Hoaxes, Myths and Manias: Why We Need Critical Thinking
by Robert E Bartholomew and Benjamin Radford
Prometheus, ISBN 1591020484
Readers of this journal will hardly need to be instructed in the need for critical thinking, of course, but you could usefully put this book into the hands of a bright youngster who shows disquieting signs of tending to believe what he is told. By following the guidelines lucidly set out in the introductory chapters, he will learn to avoid the pitfalls of credulity and grow up to be as leery a doubter as you or me. Discussion of general themes such as “what is normal?” and “memory reconstruction” will open his eyes to the wider picture, teaching him that normality is a relative concept, and that witness testimony is a fragile commodity to be handled with care.
These general themes are illustrated with a fascinating diversity of case histories which demonstrate those principles in action. Drawing largely on articles previously published in The Skeptical Inquirer, and solidly backed with extensive references, they range from the flying saucer myth to shrinking genitals panics, from mad gassers to invading Martians. The astonishing chronicle of England’s black helicopters, contributed by that doughty investigator David Clarke, admirably shows how the media and witnesses between them conjure up a mass delusion which impresses by its extent – until it is disassembled item by crumbling item.
The book is evidently aimed at use in an educational context, to judge by the set of questions at the end of each chapter. But readers of any age – this elderly reviewer included – will learn much from this excellent manual, which I strongly recommend.
Hilary Evans
