Dear Martin / Dear Marcello: Gardner And Truzzi On Skepticism - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9813203706 ISBN 13: 9789813203709

Publisher: WSPC, 2017

Synopsis

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?

About this title

Review

"This book is a major contribution to the history of modern skepticism. Martin Gardner comes back to life in the form of sparkling, never-before-seen correspondence with the enigmatic Marcello Truzzi. The lively and surprisingly substantive exchanges are filled with fascinating insights into the intense intellectual debates they and others had. The letters animate the divergent perspectives and personalities of key figures who pioneered the effort. Editor Dana Richards expertly guides us through the nuanced issues." -- Kendrick Frazier, Editor, Skeptical Inquirer

"The skeptical movement today has gone global and occupies a central place in popular culture, but in the 1970s it was nothing more than an idea in letters exchanged between a handful of people concerned about the growth of pseudoscience and irrationalism. First among equals as founders of this movement were Martin Gardner and Marcello Truzzi, whose correspondence — so thoughtfully edited in this splendid volume — covers some of the most important subjects in science, philosophy, and culture. A page turner that belongs on the bookshelves of every thinking reader." -- Michael Shermer,Publisher, Skeptic magazine & columnist, Scientific American

Edition details

• Publisher: WSPC
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9813203706
• ISBN 13: 9789813203709
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 492
• Editor: Richards Dana