Unreason: Best of Skeptical Inquirer

Best of Skeptical Inquirer

by Kendrick Frazier (editor), Benjamin Radford (Editor)

Exploring Pseudoscience, Conspiracies, and Extraordinary Claims is a collection of forty-five of the best articles the legendary Skeptical Inquirer magazine has published in the past decade. Featuring articles from writers including Neil deGrasse Tyson on the process of science, Richard Dawkins on the standards of truth, Elizabeth Loftus on memory, Steven Pinker on the notion of progress, and many others covering topics from the politicization of science to the frightening rise of misinformation, each entry in this collection brings scientific examination to bear in order to ferret out the facts and misconceptions behind popular claims.

All of the articles within are interesting and readable. Yet they are also quite diverse. Some articles reinforce and complement each other; others (as happens in science) may voice disagreements or differing perspectives. But they all have one thing in a respect for evidence—a demand for the best, most well-tested, most scientifically reliable information.

Readers will

Why and how conspiracy rumors start, spread, and readily gain believers How to stay afloat in a sea of disinformation and survive the age of misinformation Why and how we form beliefs and adhere to them so powerfullyHow and why memory is fallible—and what we can do about itHow pseudoexperiments mislead the public about scienceUnreason will arm readers with scientific knowledge to curb the misinformation and misconceptions that increasingly threaten our civil discourse. Even further, these essays present a way for us to be better citizens, equipped to deal with the winds of misinformation and disinformation swirling about us and better able to look ahead to a world where science and reason—indeed just good old common sense—can prevail.

410 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2023

Reviews

[Phillip Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

America today suffers from dangerous false ideas such as vaccines causing autism and this magazine debunks them using rigorous science. What is depressing today is how ignorant most people are about basic scientific principles that prove that common beliefs are all easily falsifiable. Science demands proof that is given to us by experiments that are well designed using control groups and other methods. Not only is ignorance is an obstacle to the advancement of scientific literary but it leads to the use of ineffective quack medicine like neuropathy. Some people will believe in D list celebrity Jenny McCarthy over reputable scientists on the link between autism and vaccines. Besides ignorance there is the inability of most persons to admit they are wrong about some things because no one likes to be wrong. As Mark Twain said: It is easier to fool people than convince them they have been fooled.