How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age | 
 enlarge | Authors: Theodore Schick, Lewis Vaughn
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
Category: Book
Buy New: $33.98
New (31) Used (22) from $27.82
Rating:  46 reviews
Sales Rank: 314643
Media: Paperback
Edition: 5
Pages: 335
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 0073386626
Dewey Decimal Number: 001.901
EAN: 9780073386621
ASIN: 0073386626
Publication Date: December 5, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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. The authors focus on types of logical arguments and proofs, making iHow to Think about Weird Things/i a versatile supplement for logic, critical thinking, philosophy of science, or any other science appreciation courses.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 41 more reviews...
 Good book February 29, 2008
Shirley D. Mented (Los Angeles)
I honestly thought this book was amazing. Obviously there's a lot of opinion in it, so take it with a grain of salt, but it's definitely provided me with a lot insight.
Excellent book on critical thinking February 13, 2008
Oscar Bonilla (Menlo Park, CA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Not only is this book really informative, it's also entertaining. It goes through most of the 'weird' stories that you have probably heard. Stories like the monster of loch ness, bigfoot, near-death experiences, mediums, haunted houses, etc. And it analyzes each of these claims with a framework built on top of logic and the scientific method. br / br /The authors do a pretty good job of giving each of these issues a fair treatment. E.g. they don't claim that UFOs are non-existant, or impossible to exist. They just claim that for the set of phenomena reported as UFOs, there are other, simpler, explanations. br / br /Somewhere in the book it says "The more a theory contradicts your existing beliefs, the more suspicious you should be of it" (paraphrasing). What I'm driving at is that if you have a lot of beliefs about weird things, like ESP, etc. you will find a lot of the things in this book hard to swallow. If you're already a skeptic you'll be nodding your head a lot. br / br /However, if you believe in something and are trying to convince someone else to believe it too, the tools in this book are probably the only ones that will accomplish the deed.
This book is changing my mind January 3, 2008
shawnnews (Rockford, IL)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Reading the first edition of this book this summer was the start of a mental revolution for me. This book can turn your beliefs on their head in a friendly way. I was able to smile at the fact that I could be wrong in how I interpret events.
 Don't waste your money August 13, 2007
R. Crowley
3 out of 9 found this review helpful
This book isn't so much about developing better thinking skills as it is a collection of the authors' opinions presented as science. It can help you practice your ability to locate logical fallacies in arguments, since almost every argument in the book contains at least one. My favorite is the voodoo-math that they use to explain apparent pre-cognition as the result of statistical probability. The first half of the formula that they present relies on the notion that the average person knows a very large number of people who are all, for some reason, dying off at a rate faster than one person every four days. The second half of the formula is omitted entirely, and they instead skip directly to their conclusion. I think that the authors were relying on the intimidation that some people feel when faced with a series of big numbers to keep anyone from analyzing their absurd argument. br / The authors also frequently use straw man arguments and several variations of the argument from intimidation in an attempt to reinforce their opinions as facts. If you are really interested in developing your thinking skills, then checking out de Bono's books and The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools would be a good start. There are many great books on the topic, and there's also lots of good information for free online. br /
Quick Turnaround June 11, 2007
Amy Beth Mason
0 out of 7 found this review helpful
Received product just over 24 hours from ordering. Was worried about overnight delivery accuracy, but was pleased to receive order on time, as promised.
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