Bilim büyük bir hızla ilerliyor. Son iki yüzyılda bütün dünya tarihi boyunca üretilenden kat kat daha fazla bilgi üretildi. Üniversiteler, laboratuarlar harıl harıl çalışıyor. Yeni keşif ve icatlar birbirini izliyor. Her gün yeni patentler alınıyor.
Bu gelişmelere bakınca bilimin diğer bilgi üretme etkinlikleri karşısında karşı konulmaz bir hakimiyete sahip olduğu söylenebilir ama maalesef öyle değil. Gazetelerde ve televizyonlarda hemen her gün bilim dışı faaliyetlerle uğraşan ve gördüğü ilgi sayesinde büyük kazançlar elde eden insanlara rastlıyoruz. Karakter tahlilleri yapıyorlar, kehanetlerde bulunuyorlar, insanların zihinlerini okuduklarını iddia ediyorlar...
Nobel Fizik Ödülü sahibi Georges Charpak ve Henri Broch'un birlikte kaleme aldıkları bu kitap, bu sözde bilimlere ve bilicilere verilebilecek en iyi şekilde, bilimsel yoldan cevap veriyor. Bu kitabı okuduktan sonra yalanlar ve göz boyamalar karşısında bilimin ve gerçeğin savunuculuğunu yapmak için çok sağlam bir zırh edineceksiniz.
Résumé : Je comprends pourquoi il était en revente de seconde main puisque je n'ai pas non plus envie d'ecombrer ma bibliothèque avec cet ouvrage.
Point positif (unique) : La lecture est aisée, rapide et ne nécessite pas une activation cérébrale particulièrement intense. Des petita exercices y sont même proposés et des touches d'humour complètent un style d'écriture qualitatif.
Points négatifs : - L'humour se transforme très vite en remarques hautaines ce qui devient rapidement exaspérant à lire. - En effet, la totalité de cet ouvrage semble avoir été écrite dans un élan de rage de deux scientifiques somme toute brillants, vis-à-vis des personnes n'ayant pas les mêmes croyances qu'eux. Comme quoi intelligente et tolérance ne vont pas toujours de mise... dommage. - Lire pendant plus de 220 pages un défoulement sans aucune évolution est ennuyant. Les propos des auteurs sont pourtant très bien fondés mais leur but dans la rédaction de ce livre reste inintéressant.
Je pensais justement lire un ouvrage retraçant un historique des pratiques scientifiques et de l'évolution de la compréhension de la notion de ce qui est scientifique pour me retrouver à lire une insulte plus ou moins visée (dépendant des passages).
I was scanning the shelves for a paranormal book for a reading challenge when I came across this book. The beginning was good. It "debunked" a lot of magic/mystical by revealing tricks and by using statistics. I didn't like the part that talked about radioactivity and the end got a little "ho-hum, when is this going to be over?" Overall, the basic premise of the book was good....use common sense instead of blindly believing in the paranormal.
I come from a background of science and math, but I'm not actually very good at that whole skepticism thing. What this book did really well, I thought, was show how to think about whether something is believable; the presentation was especially good for the parts that involved probability. My favorite statement was the one that extraordinary claims need extraordinary proof. Having examples of how to fake some of the supernatural abilities really added to the case, too.
Your standard paranormal debunking book. However, in the introduction, the author makes two mistakes: he attacks religion and he has no skepticism about global warming. Physician, heal thyself.
Една безспорно нужна книга – от тези, които българинът има най-паче нужда да прочете, но той предпочита да вярва, че всичко му се спуска “От Космоса с любов”. След “Псевдонауката” и “Вярващият мозък” се чудех кога ще срещна друга интересна книга по темата – и ето че “Как ни мамят екстрасенсите” се появи по книжарниците. Кратка и наситена, тя показва ред начини, по които популярни шарлатани заблуждават лековерниците – от масовата лудост по астрологията, която хилядолетия съска шашмотевините си, нагаждайки се към всяко време и обстоятелство, до модерните езотерични учения. Освен това дава и доста начини, с които самите вие да блеснете в компания с уж невероятни способности.
"Selbst wenn man aus dem Bauch heraus reagiert, sollte man nicht vergessen, sein Gehirn einzuschalten."
Ein sehr schönes Buch, das alltägliche und bekannte Phänomene auf faszinierende Weise zu entzaubern vermag. Für mich war einzig das Kapitel über den Sarg, der sich mit Wasser füllt, zu lang.
A passionate exhortation to critically think, rather than to believe. As such, it was quite good in places. However, due to the authors' attempt to cover the broad range of pseudoscience, it felt scattershot and choppy.
Departe de noi gândul de a-i dispreţui pe vrăjitori! Cu toţii ne naştem vrăjiţi, uluiţi, speriaţi de lumea fabuloasă în care destinul ne-a aruncat. Învăţăm să o cunoaştem, să ne apărăm de ea, să o înţelegem făurindu-ne credinţe, religii, filosofii, ştiinţe.
Vrăjitorii de odinioară, împreună cu alchimiştii, astrologii, astronomii şi cu toţi vânătorii de mistere, sunt precursorii savanţilor care descoperă şi modelează lumea în care trăim urmărind fără încetare necunoscutul, din dorinţa de a găsi o imagine coerentă a universului însufleţit sau neînsufleţit. Nu erau sihastri izolaţi, ci se alăturau adesea marilor preoţi a căror ambiţie mai vastă era aceea de a dezvălui străfundurile cele mai misterioase ale fiinţei umane pentru a lămuri sensul destinului ei. Pentru aceşti observatori neobosiţi, preoţii erau asemeni teoreticienilor fizicii modeme pentru experimentatorii obsedaţi de dezvăluirea secretelor materiei cu ajutorul unor microscoape tot mai puternice care le permit să vadă atomi izolaţi, cu acceleratoarele uriaşe care reconstituie preţ de o clipă starea materiei în momentul big bang-u- lui, cu telescoapele care înregistrează crâmpeiele de lumină emise cu 15 miliarde de ani în urmă la capătul universului.
Religiile au avut un rol imens în dezvoltarea ştiinţei sau în încercările repetate de a o distruge. Adesea au frânat dezvoltarea ştiinţei opunându-se cu ardoare lucrurilor care le puneau în cauză dogma. Din momentul în care astronomii, începând cu Copemic, au izgonit Pământul din centrul universului, şi deci al Creaţiei, Biserica i-a persecutat ca pe nişte eretici, condamnându-l pe Bruno la rug, reducându-l la tăcere pe Galilei, obligându-l pe Descartes să ia calea exilului. A fost nevoie de mai multe secole de tulburări politice şi sociale pentru a schimba natura relaţiilor dintre anumite Biserici şi ştiinţă. Ca şi acum, coexistau şi intrau în conflict obscurantiştii şi cei care considerau benefică pentru om lumina adusă de ştiinţă. Bătălia politică a fost câştigată de cei dintâi, singurii care o puteau câştiga, având în vedere puterea încă şovăitoare a oamenilor de ştiinţă.
On retrouve dans cet ouvrage des éléments communs à un autre livre d'Henri Broch : "Au Coeur de l'Extra-ordinaire", en plus condensé. Cependant, la contribution de Georges Charpak permet au lecteur d'avoir davantage d'informations sur ce que pense la science, par exemple au sujet de la radioactivité naturelle, ce qui est un avantage non-négligeable de cet essai. On découvre alors, des passages sur les impacts réels de la science, qui sont parfois placés sous le tapis lorsque l'on fait de l'esprit critique, mais aussi sur les défis que l'humanité aura à résoudre dans les prochaines années. Cela permet d'appréhender de manière plus large les sujets habituellement étudiés par les sceptiques.
J'ai vraiment apprécié dans ce livre, les petits jeux et exercices pour faire travailler notre esprit critique. On constate, alors, à quel point notre cerveau peut-être manipulé. C'est d'ailleurs, selon moi, la raison pour laquelle nous sommes, en général, assez friands des tours de magie : on ne sait pas d'où ça vient, comment la personne à réalisé son tour, on est alors bluffé tout en sachant très bien qu'il y a quelque chose derrière. Et justement ! C'est le premier livre que je lis autour de l'esprit critique où l'on trouve quelques explications sur des tours de magie. Rien de très approfondi, mais cela permet une première approche qui peut être complétée par les ouvrages cités en notes de bas de page ou en bibliographie.
Le titre du livre en constitue la partie la plus intéressante, le reste n'est qu'explications de tours de prestidigitation, un peu léger pour expliquer l'impossibilité de phénomènes chez l'homme que la science ne pourrait pas expliquer. Le pire résidant dans le ton hautain des auteurs, le mépris de tout ceux qui n'ont pas le niveau scientifique qu'ils jugent acceptable, et surtout dans l'introduction du livre où les auteurs font peser la responsabilité de l'innaction climatique sur les charlatans en tout genre, en expliquant que ce qu'il reste aux gens de croyances, de superstitions, empêche la bonne marche du solutionnisme technologique. Bref, un bon vieux progressisme qui se veut dépolitisé et qui ne remet jamais en question la société autrement qu'en expliquant que tout est de la faute de l'inculture scientifique.
I liked most of this book pretty well. However, they seem to be scientific utopians, oblivious especially to the corruptibility of science, especially once its voice is mandated by a governing authority (which they actually propose). Also, though careful to avoid any overt criticism of religion, it seems that the only value they see in it is where it is beneficial for an individual to maintain a healthy mental balance (and thus the examples they offer approvingly tend to be those devoid of any considerable truth claim). Also, I would take them to task for failing to deal with the negative social consequences of a barren scientism. And lastly, they seem deeply religious in their commitment to their scientism, as a new dogma (a tendency more obvious to me after reading Seculosity). But as far as an examination of certain psychic phenomena and the like from a scientific, rational, and statistical basis, this was very enjoyable reading.
[Rating changed from 2 stars to 3 at year-end review
Добра книга. Доста примери от френската действителност. Половината се движи систематизирано, но могат да се намерят още техники на "феномените". Половината книга дава основните моменти, които използват екстрасенси, мошеници и фокусници. При втората колко лековерно се вярва в свръхестественото вместо в науката и доказаното. Задачата обаче не е да се дадат всички примери и изобличаването им, а да се маркират основните моменти - как влияят медиите, информацията, учените, образователната система за поддържане на митове.
Citation Charpak, G. Debunked! ESP, Telekinesis, and Other Pseudoscience.. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004. Print.
Audience
I would put this book into the hands of a student who is interested in the paranormal or magic. This book felt like a behind the scenes handbook into a magician or psychics world. Students who are always trying to figure out how people complete their tricks will be interested in reading this book as it gives insight into how to seemingly manipulate the world to your will.
Selection Criteria Accuracy – This books looks at the events of several paranormal occurrences through the eyes of coincidence and probability. They debunked the idea of psychics and magicians by showing the odds in events happening or through deception. They took mathematical permutations and combinations to show the likelihood of mind control and telekinesis. They also discussed the historical context of each of these paraphyschological beliefs to show how man has played with probability and the human body’s perceptive abilities throughout history. Authority – Georges Charpak won the Nobel Prize in Physics. This book looks at the physics and probability of coincidences. Henri Broch has written several books on the paranormal and is also a professor of biophysics. Relevance – This book will definitely spark the reading interest of many students. In trying to figure out who they are many students turn to other religions or the paranormal. This book tries to help students understand how extraordinary events are actually common place based upon mathematical formulas. Appropriateness – I feel that this book is more appropriate for students who have been through higher math classes. They will need to understand probabilities and ratios as well as the idea of dependent event probability. This book is also appropriate for those studying the brain and how our eyes perceive the world around us. Scope – This book does cover several parapsychological concepts in great depth. They provided case studies and historical events to explain the connection to today. There are more topics that I am certain that students will be interested in. However, many of these topics would have to be used in another book. Literary Merit – The diagrams and tables were helpful in understanding in the mathematics behind the probability of events. The illustrations that were also provided helped to give great examples of how our brain perceives images. Value – I think that this book would be used by a psychology class or even a mathematics course to talk about the brain or probability. The latest mathematical research says that the greatest thing that we need to provide to our students to help them understand math is context. By providing them with interesting context, students may be more likely to pick up a book and enjoy their math studies.
Review Source Gilbert Tayler. Booklist. (2004)
SOL
AP Psych
Challenge common beliefs in parapsychology
Or
Discrete Math DM.13 The student will apply the formulas of combinatorics in the areas of c) permutations and combinations; and
Ordering information Debunked! ESP, Telekinesis, and Other Pseudoscience. Non-Fiction. 172 p. 2004. Johns Hopkins. 0-8018-7867-5. $25
Personal Response I personally loved this book. As an avid magic fan and someone who is always in pursuit of the scientific reasoning behind things, I was very excited to read this book. I looked at it as my magician’s handbook in a way. It was so interesting to understand the mathematical probability behind events that we see as great amazing feats. It was also a great way to look at how people take advantage of manipulation for their own personal gain. It reminded me of the Mayan Long Count chaos that we recently went through. This book is a great read if you are interested in looking at how psychics do their stuff.
I got this book on interlibrary loan. The author is a french physicist who won the Nobel Prize in 1992. The book is about paranormal phenomena. It examines closely such subjects as astrology, fire walking, metal bending, and seeing faces in common places. It discusses the probability of some extreme events, like getting 10 heads in a row. It even gives out some ideas for experiments you can do to explain some paranormal phenomena. The skewering of astrology is especially devastating. The book is written in a chatty style. It was translated from the original french by Bart K. Holland.
This book will work on your skeptical side. If you are sometimes interested in what does the horoscope says it will happen to you, this book will teach you some probabilistic calculus and some stratagems of the "psychics". It also deals with some centuries-old superstitions.