Unreason

UNREASON: Exploring Pseudoscience, Conspiracies, and Extraordinary Claims is a collection of forty-five of the best articles the legendary Skeptical Inquirer magazine has published in the past decade. Featuring articles from writers including Neil deGrasse Tyson on the process of science, Richard Dawkins on the standards of truth, Elizabeth Loftus on memory, Steven Pinker on the notion of progress, and many others covering topics from the politicization of science to the frightening rise of misinformation, each entry in this collection brings scientific examination to bear in order to ferret out the facts and misconceptions behind popular claims.

All of the articles within are interesting and readable. Yet they are also quite diverse. Some articles reinforce and complement each other; others (as happens in science) may voice disagreements or differing perspectives. But they all have one thing in common: a respect for evidence—a demand for the best, most well-tested, most scientifically reliable information.

Readers will learn:

• Why and how conspiracy rumors start, spread, and readily gain believers
• How to stay afloat in a sea of disinformation and survive the age of misinformation
• Why and how we form beliefs and adhere to them so powerfully
• How and why memory is fallible—and what we can do about it
• How pseudoexperiments mislead the public about science

Unreason will arm readers with scientific knowledge to curb the misinformation and misconceptions that increasingly threaten our civil discourse. Even further, these essays present a way for us to be better citizens, equipped to deal with the winds of misinformation and disinformation swirling about us and better able to look ahead to a world where science and reason—indeed just good old common sense—can prevail.

Kendrick Frazier was the longtime editor of Skeptical Inquirer: The Magazine for Science and Reason, and a leading voice in the modern skeptical movement to uphold the values of scientific inquiry and critical thinking. He is the author or editor of then books. Formerly, Frazier was editor of Science News, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the American Geophysical Union.He is a recipient of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry’s “In Praise of Reason” Award.

Benjamin Radford is an American writer, investigator, and skeptic. He has authored, coauthored or contributed to over twenty books and written over a thousand articles and columns on a wide variety of topics including urban legends, unexplained mysteries, the paranormal, critical thinking, mass hysteria, and media literacy. His book, Mysterious New Mexico: Miracles, Magic, and Monsters in the Land of Enchantment, was published in the summer of 2014 and is a scientific investigation of famous legends and folklore in the state of New Mexico. In 2016 Radford published Bad Clowns, a 2017 IPPY bronze award winner, and he is regarded as an expert on the bad clowns phenomenon.