Table of Contents
Introduction xiii
Section I Core Concepts Every Skeptic Should Know
1 Scientific Skepticism 3
Neuropsychological Humility and Mechanisms of Deception
2 Memory Fallibility and False Memory Syndrome 9
3 Fallibility of Perception 19
4 Pareidolia 28
5 Hyperactive Agency Detection 33
6 Hypnagogia 36
7 Ideomotor Effect 40
Metacognition
8 Dunning-Kruger Effect 45
9 Motivated Reasoning 50
10 Arguments and Logical Fallacies 57
11 Cognitive Biases and Heuristics 86
12 Confirmation Bias 94
13 Appeal to Antiquity 106
14 Appeal to Nature 109
15 Fundamental Attribution Error 114
16 Anomaly Hunting 118
17 Data Mining 129
18 Coincidence 134
Science and Pseudoscience
19 Methodological Naturalism and Its Critics 144
20 Postmodernism 152
21 Occam's Razor 157
22 Pseudoscience and the Demarcation Problem 161
23 Denialism 181
24 P-Hacking and Other Research Foibles 193
25 Conspiracy Theories 204
26 Witch Hunts 219
27 Placebo Effects 225
28 Anecdote 231
Iconic Cautionary Tales From History
29 The "Clever Hans" Effect 238
30 The Hawthorne Effect 242
31 Cold Reading 248
32 Free Energy 257
33 Quantum Woo 263
34 Homunculus Theory 270
35 Intelligent Design 275
36 Vitalism and Dualism 284
37 N-Rays 298
38 Positive Thinking 305
39 Pyramid Scheme 308
Section 2 Adventures in Skepticism
40 Motivated Reasoning About Genetically Modified Organisms 317
41 Dennis Lee and Free Energy 336
42 Holly-woo 342
43 The Singularity 348
44 The Warrens and Ghost Hunting 357
45 Loose Thinking About Loose Change 367
Section 3 Skepticism and the Media
46 Fake News 375
47 False Balance 384
48 Science Journalism 387
49 Enter the Matrix 393
50 Microbiomania 398
51 Reporting Epigenetics 402
Section 4 Death by Pseudoscience
52 Death by Naturopathy 409
53 Exorcism: Medieval Beliefs Yield Medieval Results 415
54 Death by Denial 419
55 Suffer the Children 425
Section 5 Changing Yourself and the World
56 Being Skeptical 431
Epilogue 445
Bonus Chapter. Global Warming 447
Acknowledgments 459
References 461
Index 481
