The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

by Steven Novella, Bob Novella (With), Cara Santa Maria (With), Jay Novella (With), Evan Bernstein (With)

Overview

An all-encompassing guide to skeptical thinking from podcast host and academic neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine Steven Novella and his SGU co-hosts, which Richard Wiseman calls "the perfect primer for anyone who wants to separate fact from fiction."

It is intimidating to realize that we live in a world overflowing with misinformation, bias, myths, deception, and flawed knowledge. There really are no ultimate authority figures-no one has the secret, and there is no place to look up the definitive answers to our questions (not even Google).
Luckily, The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe is your map through this maze of modern life. Here Dr. Steven Novella-along with Bob Novella, Cara Santa Maria, Jay Novella, and Evan Bernstein-will explain the tenets of skeptical thinking and debunk some of the biggest scientific myths, fallacies, and conspiracy theories-from anti-vaccines to homeopathy, UFO sightings to N- rays. You'll learn the difference between science and pseudoscience, essential critical thinking skills, ways to discuss conspiracy theories with that crazy co- worker of yours, and how to combat sloppy reasoning, bad arguments, and superstitious thinking.

So are you ready to join them on an epic scientific quest, one that has taken us from huddling in dark caves to setting foot on the moon? (Yes, we really did that.) DON'T PANIC! With The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe, we can do this together.

"Thorough, informative, and enlightening, The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe inoculates you against the frailties and shortcomings of human cognition. If this book does not become required reading for us all, we may well see modern civilization unravel before our eyes." — Neil deGrasse Tyson
"In this age of real and fake information, your ability to reason, to think in scientifically skeptical fashion, is the most important skill you can have. Read The Skeptics' Guide Universe; get better at reasoning. And if this claim about the importance of reason is wrong, The Skeptics' Guide will help you figure that out, too." — Bill Nye

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538760529
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	12/03/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	528
Sales rank:	345,547
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Dr. Steven Novella, host and producer of the SGU, is an internationally recognized science educator. He brings his academic credentials and long history as a dynamic speaker and educator to the show. Dr. Novella is an academic clinical neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine, where he is known for his dedication to excellence in teaching. When not podcasting, he also authors the popular and award-winning NeuroLogica blog, is senior editor of Science-Based Medicine, and makes regular appearances on radio, podcasts, and tv promoting science. He is also the author of two courses for The Great Courses on medical myths and critical thinking.

He is joined by his co-writers, Bob Novella, Cara Santa Maria, Jay Novella, and Evan Bernstein, each of whom bring their own personality and knowledge to the show and this book. Together they create a dynamic and engaging group of friends who like discussing cutting-edge science, philosophy, and controversial topics.

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

Editorial Reviews

"Thorough, informative, and enlightening, The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe inoculates you against the frailties and shortcomings of human cognition. If this book does not become required reading for us all, we may well see modern civilization unravel before our eyes."—Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist, American Museum of Natural History

"In this age of real and fake information, your ability to reason, to think in scientifically skeptical fashion, is the most important skill you can have. Read The Skeptics' Guide Universe; get better at reasoning. And if this claim about the importance of reason is wrong, The Skeptics' Guide will help you figure that out, too."— Bill Nye

"A lively, engaging, and very timely guide to navigating a world rife with misinformation and pseudoscience. This book will give you the tools to ferret out nonsense and confront your own biases-and hopefully change a few minds along the way."—Jennifer Oullette, author of Me, Myself, and Why and The Calculus Diaries

"A fantastic compendium of skeptical thinking and the perfect primer for anyone who wants to separate fact from fiction."—Richard Wiseman, Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at University of Hertfordshire and bestselling author of 59 Seconds

"In his 1995 book The Demon-Haunted World, the great Carl Sagan prophesied a descent into superstition and ignorance. Well, that world has arrived. Fortunately, Steve Novella and his co-authors are here to help us navigate it with critical thinking and scientifically-appropriate skepticism, along the way exposing the antiscience and pseudoscience so prevalent in our public discourse today, from confirmation bias to conspiracy theories, N-Rays to Nessie, the Face on Mars, to Flat-Eartherism."—Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor, Penn State University and co-author of The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial is Threatening our Planet, Destroying our Politics, and Driving us Crazy

"A terrific book for anyone who wants a better understanding about the world around them and an essential guide to navigating modern life. The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe will help readers recognize pitfalls in reasoning, combat bad arguments and avoid superstitious thinking."—Simon Singh, Skeptic & Author of Fermat's Enigma

"There are so many ways to be wrong, what we all need is a guidebook to being right. And here it is: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is an invaluable manual to avoiding all of the ways we can fool ourselves and be fooled by others. It's depressing to think of how many ways there are, but at least now we have no excuse for not being prepared."—Sean Carroll, author of The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself

"Steve and the gang have done it again. The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is the best and most popular podcast on science and skepticism out there (I am honored to have been their first guest!). And now this book is the best, soon to be the most popular, guide to what's really real, so far as we can tell."—Massimo Pigliucci, K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York, author of Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk

"Using examples ranging from Monty Python to Monty Hall, The Skeptics Guide to the Universe offers the first ever page-turner that teaches you how to think clearly."—Paul A. Offit, MD, author of Bad Advice: Or Why Celebrities, Politicians, and Activists Aren't Your Best Source of Health Information

"There's nothing more riveting, nor more frightening, than the economy-size ability of the citizenry to embrace unscientific explanations for puzzling events. We hardly blink when ordinary folk are seduced by easy-to-grasp—if wrong—explanations for autism or mysterious lights in the night sky. But we should be alarmed. The science may be pseudo, but the grievous consequences are real. Steve Novella and colleagues offer a fascinating collection of the many contemporary phenomena now ascribed to mysterious or even conspiratorial causes. They also point out the logical errors that are repeatedly made by those who claim that the truth is out there—and frequently too far out there! For those who want to know, not merely believe, this book is an essential read. It's also a great one."—Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute

"A lighthearted, wide-ranging romp through pseudoscience, quackery, and nonsense of all kinds. Fun and fascinating, with an undercurrent of darker urgency-given the upsurge in bald faced lies and bizarro claims all around us, this book may be your best defense."—Steven StrogatzProfessor of Mathematics, Cornell University and author of The Joy of x

"If everyone in the world were to read this book, we might just arrest humankind's depressing slide into truthlessness. Someone should put the Skeptics' Guide on the vaccination schedule."— Tim Minchin

"At last! A user's guide to scientific skepticism written by some of the most prominent and influential Rogues in the Skeptical Community. From phantom Pompeii penis memories to the current fake news phenomenon, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe reads like a dream; casual, occasionally irreverent, full of great anecdotes and humor but ultimately a well-researched and authoritative account of the vagaries of human folly and foolishness. What I particularly like is that it is neither smug nor condescending but rather, well-intentioned and genuinely urges the reader to recognize that it is in our nature to believe nonsense but equally that we should be vigilant. This is what we have been waiting for. I will be recommending this to my students as a comprehensive guide to developing critical thinking. "—Bruce Hood, author of SuperSense, The Self Illusion, and Possessed

"Our lack of critical thinking skills and embarrassing scientific illiteracy are among the most critical issues of our time. We are drowning in a sea of myths, lies, deceptions, fakes and superstitions. We are inundated and surrounded by pseudoscience and illogic. We have lost our way. The timing couldn't be better for the publication of a brilliant new book, The Skeptics Guide to the Universe. It's a friendly, comprehensive, clear and direct guide to these pressing issues and guess what...it's a hell of a lot of fun to read."—Dean Edell M.D., host of the Dr. Dean Edell Show and author of Eat Drink and Be Merry

"If there's one thing we all need in these confusing and stressful times, it is clear thinking and accurate appraisals of the information flooding our senses. Thankfully, this book gives to the reader precisely the tools needed to bring this about. The Skeptics Guide to the Universe is an essential resource for a lifetime of critical thinking and analysis."—Michael Whelan, award-winning artist and author of The Art of Michael Whelan and Beyond Science Fiction

Steven Novella (Clinical Neurology/Yale Univ. School of Medicine), a founding fellow of the Institute for Science in Medicine and host and producer of the titular science and critical thinking podcast, pulls no punches in his attack on the misinformation, myths, and biases that surround us. Aided here by several writing associates, the author demonstrates his vast experience explaining the mechanisms of deception and the tactics used by pseudoscientists. Presented as "one giant inoculation against bad science, deception, and faulty thinking," the book succeeds superbly.—Kirkus (starred review)

"Empowering and illuminating, this thinker's paradise is an antidote to spreading anti-scientific sentiments. Readers will return to its ideas again and again."—Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

"This important addition to the literature of skepticism deserves shelf space beside the works of such notables as Michael Shermer, James Randi, Robert A. Baker, and Martin Gardner."—Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 2018-07-31

Why and how to become a skeptic.

Steven Novella (Clinical Neurology/Yale Univ. School of Medicine), a founding fellow of the Institute for Science in Medicine and host and producer of the titular science and critical thinking podcast, pulls no punches in his attack on the misinformation, myths, and biases that surround us. Aided here by several writing associates, the author demonstrates his vast experience explaining the mechanisms of deception and the tactics used by pseudoscientists. To prepare readers, Novella first shows the ways in which our memories are faulty and our perceptions fallible, the glitches in our brains that trip us up, and the many logical fallacies that screw up our thinking. In lively, highly accessible prose, he helps readers understand these peculiarities and limitations and learn how to recognize deceptive claims. Science, he writes, is "the process of making our best effort to know what's really real." His chapters are filled with examples of pseudoscience and deception, some of which are old chestnuts, such as the "Clever Hans" effect. Others include intelligent design, pyramid schemes, exorcism, conspiracy theories, ghosts, and witches. Inevitably, some of Novella's examples will challenge some readers' treasured beliefs, but their inclusion here makes the challenges especially effective. As the author makes clear, some false beliefs come around again and again; new ones, however, confront us daily. A section on skepticism and the media, which looks at the difficulties of reporting science well, is rich with examples of science journalism gone wrong in the age of the internet and social media. Of special interest is the chapter on false balance, the common practice of TV news programs and documentaries giving equal coverage to two points of view that do not, in fact, have equal credibility; his prime example is climate change scientists debating climate change deniers.

Presented as "one giant inoculation against bad science, deception, and faulty thinking," the book succeeds superbly.

Kirkus Reviews