50 popular beliefs that people think
Of course, it is implied that these beliefs are not true or, at least, unproven. And, as it happens, quite rightly, he proceeds to dismantle each of these beliefs. Harrison does this by gathering facts, evidence, the basics of history. Where is it from? Who said that? What evidence is there for this belief? With some beliefs, such as flying saucers, he ready to believe , he does not dispute this possibility, but is waiting for solid evidence, which, as he shows, does not yet exist. Because something is not understood, it does not mean that we have to believe in some explanation that does not have a factual basis, like the ancient Greeks, thinking that Zeus throws lightning every time a storm.
There are many beliefs that should be considered. Here is a list of a dozen.
You are either Born Smart or you are not.
Astrology - Scientific
Mental reading My mind
Atlantis is there somewhere there
Creationism is true, and evolution is not
Past life stories prove that reincarnation is real
Ghosts are real and they live in haunted houses
UFOs are guests from other worlds.
Area 51 is where they keep the aliens.
My religion is what's right
Global warming is a political issue and nothing else
TV news gives me an accurate view of the world
Well, there are still 40 more beliefs that need to be explored.
This is an interesting book in which you can immerse yourself in any chapter. He first gives an idea of faith, and then explains why he is false or unfounded. That is, he gives factual evidence, not opinion.
But there is another aspect of this book; one who believes in creationism is that the world is only 6,000 years old and it was created in six days, it will not be convinced by any amount of factual information. Their beliefs are not based on evidence, but based on faith. People who believe in many of these beliefs, do it is not logical, scientific, rational information, they do it out of emotional convictions or accept the word of some power. Facts will not interfere with their beliefs. And yes, they have every right to their beliefs, as we all do.
We can understand this, because most of our beliefs are set up with excitement, and as soon as this happens, they are difficult to move. For example, most of us vote for one political party and will do this our whole life, no matter what happens. This is a small number of sweeping voters who actually decide who will win the election.
Harrison met a woman in California who transported a sandwich board that declared the world dead on May 21, 2011. She believed that 97% of the world's population would be destroyed; only believers, the elect, will be taken to heaven. After all his arguments, she was confident in her conviction. Judgment Day was proclaimed by Harold Kempig, but when it didn’t happen, he told his followers that it was an “invisible Judgment Day” and the actual date of destruction was revised to October 21, 2011. Even after this, many of His followers still believed in his prophecy.
This book is interesting to read, especially if you are willing to listen to what is presented. For example, "The flying saucer crashed near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947 ..." Personally, I always doubted it, perhaps it was right, yes, I saw several blurry photos of the Martian, but I was never sure of that. It's nice to get unbiased information about what so many people believe in.
Reading this book will expand your understanding of life. This gives you both sides of many questions and teaches you to consider the facts, the science, if any, without swallowing any Internet history without thought.
Harrison points out that good skeptics do not accept any crazy claims that go without proof, but they also do not reject the ridiculous claims in full. Always open the door, waiting for evidence.
Harrison discusses some of his own experiences that make him understand why people believe what is wrong. He talks about his student days when he lived in an old two-story house. Often he was alone in the upper compartment, but he heard creaking sounds, as if someone was walking upstairs. When he examined, he found nothing. Although he logically came to this, his emotions often came out with fear. Therefore, when he shouts to people who believe that the house is haunting, he has some sympathy, some understanding.
He makes an interesting thought about the miraculous healings of evangelical preachers when he points out that although there were many thousands of people who say that they can be cured of various diseases, there has never been a case of restoration of amputation throughout history. The drugs are all inside. One day he went to a religious meeting and wrote about an elderly woman who was raised to the stage, blessed and cured of cancer. He wrote this case for his newspaper. But next week she died. The editor of the newspaper told him not to tell the story of his death. Therefore, people were misled.
Harrison explains how we accept some of these beliefs. Think of a scene wizard, he doesn’t use magic to accomplish these wonderful tricks. He uses tricks! Smoke and mirrors, psychological tricks, false panels. Of course, you can enjoy the "magic", but never for a moment believe in his "magical powers" just because you do not understand how his tricks are done.
In this book, every faith fits into a larger picture, such as Magical Thinking or Weird Healings At the end of each chapter, he provides a list of books in which evidence of each belief is given so that you can follow more detailed information.
If you read this book, you are sure that you will expand your mind and learn to think more objectively. You will be more aware, not skeptical, but less suspicious.
Finally, he gives a theory about why people continue to believe unproved, discredited beliefs.
“... it is important to understand how we perceive and appreciate the world around us. We know that humans are pattern-creating creatures. This is a great ability if you are trying to catch a disguised bird in a tree for your lunch ... But looking for a picture also leads us to see things that are not there ... that can waste our time and possibly lead us to adversity ... we also have a tendency to automatically establish connections and find patterns in our thinking. “This is one of the reasons that illegitimate conspiracy theories can take root and flourish in the minds of so many people.”
