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...this book is so well written and balanced that it will make for enriching and entertaining reading for readers at any level. It manages to have a scientific foundation, yet presents clinically intriguing and practical, relevant cases. It is refreshing to see a group of authors put together a critical analysis of the rampant misinformation that thrives in popular culture. (Doody's Notes )
...this book is a lot of fun and hugely informative. (Journal of Consciousness Studies )
...this book is a lot of fun and hugely informative. (Journal of Consciousness Studies )
Product Description
Does listening to Mozart make us more intelligent? Is there such a thing as a gay gene? Does the size of the brain matter? Does the moon influence our behaviour? Can we communicate with the dead? Can graphology tell us anything about a person's character? Is the human brain clonable? What role do dreams have in cognition? Can mind conquer matter and diseases? Are out-of-body experiences possible? Can we trust our intuitions? To some, the answer to all these questions might well be a resounding 'no', but to many people these represent serious beliefs about the mind and brain - beliefs that drive their everyday behaviour, beliefs that cost them huge amounts of money. Whole industries have developed founded on these dubious claims about the mind and brain. Even major corporations have dabbled with assessment methods such as those advocated by graphology, accepting and rejecting candidates on the basic of their handwriting. Expectant parents buy books and tapes by the dozen showing them how to improve the intelligence of their child by playing them classical music. People subscribe to expensive therapies founded on beliefs rather than science, or risk their health buying books that tell them how they can conquer illness through positive thinking, perhaps at the expense of more scientifically proven treatments. Tall Tales about the Mind and Brain presents a sweeping survey of common myths about the mind and brain. In a lighthearted and accessible style, it exposes the truth behind these beliefs, how they are perpetuated, why people believe them, and why they might even exist in the first place.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Excellent resource - would make for a great course textbook
20 Mar 2009
Format:Paperback
Already got Shermer's 'Why People Believe'? You need this.
I first seized upon this book upon learning that contributors included the late Barry Beyerstein, Ray Hyman, Dr Chris French and Massimo Polidoro, who are all well-known in skeptical circles for their investigations into graphology, paranormal belief, ideomotor effect and the like. This is quite recent work and draws upon several contemporary papers - also useful in terms of directing you to check out further work by the contributors.
But this is not just a valuable resource in terms of the contributors, but in the range of topics addressed (which the Amazon page doesn't really outline very well, so here's an overview). The "Mozart effect" (does listening to his work make us more intelligent?); the possibility of a "gay gene"; moon myths and behaviour; graphology; mediumship; brain-cloning; dreams and cognition; out-of-body experiences and what is intuition?
Because this Amazon site is a little limited in describing the book, the back matter says "To some, the answer to all these questions might well be a resounding 'no', but to many people these represent serious beliefs about the mind and brain - beliefs that drive their everyday behaviour, beliefs that cost them huge amounts of money. Whole industries have developed founded on these dubious claims about the mind and brain. Even major corporations... People subscribe to expensive therapies founded on beliefs rather than science, or risk their health buying books that tell them how they can conquer illness through positive thinking, perhaps at the expense of more scientifically proven treatments."
Whilst 'Tall Tales' is billed as being 'in a light-hearted and accessible style', the references and research put into each essay is extensive and relevant. An easy read doesn't necessarily mean a simplistic one. I would highly recommend this as a reference text for students who are studying about neuroscience myths, health scams or general up-to-date information regarding skeptically-minded contributions to how our minds work.
I first seized upon this book upon learning that contributors included the late Barry Beyerstein, Ray Hyman, Dr Chris French and Massimo Polidoro, who are all well-known in skeptical circles for their investigations into graphology, paranormal belief, ideomotor effect and the like. This is quite recent work and draws upon several contemporary papers - also useful in terms of directing you to check out further work by the contributors.
But this is not just a valuable resource in terms of the contributors, but in the range of topics addressed (which the Amazon page doesn't really outline very well, so here's an overview). The "Mozart effect" (does listening to his work make us more intelligent?); the possibility of a "gay gene"; moon myths and behaviour; graphology; mediumship; brain-cloning; dreams and cognition; out-of-body experiences and what is intuition?
Because this Amazon site is a little limited in describing the book, the back matter says "To some, the answer to all these questions might well be a resounding 'no', but to many people these represent serious beliefs about the mind and brain - beliefs that drive their everyday behaviour, beliefs that cost them huge amounts of money. Whole industries have developed founded on these dubious claims about the mind and brain. Even major corporations... People subscribe to expensive therapies founded on beliefs rather than science, or risk their health buying books that tell them how they can conquer illness through positive thinking, perhaps at the expense of more scientifically proven treatments."
Whilst 'Tall Tales' is billed as being 'in a light-hearted and accessible style', the references and research put into each essay is extensive and relevant. An easy read doesn't necessarily mean a simplistic one. I would highly recommend this as a reference text for students who are studying about neuroscience myths, health scams or general up-to-date information regarding skeptically-minded contributions to how our minds work.
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