Reading Assignments

…in preparation for the group presentations

Ancient Astronauts

  • Weird Things

    • Ch. 1, p. 10 (from the Weirdness Sampler) -- Have we been visited?

    • Ch. 3, Perceiving: True or False? Pp. 35-41, Looking for clarity in vagueness--the Face on Mars.

  • Hines

    • Ch. 9, pp. 211-219 Von Daniken, the Dogon.

Astrology

  • Weird Things: Ch. 3: Looking for Truth in Personal Experiences

  • Pp. 57-65. Especially note the sections on

    • Subjective Validation (or Selective Attention) -- seeing what we want to see.
    • This is also discussed in Moore, Ch. 3 under problems with Inductive Generalizations.
    • The Forer Effect
    • Vague Prophecies

  • Hines: Ch. 6: Astrology, the Lunar Effect and Biorhythms

Bermuda Triangle

  • Weird Things

    • No assignment

  • Hines

    • Chapter 9, section on Bermuda Triangle, pp. 219-228

Chiropractic

  • Weird Things

    • Ch. 8 How to Assess a "Miracle Cure"

    • Read the entire chapter

  • Hines

    • Ch. 11 Health and Nutrition Quackery

    • Read the entire chapter

Creationism

  • Weird Things:

    • Ch. 7, pp 171-181, Criteria of Adequacy

      • Testability, Fruitfulness, Scope, Simplicity, and Conservatism

    • Ch. 7, pp. 182-193, Creationism and the Criteria of Adequacy

  • Hines:

    • Ch. 12, Current ( in 1988) Trends in Pseudoscience, Creationism -- pp. 280-284

ESP (Extrasensory Perception)

  • Weird Things
    • There are many references to ESP found in the index. At least read Ch. 7: Science and Its Pretenders, pp. 193-205 on parapsychology
  • Hines
    • Chapter 2: Psychics and Psychic Penomena
    • Chapter 4: Laboratory Parapsychology

Homeopathy

  • Weird Things
    • Chapter 1, pp. 10-11 Homeopathy from the Weirdness Sampler
    • Chapter 8: How to Assess a “Miracle Cure” review methods for evaluating drugs.
    • Chapter 9: Case Studies in the Extraordinary, pp. 257-260 on Homeopathy.
  • Hines
    • Chapter 11: Health and Nutrition Quackery, p. 274 Homeopathy

Near Death Experiences

  • Weird Things:

    • Ch. 1, pp. 4-7 Do you believe…?

    • Ch. 9, pp. 282-293 Other explanations for NDE

  • Hines:

    • Ch. 3, Life After Death

Poltergeists

  • Weird Things

    • Schick and Vaughn don’t have a specific section on poltergeists, but read Ch. 6 pp. 140-144 on The Availability Error (how vivid explanations can overshadow more mundane evidence).

  • Hines

    • Chapter 3, Life After Death

Psychoanalysis

  • Weird Things

    • Ch. 3, pp. 46-53 Remembering: Do we revise the past?

  • Hines

    • Chapter 5, Psychoanalysis

Psychokinesis (PK)

  • Weird Things

    • Chapter 3: PK Parties and Self-Delusion, pp. 40-41

  • Hines

    • Chapter 2: Psychics and Psychic Phenomena, p. 22: spiritualism and PK
    • Chapter 4: Laboratory Parapsychology, p. 77, p. 87 Uri Geller, and p. 99: attempts to measure PK

Reincarnation

  • Weird Things

    • Ch. 3, p. 51 Cryptomnesia

  • Hines

    • Chapter 3, pp. 72-76 on Reincarnation

UFOs

  • Weird Things

    • Chapter 9: UFO Abductions, pp. 264-276

  • Hines

    • Chapter 7: UFOs I, Close Encounters of the First Kind

    • Chapter 8: UFOs II, Photographs, Physical Evidence and Abduction