example, in the chapter about horoscopes, Guy P. Harrison talks about how horoscopes can have a great potential to be harmful because it isn't just the average Joe who reads and believes them, but also world leaders. He makes a brief point that, former President, Ronald Reagan's wife would often plan who, when, and where Reagan would be scheduled to meet based on the former Presidents horoscope, and that kind of thing can have a severe impact on society.
Overall, most of the interesting information I found in this book pertained to how some spiritual or supernatural beliefs that are mostly considered benign can and are, in fact, harmful to people.
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