Download or read book Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science written by Martin Gardner and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2012-05-04 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fair, witty appraisal of cranks, quacks, and quackeries of science and pseudoscience: hollow earth, Velikovsky, orgone energy, Dianetics, flying saucers, Bridey Murphy, food and medical fads, and much more.
Download or read book Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science written by Martin Gardner and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 1957-06-01 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reviews fads, hoaxes, and cults propagated under the guise of being scientifically founded and proven
Download or read book Mystifying Movies written by Noël Carroll and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Spiritual Snake Oil written by S.C. Hitchcock and published by See Sharp Press. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Spiritual Snake Oil" shows that the same fallacies that plague religious apologetics also infect virtually all "new age" and "spiritual" writing. Author Chris Edwards does this by dissecting the arguments and assertions of the most prominent "new age" icons and "spiritual" writers. They include Robert Pirsig ("Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"), James Redfield ("The Celestine Prophecy"), Deepak Chopra ("Life After Death"), Dinesh D'Souza ("Life After Death"), Francis Collins's ("The Language of God"), Rhonda Byrne ("The Secret"), and even Michael Crichton (a surprising defender of New Age thinking). As Edwards shows, the same fallacies, the same errors in argument, show up time after time in the writings of these--and virtually all other--"new age" and "spiritual" writers. In addition to explaining these fallacies in the chapters devoted to the individual authors, Edwards devotes a final chapter, "A Compendium of Fallacies," to outlining the tricks and deceptive practices common to illogical arguments.
Download or read book Fads and Fallacies in the Social Sciences written by Steven Goldberg and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2003 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No Marketing Blurb
Download or read book An Introduction to a Realistic Quantum Physics written by Giuliano Preparata and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2002 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dr. Preparata (d. 2000), a professor at an unspecified Italian university, was among the minority of theoretical physicists challenging the standard model of quantum field theory with a "more realistic" quark model of the elementary particles of matter. He argues his case in five lecture-type essays. An appendix overviews the underlying math and formal logic. Lacks an index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Download or read book The Encyclopedia of Fads and Fallacies written by Thomas Jay and published by . This book was released on 1958 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Fads and Fallacies in Psychiatry written by Joel Paris and published by RCPsych Publications. This book was released on 2013-11-01 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Relative to some other medical specialties, psychiatry is a new and still scientifically underdeveloped field - as a result practitioners can be influenced by attractive but unproven ideas. Since mental illness is still a mystery and answers to the most important questions about mental illness will require another century of research, it is important to criticise contemporary practice - especially as fads in psychiatry have occurred not only on the fringe, but in the very mainstream of theory and practice. Some of the trendiest theoretical paradigms may turn out to be unsupported by data. In diagnosis, the many faddish approaches to classification are unlikely to last. In treatment, both psychopharmacology and psychotherapy sometimes embrace interventions with a weak base in evidence that run the risk of doing harm to patients. This book examines the fads and fallacies that have and continue to plague psychiatry, in both diagnosis and in treatment. These include over-diagnosis (especially of depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, PTSD and autism), over- treatment with pharmaceuticals and the assumption that neuroscience has all the answers for psychiatry. The reasons why psychotherapy has long been prone to faddishness are explored; as are the reasons for more recent faddishness in psychopharmacology, which can lead to irrational methods of over-treatment, and a failure to consider alternatives. There is discussion of the problematic areas of diagnostic systems (ICD and DSM) and an over-reliance on drugs. Many examples from the author's own personal clinical experience are included. The author's strong opinions and critical tone may seem to conflict with the dispassionate approach of evidence-based medicine, however, the book presents balanced arguments and includes positive suggestions and recommendations for change. Until we really understand the nature of serious mental illness, psychiatrists need to resist fads in diagnosis and treat
Download or read book Panic in the Pantry written by Elizabeth M. Whelan and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Puts into perspective statements being made about the adverse effects of food additives and use of pesticides.
Download or read book Forgotten Science written by S. D. Tucker and published by Amberley Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2016-04-15 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Was Jesus a giant electron? How much does a mouse’s soul weigh? Can women mate with monkeys? As mad as these questions may seem, they have been asked by science in years gone by. Forgotten Science unearths some of the most extraordinary attempts to understand the world around us.
Download or read book When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish written by Martin Gardner and published by Hill and Wang. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Best known as the longtime writer of the Mathematical Games column for Scientific American—which introduced generations of readers to the joys of recreational mathematics—Martin Gardner has for decades pursued a parallel career as a devastatingly effective debunker of what he once famously dubbed "fads and fallacies in the name of science." It is mainly in this latter role that he is onstage in this collection of choice essays. When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish takes aim at a gallery of amusing targets, ranging from Ann Coulter's qualifications as an evolutionary biologist to the logical fallacies of precognition and extrasensory perception, from Santa Claus to The Wizard of Oz, from mutilated chessboards to the little-known "one-poem poet" Langdon Smith (the original author of this volume's title line). The writings assembled here fall naturally into seven broad categories: Science, Bogus Science, Mathematics, Logic, Literature, Religion and Philosophy, and Politics. Under each heading, Gardner displays an awesome level of erudition combined with a wicked sense of humor.
Download or read book Entertaining Science Experiments with Everyday Objects written by Martin Gardner and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2013-06-10 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A prominent popular science writer presents simple instructions for 100 illustrated experiments. Memorable, easily understood experiments illuminate principles related to astronomy, chemistry, physiology, psychology, mathematics, topology, probability, acoustics, other areas.
Download or read book Informal Logical Fallacies written by Jacob E. Van Vleet and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-01-28 with total page 135 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Critical thinking is now needed more than ever. This accessible and engaging book provides the necessary tools to question and challenge the discourse that surrounds us—whether in the media, the classroom, or everyday conversation. Additionally, it offers readers a deeper understanding of the foundations of analytical thought. Informal Logical Fallacies: A Brief Guide is a systematic and concise introduction to more than fifty fallacies, from anthropomorphism and argumentum ad baculum, to reductionism and the slippery slope argument. This revised edition includes updated examples, exercises, and a new chapter on non-Western logical fallacies. With helpful definitions and relevant explanations, the author guides the reader through the realms of fallacious reasoning and deceptive rhetoric. This is an essential guide to philosophical reflection and clear thinking.
Download or read book Codes Ciphers and Secret Writing written by Martin Gardner and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 1984-01-01 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains various methods used in cryptography and presents examples to help readers in breaking secret codes
Download or read book The Thinker s Guide to Fallacies written by Linda Elder and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-06-01 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Thinker’s Guide to Fallacies introduces the concept of mental trickery and shows readers how to discern and see through forty-four different types of fallacies. Focusing on how human self-deception and manipulation lie behind fallacies, this guide builds reasoning skills and promotes fairminded, logical thought, discussions, and debate. As part of the Thinker’s Guide Library, this book advances the mission of the Foundation for Critical Thinking to promote fair-minded critical societies through cultivating essential intellectual abilities and virtues across every field of study across world.
Download or read book Diet Cults written by Matt Fitzgerald and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-05-15 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From “The Four Hour Body,” to “Atkins,” there are diet cults to match seemingly any mood and personality type. Everywhere we turn, someone is preaching the “One True Way” to eat for maximum health. Paleo Diet advocates tell us that all foods less than 12,000 years old are the enemy. Low-carb gurus demonize carbs, then there are the low-fat prophets. But they agree on one thing: there is only one true way to eat for maximum health. The first clue that that is a fallacy is the sheer variety of diets advocated. Indeed, while all of these competing views claim to be backed by “science,” a good look at actual nutritional science itself suggests that it is impossible to identify a single best way to eat. Fitzgerald advocates an agnostic, rational approach to eating habits, based on one’s own habits, life- style, and genetics/body type. Many professional athletes already practice this “Good Enough” diet, and now we can too and ditch the brainwashing of these diet cults for good.
Download or read book Natural written by Alan Levinovitz and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Illuminates the far-reaching harms of believing that natural means “good,” from misinformation about health choices to justifications for sexism, racism, and flawed economic policies. People love what’s natural: it’s the best way to eat, the best way to parent, even the best way to act—naturally, just as nature intended. Appeals to the wisdom of nature are among the most powerful arguments in the history of human thought. Yet Nature (with a capital N) and natural goodness are not objective or scientific. In this groundbreaking book, scholar of religion Alan Levinovitz demonstrates that these beliefs are actually religious and highlights the many dangers of substituting simple myths for complicated realities. It may not seem like a problem when it comes to paying a premium for organic food. But what about condemnations of “unnatural” sexual activity? The guilt that attends not having a “natural” birth? Economic deregulation justified by the inherent goodness of “natural” markets? In Natural, readers embark on an epic journey, from Peruvian rainforests to the backcountry in Yellowstone Park, from a “natural” bodybuilding competition to a “natural” cancer-curing clinic. The result is an essential new perspective that shatters faith in Nature’s goodness and points to a better alternative. We can love nature without worshipping it, and we can work toward a better world with humility and dialogue rather than taboos and zealotry.
