Why People Believe Weird Things [Hardcover]

"This sparkling book romps over the range of science and anti-science." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

"Skepticism is the agent of reason against organised irrationalism... one of the keys to human social and civic decency." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

"Shermer probes, with compassionate curiosity, the more interesting question of why smart people cling to bizarre beliefs." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

"A masterwork about intellectual doubt and better than any other book I've read on such bizarre subjects." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Why do smart people believe weird things? Why do so many people believe in mind reading, past-life regression therapy, extra-terrestrial abduction and ghosts? What is behind the rise of 'scientific creationism' and Holocaust denial? In an age of supposed scientific enlightenment why do we appear more impressionable than ever? Scientific historian, and director of the Skeptics Society, Michael Shermer debunks these extraordinary claims in a no-holds-barred assault on the popular superstitions and confused prejudices of our time. Exploring the very human reasons behind otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories and cults Shermer explains why are they are so appealing to so many. Shermer reveals the darker side of wishful thinking, through the recovered memory movement, satanic rituals and other modern witch hunts, and ideologies of racial superiority. Confronting those who take advantage of the gullibility of other people to advance their own, self-serving agendas. Why People Believe Weird Things is compelling and often disturbing. It is a perceptive portrait of the human capacity for self-delusion and a celebration of the scientific spirit. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

He has written Think Like A Maths Genius (Souvenir Press) with Arthur Benjamin. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.