Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Fwd: Top Books on Skepticism, Critical Thinking, Logic

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: dholland422@netzero.net <dholland422@netzero.net>
Date: Mon, Nov 15, 2010 at 8:00 PM
Subject: Re: Top Books on Skepticism, Critical Thinking, Logic
To: world_politics@googlegroups.com
Cc: shunkw@sbcglobal.net

based on the bigoted blather Shunk's been spewing for years on the web, it's more than fair to assume he hasn't actually READ any of these books...and, if he did, he wasn't able to glean a thing from them...

Please note: message attached

From: "ShunkW" <shunkw@sbcglobal.net>
To: "ShunkW" <shunkw@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Top Books on Skepticism, Critical Thinking, Logic
Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2010 11:11:54 -0600

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "ShunkW" <shunkw@sbcglobal.net>
To: "ShunkW" <shunkw@sbcglobal.net>
Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2010 11:11:54 -0600
Subject: Top Books on Skepticism, Critical Thinking, Logic

Top Books on Skepticism, Critical Thinking, Logic

Reviews of the Best Books on Skepticism and Critical Thinking

By Austin Cline

Society today requires science more than at any time in the past. Unfortunately, people today are often scientifically illiterate - they don't understand science and they don't understand the sort of skeptical, critical thinking which lies at the heart of science. There are plenty of books on skepticism, but collected here are some of the best that I've found. If skepticism and critical thinking are important to you, these are books you should read and should recommend to others.

1. How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age¹

Belief in paranormal, supernatural and mysterious claims have always been very popular, so how can skeptics best approach such claims to evaluate their credibility and offer a critical perspective? What tools and principles should we employ in dealing with obviously weird things that come up in life? What are the methods of thinking which people should be employing more often, but aren't? So long as separating truth from falsehood is important, these are vital questions for everyone.

³Read Review⁴

2. Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark⁵

⁶

Are irrationality and superstition bringing the modern world to the brink of a new Dark Age? Can the proper use of skepticism and critical thinking keep us away from that brink and ensure that the promises of reason and science are actually fulfilled? These are the themes of Carl Sagan's book, which is not simply a polemic against irrationality, but also a hopeful manifesto for the future.

⁷Read Review⁸

3. What are the Odds? The Chances of Extraordinary Events⁹

¹⁰

We can see the use of statistics in a variety of aspects of our lives. In the news especially we encounter statistics - for example, about how certain behaviors will make us more likely to get a disease, about likely we are to die on the job, or even the odds of an asteroid hitting the earth and killing us. But what do all of these statistics really mean?

¹¹Read Review¹²

4. Thinking from A to Z¹³

¹⁴

Critical, skeptical thinking isn't easy. It's not that it's unnatural, but credulous attitudes are easier to adopt and maintain because they take less work. Skepticism requires some training, patience, and above all practice. Most of those who seek out such training and practice are involved in scholarly studies like philosophy, but everyone could benefit from them as well. Where can one start?

¹⁵Read Review¹⁶

5. Don't Believe Everything You Think: The 6 Basic Mistakes We Make in Thinking¹⁷

¹⁸

If you care about truth, then you have to care about being able to reliably differentiate between truth and falsehood. Figuring out how to do that, however, isn't always easy. A major problem with this is the fact that many of our normal habits of thinking which appear to serve us well in day-to-day matters don't really work when it comes to more complicated issues. There is little in modern culture which encourages people to do a better job with this task, and this harms us all.

¹⁹Read Review²⁰

6. The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal²¹

²²

Is there some basic connection between religious beliefs and paranormal beliefs? Some commonality which helps explain not only their similarities, but also why they have been so appealing to so many people throughout human history? Although there are many books which offer critiques of either religion or the paranormal, few are willing to do both, probably because people who are skeptical of one aren't necessarily skeptical of the other.

²³Read Review²⁴

7. Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Confusions²⁵

²⁶

We live in an age of science and progress, seemingly far beyond the ancient world where superstition and occult dominated. If that is true, why do so many believe strange, pseudoscientific claims about things like past-life regression, alien abductions, creationism, and more? It is this conundrum which Michael Shermer explores in 'Why People Believe Weird Things.' Unfortunately, the title gives the impression that he addresses primarily the psychology of beliefs, but that's not the case.

²⁷Read Review²⁸

8. The Philosopher's Toolkit: Philosophical Concepts and Methods²⁹

³⁰

If you spend much time discussing religion, politics, and philosophy, you'll quickly find that if you want to get anywhere you'll need to acquire some skill when it comes to analyzing, understanding, and refuting basic arguments - and that's all before you learn how to properly construct your own. But just where do you go to get such skills?

³¹Read Review³²

9. The Age of American Unreason³³

³⁴

Have you gotten the impression that Americans are disdainful of intellectual pursuits, complex ideas, and thought that requires real work? Well, you should have because it's true. Anti-intellectualism isn't just alive and well in America, but it's gained the high ground. There's arguably more anti-intellectualism in America than intellectualism, which spells trouble for American politics, culture, and future.

³⁵Read Review³⁶

10. Healing Yourself with Wishful Thinking³⁷

³⁸

Can meditation really help you achieve optimum physical and psychological health? Can you really get in touch with a spirit guide who will help you make the right decisions in life? Can wishful thinking really make you better looking, richer, and cure your acne? Is self-delusion the key rather than an obstacle to happiness?

³⁹Read

http://atheism.about.com/od/aboutskepticism/tp/Top-Books-Skepticism-Critical-Thinking-Logic.htm?p=1