Skepticism, Science, and Secularism: pseudoscience

Showing posts with label pseudoscience. Show all posts

Saturday, 18 December 2010

The Nature Of Existence 2010 DVD

Filmmaker Roger Nygard takes on The Nature of Existence. As he roams the globe to the source of each of the world's philosophies, religions, and belief systems, Nygard interviews spiritual leaders, scholars, scientists, artists, pizza chefs, and others who have influenced, inspired, or freaked out humanity

Tuesday, 26 October 2010

The Science of Scams

This series reveals paranormal phenomena and gives basic information on the subject. It's probably better to call it "Understanding Pseudoscience for Beginners".

The video titles:
Intro to Science of Scams
Brickbreaking Revealed
Chi Energy Revealed
Ghost on Film Revealed
Ouija Board Revealed
Psi Wheel Revealed with Intro
Psi Wheel Revealed
Psychic Readings Revealed
Telekinesis Revealed Revealed
Why We Believe Revealed

http://rapidshare.com/files/306459940/Science.of.Scams.Video.Pack.rar

Tuesday, 24 August 2010

Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk

Recent polls suggest that fewer than 40 percent of Americans believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution, despite it being one of science’s best-established findings. More and more parents are refusing to vaccinate their children for fear it causes autism, though this link can been consistently disproved. And about 40 percent of Americans believe that the threat of global warming is exaggerated, despite near consensus in the scientific community that manmade climate change is real.

Why do people believe bunk? And what causes them to embrace such pseudoscientific beliefs and practices? Noted skeptic Massimo Pigliucci sets out to separate the fact from the fantasy in this entertaining exploration of the nature of science, the borderlands of fringe science, and—borrowing a famous phrase from philosopher Jeremy Bentham—the nonsense on stilts. Presenting case studies on a number of controversial topics, Pigliucci cuts through the ambiguity surrounding science to look more closely at how science is conducted, how it is disseminated, how it is interpreted, and what it means to our society. The result is in many ways a “taxonomy of bunk” that explores the intersection of science and culture at large.

No one—not the public intellectuals in the culture wars between defenders and detractors of science nor the believers of pseudoscience themselves—is spared Pigliucci’s incisive analysis. In the end, Nonsense on Stilts is a timely reminder of the need to maintain a line between expertise and assumption. Broad in scope and implication, it is also ultimately a captivating guide for the intelligent citizen who wishes to make up her own mind while navigating the perilous debates that will affect the future of our planet.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VMMJ2RZL

The Borderlands of Science: Where Sense Meets Nonsense

As author of the bestselling Why People Believe Weird Things How We Believe, and Editor-in-Chief of Skeptic magazine, Michael Shermer has emerged as the nation's number one scourg of superstition and bad science. Now, in The Borderlands of Science, he takes us to the place where real science (such as the big bang theory), borderland science (superstring theory) and just plain nonsense (Big Foot) collide with one another.

Shermer argues that science is the best lens through which to view the world, but he recognizes that it's often difficult for most of us to tell where valid science leaves off and borderland science begins. To help us, Shermer looks at a range of topics that put the boundary line in high relief. For instance, he discusses the many "theories of everything" that try to reduce the complexity of the world to a single principle, and shows how most fall into the category of pseudoscience. He examines the work of Darwin and Freud, explaining why one is among the great scientists in history, while the other has become nothing more than a historical curiosity. He also shows how Carl Sagan's life exemplified the struggle we all face to find a balance between being open-minded enough to recognize radical new ideas but not so open-minded that our brains fall out. And finally, he reveals how scientists themselves can be led astray, as seen in the infamous Piltdown Hoax.

Michael Shermer's enlightening volume will be a valuable a to anyone bewildered by the many scientific theories swirling about. It will help us stay grounded in common sense as we try to evaluate everything from SETI and acupuncture to hypnosis and cloning.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MOYIF56W

Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction : Where Real Science Ends...and Pseudoscience Begins

Review
"...succinct and jargon-free style... The strength of this book resides in such sparkling prose." -- Journal of the American Medical Association, April 3, 2002

"...worthy and well-meaning...readable and likeable..." -- THE SKEPTIC MAGAZINE, 2001

"Peppered with humorous cartoons of Sidney Harris...offers valuable tips for anyone pondering the shaky claims of bogus science." -- Stacey's Booksellers, Staff Review, November 2001

"Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction is a very approachable book on pseudoscientific subjects." -- Alberta Skeptics

"This is non-technical but very good. Unfortunately most Americans will be off reading pseudoscience trash rather than this." -- Leptonic's

"an excellent primer on Science and Pseudoscience, complete with a set of straightforward techniques for telling the difference between them." -- New England Skeptical Society

...the public has much to gain from the authors' contrast between the nature of scientific evidence and the stories of pseudoscience that fill the media. -- Dr. Arthur Eisenkraft, National Science Teachers Association

Here we have, in their book, a clearer look at the misconceptions and outright deceptions that plague us. Lots of sunlight, and a dash of disinfectant! -- James Randi, aka The Amazing Randi

Quantum Leaps is one of a far too small cluster of rational books that responds to 'voodoo science' issues such as UFO's, astrology, and other such nonsense. -- Leon M. Lederman, winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physics

http://uploading.com/files/5NKNT4CR/030907309x.rar.html