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Paranormality: Why We See What Isn't There [Kindle Edition]

Richard Wiseman (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews) |
Digital List Price: £8.05 What's this?
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Review

'Experiments that investigate the paranormal are bizarre and entertaining, and Wiseman is a witty guide in what is often a mind-boggling read. Ultimately you'll discover why your brain is far more extraordinary than any of the supernatural claims in this book.' --New Scientist

'You might think this book is a party-pooper, removing the wonder from the our lives... (but) the message of Wiseman's book is positive. Forget about searching for wonder in the supernatural, because it does not exist. Instead, focus on the wondrous events surrounding all of us every day.'
--Simon Singh, Mail on Sunday

'A different league to your usual sceptic.' --Fortean Times

Product Description

For the past twenty years, psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman has immersed himself in the weird world of supernatural science; testing telepaths, spending nights in haunted castles, and attempting to talk with the dead. In Paranormality he cuts through the hype and goes in search of the truth behind extraordinary stories of poltergeists, possession and second sight. And along the way, he shows us some really rather remarkable things about how our brains work, how it is possible to have an out-of-body experience or lucid dream of our own, and just why we feel the need to believe. . . Praise for 59 Seconds: 'At last, a self-help guide that is based on proper research. Perfect for busy, curious, smart people' Simon Singh 'A triumph of scientifically proven advice over misleading myths of self-help. Challenging, uplifting and long overdue' Derren Brown
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Richard Wiseman
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an immensely readable and enjoyable book. Richard Wiseman has wisely eschewed the idea of writing a book debunking the paranormal (of which there are plenty already) and instead opted to focus on letting us know HOW it's done, and even how to do it ourselves for the entertainment of family and friends. Wiseman tells his story by focusing on people in history - specific people who have either developed some kind of reputation for being able to achieve paranormal phenomena, or of debunking and exposing them. In this way he gives a book of real substance, which really gets to the nitty-gritty. It's also very entertaining, and included many elements with which I was not familiar (despite have quite a collection of books on this topic and of Wiseman's previous work). An excellent read and very educational.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Qix
Format:Kindle Edition
I agree with the other reviewers who feel that Dr Wiseman is very much at the outright (scientific) sceptic end of the spectrum and there is no doubt in his mind that there is no such thing as the paranormal. And, in fairness, he makes his case well and for the most part backs it up with strong arguments based on solid research.

I also found this book to be a lighter, more humorous and overall a more enjoyable read than "The Luck Factor".

A key premise of the author's argument against the existence of the paranormal is that our minds are simply filling our deep rooted desire to have the comfort that belief in life after death may bring, and the hope that our humdrum lives may from time to time be touched by some form of magic. If you have restless nights caused by alarming and unidentified sounds from your attic / walls / basement, this book is likely to help you sleep easier. Personally, I prefer the thought that there are still some things that exist beyond our comprehension.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Brijm
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed this book, but having read some Wiseman before, it all seems a bit familiar. (Although the style seems a little more humourous than usual, which might put off some people seeking a more sensitive approach to the subject)

Predictably those convinced by parapsychology have attacked the book, (the sole reason for most of the one star reviews) however all the mountains of peer-reviewed research 'proving' parapsychology phenomena have a a habit of disappearing when one goes into the details... so I am on Wiseman's side in this debate - but that is my problem. Wiseman promises us not a re-hash of the old 'is it true or isn't it' debate but psychological evidence as to why and how people are so easily taken in. The book does this in places, but in fact a lot of space is taken up by the old debate on the existence on parapsychological phenomena. If you have done any reading on this topic before, large swathes of the book will already be familiar to you.

When Wiseman does use psychological explanations, more details might be useful - psychological explanations have a habit of sounding rather tenuous or so obvious they could be used to explain anything (an unfair perception, but not necessarily helped by Wiseman occasionally recycling data from previous works). This issue is not restricted to Wiseman or hot debates such as this, but it means a lay audience may need more convincing that a psychology experiment is really the best explanation for certain phenomena.

IN summary, if this is your first foray into this area, this is an excellent introduction in a light readable style, if you need more convincing, further reading is recommended
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An Indispensable Read to eliminate all suspicions
Anyone alive at some point, has had one of those suspicious moments. A moment where you may had thought the paranormal exists. Many people don't believe in it. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Nathan Hewitt
Excellent. Well demonstrated, argued and presented.
I purchased the Kindle version of this book after the review in the Fortean Times.

Some sceptics turn out to be nothing more than believers (or disbelievers) of a... Read more
Published 3 months ago by M. J. Siddiq
Fascinating
Although I'd heard about many of the points raised in Paranormality over the years in articles or books, I'd never seen something that ties it together so well as Professor Wiseman... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Neill Jones
If you are in any doubt
It is very clear, well written, and confirmed my beliefs. I would recomend it for anyone who is uncertain as to there being anything else out there. Read more
Published 4 months ago by sunylas
Paranormality, why we see what isn't there
This book is excellent, and gets the mind thinking, and how we do see things that are not there and how we make more of things thats are not worth it sort of thing
Published 5 months ago by Fay
REALLY FUNNY AND ERUDITE
Highly recommend this book in which Prof Wiseman once again takes you on a learning journey, but adds to it more tests within the book. It is also really funny!
Published 5 months ago by alocket
A million dollars if you prove this book is wrong about psychics
I couldn't believe that anyone could give this excellent book a bad review so I had a look at the 1* comments and it's as I expected. Read more
Published 5 months ago by auld_clootie
Great read
Good book - interesting and well researched. Good for anyone studying A level AQA (syllabus A) for paper 4. Professor Wiseman's other book, 59 seconds, is worth getting as well. Read more
Published 6 months ago by David
How To Fool People, And How We Fool Ourselves
This is a brilliant summary of how perfectly normal psychology, which is tuned to get us through normal day to day living, can be deliberately or accidentally manipulated to make... Read more
Published 6 months ago by jcmacc
Black or White
I am a spiritual person and have many many paranormal experiences from a child and I can say that the author is a very close minded person. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr. L. James
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Popular Highlights

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Our beliefs do not sit passively in our brains waiting to be confirmed or contradicted by incoming information. Instead, they play a key role in shaping how we see the world. &quote;
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when people with strong beliefs are presented with ambiguous information relevant to their views, they will see what they want to see. &quote;
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Given the right context, people are skilled at instantly and unconsciously seeing meaning in a meaningless shape. &quote;
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