Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time (Taschenbuch) von Stephen Jay Gould   Rezensionen: Few can talk with more personal authority about the range of human beliefs than Michael Shermer. At various times in the past, Shermer has believed in fundamentalist Christianity, alien abductions, Ayn Rand, megavitamin therapy, and deep-tissue massage. Now he believes in skepticism, and his motto is "Cognite tute--think for yourself." This updated edition ofWhy People Believe Weird Thingscovers Holocaust denial and creationism in considerable detail, and has chapters on abductions, Satanism, Afrocentrism, near-death experiences, Randian positivism, and psychics. Shermer has five basic answers to the implied question in his title: for consolation, for immediate gratification, for simplicity, for moral meaning, and because hope springs eternal. He shows the kinds of errors in thinking that lead people to believe weird (that is, unsubstantiated) things, especially the built-in human need to see patterns, even where there is no pattern to be seen. Throughout, Shermer emphasizes that skepticism (in his sense) does not need to be cynicism: "Rationality tied to moral decency is the most powerful joint instrument for good that our planet has ever known."--Mary Ellen Curtin-- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels. © 1998-2001 Amazon.com, Inc. und Tochtergesellschaften Alle Rezensionen ansehen...   Angebote zu  People ,  Believe ,  Weird  ab 1 Euro! Siehe auch folgende Artikel: The Demon- Haunted World. Science as a Candle in the Dark von Carl Sagan The God Delusion von Richard Dawkins Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought von Pascal Boyer The End of Faith. Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason (Free Press) von Sam Harris Mehr zu  Health, Mind & Body,  New Age,  Occult,  Parapsychology,  Unexplained Mysteries,  Controversial Knowledge,  Science,  History & Philosophy Home ...,    Angebote ansehen ...,    Begleitseite ... Herausgeber dieser Seite ist DomainLoc.com GmbH - Partner von Amazon.de Copyright © DomainLoc.com GmbH (Impressum)