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The New Apocrypha: A Guide to Strange Science and Occult Beliefs
Illustrated with charts and drawings that are listed in the front of the book but are not sourced.
An easily read, entertaining challenge to the whole world of pseudo-science. Unfortunately, the breadth of the topics is probably beyond anyone, and particularly the author, to treat in sufficient detail that convincing cases may be made in most instances. The monumental difficulty throughout history with the occult has been the magnitude of rational effort needed to overcome some simple act of faith, however misguided. Regrettably, many times this book offers cleverjuxtaposition of experiences and rhetoric to beat down claims rather than mounting what facts are known and establishing bounds for hopeful expectations. The body of literature on the topic might have discouraged a less courageous writer and Sladek has worked mightily in producing such a survey of what man has found to believe in, which defies much of practiced science. Seven major sections of the text consider individual topics including UFOs, lost continents, monsters, food cults, numerology, ESP and astrology. The eighth section touches on the bases of these beliefs by considering the place of rumor, prophecy and perceptual psychology as related to the occult. References and bibliography comprise 24 pages. The author’s style generally provides the reader with his greatest rewards, for while being adamant in his disbelief of all this nonsense, he never loses his playful view of people trying to survive coincidence of the most astounding nature.
An easily read, entertaining challenge to the whole world of pseudo-science. Unfortunately, the breadth of the topics is probably beyond anyone, and particularly the author, to treat in sufficient detail that convincing cases may be made in most instances. The monumental difficulty throughout history with the occult has been the magnitude of rational effort needed to overcome some simple act of faith, however misguided. Regrettably, many times this book offers cleverjuxtaposition of experiences and rhetoric to beat down claims rather than mounting what facts are known and establishing bounds for hopeful expectations. The body of literature on the topic might have discouraged a less courageous writer and Sladek has worked mightily in producing such a survey of what man has found to believe in, which defies much of practiced science. Seven major sections of the text consider individual topics including UFOs, lost continents, monsters, food cults, numerology, ESP and astrology. The eighth section touches on the bases of these beliefs by considering the place of rumor, prophecy and perceptual psychology as related to the occult. References and bibliography comprise 24 pages. The author’s style generally provides the reader with his greatest rewards, for while being adamant in his disbelief of all this nonsense, he never loses his playful view of people trying to survive coincidence of the most astounding nature.
375 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
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About the author
John Sladek
106 books80 followers
John Thomas Sladek
(generally published as John Sladek or John T. Sladek, as well as under the pseudonyms Thom Demijohn, Barry DuBray, Carl Truhacker and others) was an American science fiction author, known for his satirical and surreal novels.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 15, 2014
John Sladek, an SF satirist writing in the early 70s, presents a smörgåsbord of the weird things people believe in: flat Earth theories, Atlantis, UFOs, telepathy, spirit mediums, perpetual motion machines and much, much, more. The tone, throughout, is one of exasperated sarcasm. How can anyone be dumb enough to fall for this crap?
There is a never-ending stream of amusing anecdotes, but after a while I was surprised to find that I was feeling more sympathetic towards the believers rather than less. Needless to say, their stories were rarely very convincing; but Sladek's counterarguments weren't always that convincing either. For example, he presents a case where a medium convinces a famous scientist by apparently telling him details of a long-gone childhood incident that he had forgotten. Sladek pours scorn on the scientist's credulity. Doesn't he know how unscrupulous these people are? They could easily have picked locks to find old letters, interviewed former servants, etc. Well, I'm sure that could have been the explanation, but he doesn't present a shred of evidence to show that it actually was. How am I supposed to know who to believe?
The real evidence against these people, though, is the evidence they provide themselves. Once you have heard them talking about their crazy ideas for long enough - Sladek has clearly spent a great deal of time doing just that - you simply cannot take them seriously. Nothing they say makes sense. You just need to give them enough rope, and they will energetically hang themselves. But it's hard to convey that experience in a ten-page sketch of orgone energy or Nostradamus.
In a later book, Arachne Rising , Sladek found a better way. Rather than try to refute the million crazy ideas that are already out there, he shows you how easy it is to make up one of your own. His deadpan explanation of the Thirteenth Sign of the Zodiac and the way it has been suppressed by rigid-minded modern scientists is a masterpiece which deserves to be far better known. Maybe there was some slight possibility that I could have been unsure about astrology before; after reading Arachne, I'm certain. He's shown me how the trick works. Not only that, the book is hysterically funny.
I'm sure there's a general moral here...
There is a never-ending stream of amusing anecdotes, but after a while I was surprised to find that I was feeling more sympathetic towards the believers rather than less. Needless to say, their stories were rarely very convincing; but Sladek's counterarguments weren't always that convincing either. For example, he presents a case where a medium convinces a famous scientist by apparently telling him details of a long-gone childhood incident that he had forgotten. Sladek pours scorn on the scientist's credulity. Doesn't he know how unscrupulous these people are? They could easily have picked locks to find old letters, interviewed former servants, etc. Well, I'm sure that could have been the explanation, but he doesn't present a shred of evidence to show that it actually was. How am I supposed to know who to believe?
The real evidence against these people, though, is the evidence they provide themselves. Once you have heard them talking about their crazy ideas for long enough - Sladek has clearly spent a great deal of time doing just that - you simply cannot take them seriously. Nothing they say makes sense. You just need to give them enough rope, and they will energetically hang themselves. But it's hard to convey that experience in a ten-page sketch of orgone energy or Nostradamus.
In a later book, Arachne Rising , Sladek found a better way. Rather than try to refute the million crazy ideas that are already out there, he shows you how easy it is to make up one of your own. His deadpan explanation of the Thirteenth Sign of the Zodiac and the way it has been suppressed by rigid-minded modern scientists is a masterpiece which deserves to be far better known. Maybe there was some slight possibility that I could have been unsure about astrology before; after reading Arachne, I'm certain. He's shown me how the trick works. Not only that, the book is hysterically funny.
I'm sure there's a general moral here...
August 27, 2012
This was a book that influenced my thinking profoundly when I first read it. It did a nice job of showing me why I enjoyed psuedoscience but didn't feel comfortable with the lack of logic behind it. The work is well researched, and very well-written, and is an impressive review of what is wrong with Von Daniken and such books without being as pedantic as latter works. I heartily recommend it, even 40 years after I first read it.
May 22, 2024
An overview of fringe science and woo from 1974 should seem more dated than it does. Crank cures, UFOs, spiritualism, ESP, conspiracy nuts, and cryptozoology all still have their adherents, and the evidence hasn't changed much. Sladek (better known for genre-aware, humorous science fiction and mysteries) is a clear writer with an eye for humor. When he describes a 10 year old boy with (supposed) x-ray vision; cataloging a series of unimpressive feats such as "seeing" a battery inside a flashlight, he observes the mystery is not how the boy saw through so much, but why the reporter saw through so little.
Overall I was surprised, though, by how seriously Sladek took the topic. His tone isn't earnest but it's a long-ish book and it's clear he spent a lot of time reading of the nonsense research and digging up original sources and references. In terms of entertainment, the best chapters are the ones with the weirdest beliefs and you could cut half the book while still making the point, but Sladek seems to have been shooting for some fairly comprehensive treatment rather than just easy dunks.
Overall I was surprised, though, by how seriously Sladek took the topic. His tone isn't earnest but it's a long-ish book and it's clear he spent a lot of time reading of the nonsense research and digging up original sources and references. In terms of entertainment, the best chapters are the ones with the weirdest beliefs and you could cut half the book while still making the point, but Sladek seems to have been shooting for some fairly comprehensive treatment rather than just easy dunks.
November 21, 2017
Well I did like it, but I don't think there are many people who wouldn't find some cherished belief pilloried in this, and whereas that may be justified, perhaps in every single case, I'm left wondering what the heck Sladek actually does believe. It comes pretty close to nihilism. There are quite a few very silly beliefs which are entertainingly easy targets, but sometimes his criticisms don't really work, in particular his attempt to debunk Nostradamus. Also, some of the beliefs he slates have now become well-established "facts", whatever those are.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews