Skeptoid: Critical Analysis Of Pop Phenomena

By Brian Dunning

Book Overview

As its name suggests, Skeptoid is a collection of skeptical factoids - short pro-science essays debunking a broad variety of phenomena in pop culture with pseudoscientific or paranormal foundations.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1434821668
• ISBN13: 9781434821669
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 222 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Excellent quick reference handbook for skeptics

Mr. Brian Dunning is making his incredibly well researched podcast more accessible to everyone. I bought this for a professor of mine and she loved it! I must say that Brian, aside from being incredibly cool in person, is totally committed to skeptical inquiry and critical thought and this book really shows that commitment, in trying to reach the widest audience possible. The transcripts are short and to the point, no unnecessary blabbering. So, if you have an interest in understanding the REAL details behind pop culture pseudoscience, or wish additional details to help in your daily fight against psychics, UFO's, and bigfoot, look no further!

Interesting and funny

Brian Dunning takes a thoughtful, scientific approach to dissecting faulty thinking. He is an equal-opportunity critic of flawed logic. His coverage of a certain topic will lead you to believe he's a paid consultant for a particular political group. Then the next topic will point the other direction. I guess the bottom line is that no political group has cornered the market on pseudo-scientific thinking. He's changed my mind on several issues. He's informative, persuasive, and funny. Judge for yourself.

A great skeptic's reference

Skeptoid by Brian Dunning is indeed a great book. It is a fairly quick read, and made for great quick breaks at work and around the house. As a fairly recent subscriber to the podcast (last 3 months) I hadn't read or heard most of the first 50 which are included here. My favorite was #29, Orbs in the camera. This one holds a special place in my heart, my brother and I would go out to graveyards when we were younger and take polaroids of this "phenomenon" and be excited that we captured ghosts on film. After getting older (and thanks to some critical thinking) Ive always wondered what those things actually were, and now I know. Hopefully we can look forward to Skeptoid #51-100 in book form soon.

The truth is a beautiful thing

This is a remarkable collection of incorrect beliefs laid bare. Brian has a knack for finding these nuggets of BS, researching the truth, and presenting the unbiased evidence mixed with insightful opinion. It's also very entertaining - I laughed out loud many times. Highly recommended.

Very insightful

Brian Dunning is fantastic at taking a critical perspective on popular topics such as hauntings, science, new age movements, organics, and more, and conveying it to believers and disbelievers alike. Whether you're a hardened skeptic, a new age hippie who wakes up every morning to organic wheat-grass juice while discussing chemtrails on your blog, or somewhere in the middle, you cannot afford to miss this book. Highly recommended.