Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction : Where Real Science Ends...and Pseudoscience Begins

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Science/Pseudoscience Primer
Review: The real value of this book is in the first three chapters, which contain a simple yet powerful description of how science works, and why pseudoscience is, well, pseudoscience. The remainder of the book covers a variety of pseudosciences grouped into five major categories. While detail is a bit thin on the individual entries, the authors do an excellent job of showing why pseudoscientific hypotheses fall down in the face of science. Hard-core skeptics will find nothing new in the pseudoscience sections, but it's always valuable to have so much information in one place to use as a handy reference. The cartoons by Sidney Harris add humor and include some classics - don't be surprised if you find yourself thumbing through the book just to find the next cartoon. This book could easily be used as the basis for a course on Science and Pseudoscience.

A few words about the 'Editorial Review' above - It's clear the reviewer needs to read the book again, because he or she completely missed the point. The reviewer ignores the excellent initial chapters on the nature of science, and then makes a series of gaffes. The fact that Graphology has a better reputation in Europe than in the US doesn't make it any less pseudoscientific. The truth is not a popularity contest. Similarly, the fact that true believers in creationism won't be converted doesn't matter. Converting true believers isn't the point - providing information to those who haven't made up their minds yet is far more important. Holocaust denial is an excellent example of a pseudoscience that doesn't fit the standard 'debunking the UFOs' model of skepticism, and shows how to apply the techniques of critical thinking more generally. Finally, anyone offended by the chapters on near death experiences and life after death hasn't done a good job of reading them. The question is about science and how it works - theology is left untouched. The point is to show that NDE's aren't good, scientific evidence of anything mystical. If you make a scientific claim, you'd better be ready for scrutiny of that claim. Belief in souls is either a question of faith, and so outside the purview of science, or it's a scientific question open to review like any other. You can't say it's scientific when there's evidence you want to use in favor, but then make scrutiny off limits because you're squeamish about violating religious dogma.

Rating:
Summary: Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction: Where Real Science...
Review: This book, appearing to be written for children, is itself a quantum leap in the wrong direction. The authors treat many complex topics with inaccuracy and superficiality. For example, they state the Egyptian pyramids were made of "relatively soft limestone...(that)...could be quarried with hard stone tools". The interior of the Great pyramid at Giza is partially made of hard granite, too hard to be the work of either stone or copper tools, and that pyramid appears to have initially had 144,000 sixteen- to twenty-ton limestone casing stones made to an accuracy of flatness of ten thousandths of an inch, undoubtedly impossible to accomplish with "stone tools". They attempt to dismiss various psi phenomena by citing a few examples of fraud and instances where something failed to work, ignoring the large body of fine scientific work (Houck, Radin, Puthoff & Targ, Hasted and many others) clearly establishing the reality of many of the various phenomena discussed. Instead of relying on any scientific data, the authors rely on hypotheses, the views of a magician and ridicule by a cartoonist. The book is an unworthy attempt at treating its subject matter, lumping real scientific phenomena with obvious error, such as holocaust denial, and itself represents pseudoscience and yellow journalism.

Rating:
Summary: Needs to be read by those vulnerable to the nonsense.
Review: When we're younger, and think we have the whole world figured out, we look for patterns while also looking for a means to be different. What we are too often led to is the subject matter of this book.

The authors cover a whole series of fads and pseudosciences by which we're frequently insulted, e.g., astrology, tarot cards and I Ching, and a host of others. The subjects are handled with a bit of wit, but not the cutesy angle of the "idiots guide to..." books.

I'm pretty well read on skeptical literature so for me there was little new. However, the silly fads covered in the book are often considered far more acceptable than critical analysis or thinking. Therefore, the book should be assigned to maybe high school seniors or college freshmen, those inclined to fall into such traps, i.e., into believing such nonsense. At least, then, when they get through their post adolescent turmoil, they'll have had a direction, a reference to put the foolishness in perspective. I'm not so naive to think that young people won't pass through such fads--most of us did at one point or another in our lives. But, again, seeds will be planted when most mature to a more complicated world in which we rely on evidence to come to conclusions.

And they DO cover what constitutes a scientific examinination of something, i.e., a contrast to the "intuitive," testimonial or anecdote-based, or merely "faith" angle they're trying to refute. That is a valuable contribution to the seed for future critical thinking.

The book does, however, have its weaknesses. One petty one, for instance is that the authors referred to the Greek gods for whom the planets are names. I believe their named for ROMAN gods (the biggest, gas giant, for example, being Jupiter, not Zeus). And, in retrospect, I wish they'd covered some of the trendy "therapies" which are draining the pockets of many, who, after these functionless raps still think for some reason that they're morally superior to the rest of us. But I suppose they make up a different genre of the stuff of which we need to be wisely informed.

The book is a fine primer for those thus far ill-informed of its subject matter. As such, that's not a criticism but a perspective. It's a wonderful, step-by-step primer for those new to skepticism, e.g., young people experimenting with it or their parents trying to reason their kids off of astrology kicks and so forth. But I wouldn't recommend it to those who've read far more sophisticated stuff on the subjects already.

Rating:
Summary: A nice reference book
Review: Whew! Quite a lot is covered in this small book, but very little detail is given as references. As a skeptic myself these authors were 'preaching to the choir' with me. I think their idea that "people who disagree with them" will read and possibly change their opinions is a bit far-fetched. This book is perfect for those who dabble on the edge of pseudoscience, sometimes leaning one way then the other. This gives easy to understand examples, and some ammo to fight off unscientific beliefs.

I would really have liked to see the authors use footnotes throughout the book as an aid to researchers. I know that they were right on with their claims, but would like to see where they got their information. The glossary was very helpful, and can see using it in the future. If you have a friend or relitive who is always bothering you with pseudoscience claims, and you never quite know how to explain your skepticism, then this is the book for you. Carry it on your person, always!

Rating:
Summary: A nice reference book
Review: Whew! Quite a lot is covered in this small book, but very little detail is given as references. As a skeptic myself these authors were 'preaching to the choir' with me. I think their idea that "people who disagree with them" will read and possibly change their opinions is a bit far-fetched. This book is perfect for those who dabble on the edge of pseudoscience, sometimes leaning one way then the other. This gives easy to understand examples, and some ammo to fight off unscientific beliefs.

I would really have liked to see the authors use footnotes throughout the book as an aid to researchers. I know that they were right on with their claims, but would like to see where they got their information. The glossary was very helpful, and can see using it in the future. If you have a friend or relitive who is always bothering you with pseudoscience claims, and you never quite know how to explain your skepticism, then this is the book for you. Carry it on your person, always!