Tag Archives: skepticism

Thoughts from Philosophy: Who Needs It

Posted on December 22, 2021 by smellincoffee

In early November I finished reading Philosophy: Who Needs It by Ayn Rand. Her works are so much of one piece that every time I’ve started tinkering with a review I find it repeats some of the same assessments of … Continue reading →

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Conspiracies and other stories that make us human

Posted on March 16, 2021 by smellincoffee

Early last week I read Brian Dunning’s Conspiracies Declassified: The Skeptoid Guide to the Truth Behind the Theories. I used to listen to Skeptoid over a decade ago, enjoying Dunning’s research into the facts behind popular theories and unsolved mysteries. … Continue reading →

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The Faith Healers

Posted on September 26, 2019 by smellincoffee

© 1987  James Randi 328 pages Recently I chanced to watch a lecture by “The Amazing” James Randi, a professional magician who, in the 1980s,  began investigating paranormal racketeers — and exposing them.   As someone who used people’s assumptions to … Continue reading →

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe

Posted on February 1, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe: How to Know What’s Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake© 2018 Dr. Steven Novella, Bob Novella,  Cara Santa Maria, Jay Novella, and Evan Burnstein512 pages …wow.  Okay, so…back in 2006 I … Continue reading →

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Heavens on Earth

Posted on January 24, 2019 by smellincoffee

Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopiapub. 2018 Michael Shermer320 pages Alone among the animals, human beings live in the knowing shadow of our own mortality.  It is rarely a specter which is embraced,  and … Continue reading →

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The Believing Brain

Posted on August 31, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies – How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them As Truths© 2011 Michael Shermer400 pages The human brain is an incredible organ, capable of storing vast amounts of information and … Continue reading →

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50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True

Posted on June 18, 2018 by smellincoffee

50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True© 2011 Guy Harrison458 pages “Just because it’s vivid, detailed, and expressed with confidence and emotion…doesn’t mean it’s true.” Chances are you know someone who harbors what you know to be irrational beliefs, … Continue reading →

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A Devil’s Chaplain

Posted on September 6, 2017 by smellincoffee

A Devil’s Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love© 2003 Richard Dawkins263 pages Charles Darwin mused that a devil’s chaplain might write quite a book on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering low, and horridly cruel works of nature.  A Devil’s … Continue reading →

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A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science

Posted on January 31, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Canon: A whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science© 2007 Natalie Angier293 pages Science is amazing! Why is so much of the writing about it so lame?   Natalie Angier’s The Canon first reviews the principles of scientific thinking … Continue reading →

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Wonder and Skepticism

Posted on January 7, 2017 by smellincoffee

Last night I suddenly wanted to listen to Carl Sagan’s last address to the Committee for the Scientific Investigation for Claims of the Paranormal (now known as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry).   I needed to hear Sagan’s voice, his … Continue reading →

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