The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience
LC Class Q172.5.P77 S54 2002 | | |
Preceded by | How We Believe: The Search for God in an Age of Science | |
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Followed by | Denying History |
The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience is a two-volume collection of articles that discuss
About the editor
About the contributors
Each of the contributing authors is listed alphabetically followed by a paragraph listing which sections of the encyclopedia they have contributed to and their academic expertise and field of interest, as it relates to pseudoscience. Among them are Massimo Pigliucci and James Randi.
Overview
This two-volume work provides a broad introduction to the most prominent pseudoscientific claims made in the name of science. Covering the popular, the academic, and the bizarre, the encyclopedia includes topics from
It is organised into five sections:
The first is titled ‘Important pseudoscientific concepts’, which is an alphabetically arranged section of 59 subject analyses conducted by scientists and researchers, exploring alternative medicine, astrology, handwriting analysis, hypnosis, reincarnation, séances, spiritualism, UFOs, witchcraft, etc.
The second section is ‘Investigations from the Skeptic magazine’ which as it suggests are deeper analyses of selected subjects, based on 23 investigations from the magazine. More in-depth than the previous section, it includes what Shermer refers to as “…several critical pieces on the pseudoscience often found in psychology and psychotherapy”.[3]
Part three contains case studies: thirteen in-depth analyses of specific studies originally conducted for Skeptic magazine and used as part of the larger phenomena under investigation. For example, three articles are devoted to
In part four, there are 12 articles originally published in Skeptic described as a “debate between experts”, on such topics as ‘
Part five is titled ‘Historical documents’ and includes five classic works in the history of science and pseudoscience, such as the speech that
Quotes from the book
“If there is an underlying theme in this encyclopedia… it is that science is an exquisite blend of data and theory, facts and hypotheses, observations and views. If we conceive of science as a fluid and dynamic way of thinking instead of a staid and dogmatic body of knowledge, it is clear that the data/theory stratum runs throughout the archaeology of human knowledge and is an inexorable part of the scientific process. We can no more expunge from ourselves all biases and preferences than we can find a truly objective Archimedean point—a god’s-eye view—of the human condition. We are, after all, humans, not gods.”
“What we hope to provide in this encyclopedia is a thorough, objective, and balanced analysis of the most prominent scientific and pseudoscientific controversies made in the name of science, mixing both facts and theory.”
“The encyclopedia entries are written at a level appropriate for high school and college students conducting research in science and pseudoscience, members of the media looking for a balanced treatment of a subject, and those in the general public who desire a highly readable yet trustworthy resource…”
“…members of the media desperately need a reference resource in order to quickly get their minds around a subject, to book guests on both sides of an issue in order to properly set up a debate, and to get “just the facts” needed for the sound-bite story that is often demanded in the hectic world of journalism.”
“…most entries offer a respectable bibliography of the best sources on that subject from both the skeptics’ and the believers’ perspectives, allowing readers to conduct additional research on their own after learning what the encyclopedia’s expert author has had to say on the subject.”
Reception
Tom Gilson in Against the Grain [4] has some positive comments about the encyclopedia: "[T]he treatment afforded the topics covered in this encyclopedia is serious ... The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience is one of those sets in which the fascination value may equal its reference use ... without a doubt, many people are captivated with the issues discussed in this work." However, he also is of the opinion that the final section is too brief and should be either extended or removed. Gilson questions the price of the volumes, given that “…at least half of the content is reprinted from Skeptic Magazine.” He does however recognise that “The contributors are fully identified and many are academics with advanced degrees.”
The American Reference Books Annual[5] says that: "A careful reading ... should be required of all who wish to get a university degree ... In the Internet age ... people ... should make every effort toward two goals: To spread good scientific methods for evaluating truth claims, and to help nurture enlightened traditional worldviews. ... This set does much in the direction of achieving the first goal."
See also
- Scientific skepticism
- Skeptic's Dictionary
- An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural
References
- ^ Shermer, Michael (8 January 2019). "Ask me anything #2". Science Salon. Skeptic. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "Our Team". American Council on Science and Health. American Council on Science and Health. 30 July 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ Shermer, Michael. "The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience". ABC-CLIO. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- . Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ The American Reference Books Annual. Colorado: Littleton. Retrieved 10 June 2020.