In 1952, Martin Gardner wrote the book Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science, which has become a modern classic of the skeptical movement. He is best known as the Father of Recreational Mathematics, but was also a frank critic of pseudoscientists and a contributor to the Skeptical Inquirer magazine.Marcello Truzzi was one of the founders of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal in 1976. He left that and founded the Center for Scientific Anomalies Research, which was more aligned with his views.Dana Richards presents the unedited, colorful correspondence between these two well-known figures within the skeptical movement as they probed and wrestled with fundamental questions such as:
"In 1952, Martin Gardner wrote the book Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science, which has become a modern classic of the skeptical movement. He is best known as the Father of Recreational Mathematics, but was also a frank critic of pseudoscientists and a contributor to the Skeptical Inquirer magazine. Marcello Truzzi was one of the founders of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal in 1976. He left that and founded the Center for Scientific Anomalies Research, which was more aligned with his views. Dana Richards presents the unedited, colorful correspondence between these two well-known figures within the skeptical movement as they probed and wrestled with fundamental questions such as: The demarcation problem -- how to distinguish good from bad science?; How should scholars on the fringe (paranormalists) be treated?"--Publisher's website.
In this enlightening and entertaining book, author and Skeptical Inquirer editor Kendrick Frazier takes readers on a journey to the contentious boundary zone between science and its antagonists: pseudoscience (pretend science) and anti-science (open hostility to science). Pseudoscience romps in the shadows of science but takes on the guise of science to excite, sell, mislead, and deceive the public. Anti-science denigrates, even denies, findings of science for ideological ends. In this dangerous age of misinformation (and dis-information), we need science’s remarkable truth-seeking tools more than ever to help counter society’s crazier impulses in which opinion, beliefs, and lies trump facts, evidence, and truth. In one sense, Shadows of Science is Frazier’s love letter to science, one of humanity’s greatest inventions, one we should exalt for its unique ability to find provisional truths about nature. In congenial prose he reports on recent discoveries and describes how science works and how its error-correcting mechanisms lead eventually to new knowledge. He tells the stories of some of our champions of science and reason. He describes the little-appreciated values of science, how it embraces uncertainty and humility, and its emphasis on fact-based observation and experiment. Pseudoscience adopts some of science’s language and has a beguiling appeal, but there the similarities end. Frazier has professionally reported on frontier scientific discoveries and observed and exposed the pretensions and dangers of pseudoscience and anti-science his entire career. Here he shares his experiences, his knowledge and insights, and his love and passion for our ability to learn what’s real about the natural world—and to identify and expose fake science, pretend science, and anti-science in all their multifarious forms.
The field of research on the paranormal has changed enormously in the last 20 years. Examining experiences of ESP, psychokinesis, precognition, ganzfeld, dissociative states, out-of-the-body experiences, alien abductions and near-death experiences, David Marks appraises the best available evidence to date on scientific claims of the paranormal. Each chapter also provides a description of the psychological processes that are likely to contribute to these experiences, and to the high prevalence of paranormal beliefs. Importantly, this book does not take a fixed sceptical or ‘disbelieving’ view of the phenomena but, as far as possible, offers a neutral gaze which will equip readers to make up their own minds, as well as providing them with the critical skills to defend their conclusions.
"Martin Gardner was a polymath whose international reputation extended from mathematics to literature, from philosophy to science, and from magic to fiction. He was the father of the modern skeptical movement. This comprehensive bibliography covers every aspect of Martin Gardner's lengthy publishing career, from 1930 to 2010, and includes detailed descriptions and indices of his writings on mathematics and many other topics. Over two hundred boxes of Martin Gardner's mathematical papers have until now existed only in the Stanford archives, and this bibliography puts them all into perspective. Everything in this book is being published for the first time. Dana Richards worked directly with Martin Gardner from 1978 to 2010 on this project, and continues to access files in his family's possession. On a book dedication page Gardner described him as a "bibliographer extraordinaire". Dana Richards is a professor of Computer Science at George Mason University and has previously edited two Gardner books: The Colossal Book of Short Puzzles and Problems and Dear Martin/Dear Marcello: Gardner and Truzzi on Skepticism. This book includes a foreword by Donald Knuth, who dedicated his book Selected Papers on Fun and Games to Martin Gardner"--
"Martin Gardner was a polymath whose international reputation extended from mathematics to literature, from philosophy to science, and from magic to fiction. He was the father of the modern skeptical movement. This comprehensive bibliography covers every aspect of Martin Gardner's lengthy publishing career, from 1930 to 2010, and includes detailed descriptions and indices of his writings on mathematics and many other topics. Over two hundred boxes of Martin Gardner's mathematical papers have until now existed only in the Stanford archives, and this bibliography puts them all into perspective. Everything in this book is being published for the first time. Dana Richards worked directly with Martin Gardner from 1978 to 2010 on this project, and continues to access files in his family's possession. On a book dedication page Gardner described him as a "bibliographer extraordinaire". Dana Richards is a professor of Computer Science at George Mason University and has previously edited two Gardner books: The Colossal Book of Short Puzzles and Problems and Dear Martin/Dear Marcello: Gardner and Truzzi on Skepticism. This book includes a foreword by Donald Knuth, who dedicated his book Selected Papers on Fun and Games to Martin Gardner"--
The Fortean Research Center was founded in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1982. During the two decades of its existence, this volunteer group of researchers and investigators delved deep into the unexplained. Exploring events in Nebraska - and far beyond -that included ghosts, UFOs, Bigfoot encounters, animal mutilations, government cover-ups, alleged alien abductions, psychic phenomena, cult activity, and even a sighting of a blob-like mystery creature the Fortean Research Center became recognized among members of the Fortean, paranormal, and UFO research communities around the world, as a reliable and trusted source of information. Here is the entire collection of the Journal of the Fortean Research Center, 23 issues in all. These publications are a reflection of their time, and demonstrate in many cases the beginning steps into subjects familiar to the public today: alleged UFO crashes and landings at government installations, alien abductions, cryptozoology and more.
The essential text and classic study of Neo-Paganism Since its original publication, Drawing Down the Moon continues to be the only detailed history of the burgeoning but still widely misunderstood Neo- Pagan subculture. Margot Adler attended ritual gatherings and interviewed a diverse, colorful gallery of people across the United States, people who find inspiration in ancient deities, nature, myth, even science fiction. In this edition, featuring an updated resource guide of newsletters, journals, books, groups, and festivals, Margot Adler takes a fascinating and honest look at the religious experiences, beliefs, and lifestyles of modern America's Pagan groups.
An essay collection examining the philosophical elements of select films in noir cinema, as well as the genre’s legacy in film and culture. A drifter with no name and no past, driven purely by desire, is convinced by a beautiful woman to murder her husband. A hard-drinking detective down on his luck becomes involved with a gang of criminals in pursuit of a priceless artifact. The stories are at once romantic, pessimistic, filled with anxiety and a sense of alienation, and they define the essence of film noir. Noir emerged as a prominent American film genre in the early 1940s, distinguishable by its use of unusual lighting, sinister plots, mysterious characters, and dark themes. From The Maltese Falcon (1941) to Touch of Evil (1958), films from this classic period reflect an atmosphere of corruption and social decay that attracted such accomplished directors as John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, and Orson Welles. The Philosophy of Film Noir is the first volume to focus exclusively on the philosophical underpinnings of these iconic films. Drawing on the work of diverse thinkers, from the French existentialist Albert Camus to the Frankurt school theorists Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno, the volume connects film noir to the philosophical questions of a modern, often nihilistic, world. Opening with an examination of what constitutes noir cinema, the book interprets the philosophical elements consistently present in the films—themes such as moral ambiguity, reason versus passion, and pessimism. The contributors to the volume also argue that the essence and elements of noir have fundamentally influenced movies outside of the traditional noir period. Neo-noir films such as Pulp Fiction (1994), Fight Club (1999), and Memento (2000) have reintroduced the genre to a contemporary audience. As they assess the concepts present in individual films, the contributors also illuminate and explore the philosophical themes that surface in popular culture. A close examination of one of the most significant artistic movements of the twentieth century, The Philosophy of Film Noir reinvigorates an intellectual discussion at the intersection of popular culture and philosophy. Praise for The Philosophy of Film Noir “The essays work both as solid primers into philosophy, stretching from Aristotle to Schopenhauer, and as lucid excursions into the genre’s dark, mean streets. . . . A fascinating, readable, and provocative book. . . . Highly recommended.” —Choice “Dense and intriguing, the book suggests noir is best perceived as a slightly warped mirror held up to contemporary society.” —Publishers Weekly
