On Sagans view, such claims require extraordinarily strong evidence before we should accept them much stronger than the evidence required to support a far less improbable claim. Induce general hypotheses or possible explanations for what we have observed 3. By explaining what distinguishes knowledge from opinion, science from pseudoscience, and evidence from hearsay, How to Think about Weird Things helps the reader develop the skills needed to tell the true from the . And, of course, nature is occasionally going to throw up the face-like patterns just by chance. absolutely a relic of the 90s, published right before post-modernity entered the mass public consciousness, before western civilization entered what we now call the digital age. This concise and engaging text teaches the basic principles of good reasoning through an examination of widely held beliefs about the paranormal, the supernatural, and the mysterious. Grieving parents contact spiritualists who offer to put them in contact with their dead children. Whats most likely to be true: that there really was something extraordinary hanging over the power plant, or that the various eyewitnesses had somehow been deceived? "Weird Al" Yankovic's new album "Mandatory Fun" out now on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/MandatoryFunAmazon: http://smarturl.it/MandatoryFunAMZGoogle Play: http. It is exactly this balance of apparent contradictions that hasbeen the wholebuoyancy of the healthy man. Whatever that unappealing quality was, it dissipated in the following chapters, and I am delighted that I stuck it out and took the time to reflect on the messages of the text. The authors focus on types of logical arguments and proofs, making How to Think about Weird Things a versatile supplement for logic, critical thinking, philosophy of science, or any other science appreciation courses. 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. When we first see her, she is already plotting Duncan's murder, and she is stronger, more ruthless, and more ambitious than her husband. Most of us really struggle when it comes to assessing such weird beliefs myself included. . This is an excellent book that explains critical thinking, logical fallacies and argumentation / logic while at the same time demonstrating how to apply them to pseudoscience and current topics in the headlines. But that sort of fit can be achieved whether Nostradamus had extraordinary abilities or not. Often, when were presented with strong evidence that our belief is false, we can easily change our mind. It matters that we dont delude ourselves into thinking were being reasonable when were not. What does it matter if Sally is a closed-minded naysayer when it comes to belief in psychic powers? I wish every high school student in America would read this book - but that would make life a lot harder for legions of politicians, hucksters, and scam artists. Required fields are marked *. If he saw two truths that seemed to contradict each other, he would take the two truths and the contradiction along with them. His spiritual sightis stereoscopic, like his physical sight: he sees two different pictures at once and yet sees all the better for that. This view of the universe has come to be known as the 'block universe' view because it takes the universe to be a static, unchanging 'block.' But the universe doesn't seem static. The next night, the UFO appeared again. This report, drawn from Philip J Klasss book UFOs: The Public Deceived (1983), is impressive: it involves multiple eyewitnesses, including police officers, journalists and even a magistrate. I'm still fuming a little over this book, though I think that has a lot to do with where I am in my relationship with science and critical thinking: it can be very hard to read texts that say things that you have only just recently abandoned in yourself. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Michael Shermer. People believe weird things because of wishful thinking and continue to believe in those things despite contrary evidence because they are unwilling to alter preconceived notions. I believe the single biggest failing of American education today is its focus on memorization and regurgitation, along with just enough basic arithmetic to work at WalMart, and its total neglect of critical thinking skills. A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. But, of course, despite the possibility of his endlessly explaining away any and all counterevidence, Daves belief is absurd. Summary This brief, inexpensive text helps students think critically, using examples from the weird claims and beliefs that abound in our culture to demonstrate the sound evaluation of any claim. It is a way of solving problems, not a particular solution to them. Format: Paperback. The lesson (to echo Shakespeare): there may well be more things in our material heaven and Earthandoutside of themthanare dreamtof in our current philosophiesorparadigmsHoratio. Some believe this face on Mars was a relic of an ancient Martian civilisation, a bit like the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt. As someone who finds himself more and more irritated by irrational thinking (despite my own gaping biases that lead to it), I was really interested in reading this book. I bought it because I love to learn. . . People may say: Look at all this evidence! Take young-Earth creationists, for example. WEIRD subjects, from countries that represent only about 12 percent of the world's population, differ from other populations in moral decision making, reasoning style, fairness, even things like . The Five Elements of Effective Thinking. 5. Belief in precognition, for example, if it isaccountedfor within a block universeparadigm, may logically compel you to reject the idea of human freedom: You are free to do something only if you can refrain from doing it. Thinking about weird things, then, brings us face-to-face with some of the most fundamental issues in human thought. Rather, such variables as genetic predisposition, parental predilection, sibling influence, peer pressure, educational experience and life impressions all shape the personality preferences that, in conjunction with numerous social and cultural influences, lead us to our beliefs. The moral I draw is that UFO cases that have multiple eyewitnesses and even independent hard evidence (the radar blip) may well crop up occasionally anyway, even if there are no alien craft in our skies. . Psyche is a digital magazine from Aeon that illuminates the human condition through psychology, philosophy and the arts. CDs, DVDs, access codes, or lab manuals) is only included with a new textbook purchase. ISE How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age. Babies are fucking made of milk. No, I'm not kidding. The authors focus on types of logical arguments and proofs, making How to Think about Weird Things a versatile supplement for logic, critical thinking, philosophy of science, or any other science appreciation courses. Psychologists refer to the discomfort we feel in such situations when our beliefs or attitudes are in conflict as cognitive dissonance. If you still need more books as references, going to search the title and theme in this site is available. I got more from class notes at lectures than this book. By explaining what distinguishes knowledge from opinion, science from pseudoscience, and evidence from hearsay, How to Think about Weird Things helps the reader develop the skills needed to tell the true from the false and the reasonable from the unreasonable. He is currently professor of philosophy at Muhlenberg College where he has served as Director of Academic Computing, Director of Freshman Seminars, Director of the Muhlenberg Scholars Program, and Chair of the Philosophy Department. Plenty also believe in supernatural powers, including psychic abilities, faith healing and communication with the dead. But when it comes to pinning down precisely why such beliefs are or arent reasonable, even the most intelligent and well educated of us can quickly find ourselves out of our depth. Acknowledgement of cultural contexts should always be a part of knowledge sharing and building. It's about as entertaining a book on the subject as one could find, and includes a lot of epistemology, informal logic, and philosophy of science. Take enough photos of Mars, and some will reveal face-like features just by chance. But what about that radar blip? Okay, so precognitionknowingthe future nowisa logical possibility, and there are paradigms consistent with all known physical laws that might assist in accounting for its existence. I flagged this book to read after seeing it mentioned in an article about critical thinking some time ago. Cite this document Summary The review "Critical Thinking for a New Age and Uncertain World" focuses on the critical, thorough, and multifaceted analysis of the major issues concerning the process of thinking about weird things, namely critical thinking for a new age and uncertain world Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing Jane walks in with a wet coat and umbrella and tells me its raining. Privacy Statement, Stuvia is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university, Comme convenu! Co. Understand what strong evidence actually is. Scientific Methodology 1. Please try again. I've often wondered how my life might have been different if I had been given a good course in critical thinking skills in high school or college. Not if Simon actually made many thousands of predictions and most didnt come true. You get what you expect from people. An edition of How to think about weird things (1994) How to think about weird things critical thinking for a new age by Theodore Schick, Lewis Vaughn, and Theodore, Jr. Schick 0 Ratings 10 Want to read 0 Currently reading 0 Have read Overview View 14 Editions Details Reviews Lists Related Books Publish Date 1995 Publisher Mayfield Pub. I gave a blog response to chapter1 here. One example of our tendency to overdetect agency is pareidolia: our tendency to find patterns and, in particular, faces in random noise. Thats particularly the case for beliefs in which we have invested a great deal emotionally, socially and/or financially. These ideas, which are commonly called shower thoughts, allow us to look at things from a different perspective. Click here for the lowest price! He has also contributed to a number of volumes in Open Courts Philosophy and Popular Culture series as well as Blackwells Philosophy for Everyone series.Lewis Vaughn is the author of numerous textbooks in philosophy, critical thinking, and ethics including The Power of Critical Thinking(2019); Concise Guide to Critical Thinking (2017); Philosophy Here and Now(2019); Living Philosophy: A Historical Introduction to Philosophical Ideas(2018); Doing Ethics: Moral Reasoning, Theory, and Contemporary Issues(2019); Beginning Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy (2015); Bioethics: Principles, Issues, and Cases(2017); and Writing Philosophy(2018). Schick and Vaughn are also good at drawing out additionalimplications surrounding claims. . Cours de communication franaise, La France au quotidien - Nouvelle dition, Le franais conomique, jen fais mon affaire, Vocabulaire Progressif Du Francais DES Affaires 2eme Edition -Jean-Luc Penfornis, Discover all study resources forHow to Think About Weird Things Notes, 3 3. That understanding can also help you actively influence the decision making of others, for better or worse. I was hoping for a serious look into critical thinking. He has always had one foot in the earth and the other in fairyland. McGraw-Hill Connect is a subscription-based learning service accessible online through your personal computer or tablet. What does it matter if Mary believes there are fairies at the bottom of her garden, or Joe thinks his dead aunty visits him occasionally? Great stuff. You're physically unable to swallow and breathe at the same time. He is the author of Doing Philosophy: An Introduction through Thought Experiments, the editor of The Philosophy of Science: From Positivism to Post-modernism, and has published articles in several fields of philosophy including: philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, philosophy of religion, philosophy of language, meta-philosophy, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics. Almost everyone agrees that, when it comes to black holes, scientists are the relevant experts, and scientific investigation is the right way to go about establishing whether or not they exist. 5. Even couples on the brink of separation can find a way forward. Used as a text in my Critical Thinking & Introductory Logic course for about three years. But notice that, had the reporters not discovered the truth, this story would likely have gone down in the annals of ufology as one of the great unexplained cases. Word Count: 384. Living Philosophy: A Historical Introduction to Philosophical Ideas, Doing Ethics: Moral Reasoning, Theory, and Contemporary Issues, Beginning Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy, Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2023. If you read nothing else in this article then remember this: being a weirdo is your hidden advantage. 2. By explaining what distinguishes knowledge from opinion, science from pseudoscience, and evidence from hearsay, How to Think about Weird Things helps the reader develop the skills needed to tell the true from the false and the reasonable from the unreasonable. How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age 8th Edition is written by Theodore Schick and published by McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Not a bad book; I wish I had read it when I was a young man, it could have possibly made me if not smarter more systematic. That is why the company EssaysWriting provides its services. How To Think About Weird Things 4th Edition by Theodore Schick Synopses & Reviews Publisher Comments This brief, inexpensive text helps the reader to think critically, using examples from the weird claims and beliefs that abound in our culture to demonstrate the sound evaluation of any claim. Suppose Im in the basement and cant see outside. Having eaten mostly milk. He has permitted the twilight. Their testimony is even backed up by hard evidence that radar blip. Note: All numbers are on an RTX 3070 unless stated otherwise. Daves friends present him with a great deal of evidence that hes mistaken. still too naive realist-ish sometimes but there's no skeptic textbook so far that isn't easy to understand and interesting. Is only included with a great deal emotionally, socially how to think about weird things summary financially realist-ish sometimes but 's... Others, for better or worse hypotheses or possible explanations for what we have a! 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