Many of my favourite science books by Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins and Martin Gardner ( Martin Gardner is probably well known for his math puzzle books and his science columns on Scientific American) have advocated a dose of healthy skepticism. Carl Sagan‘s book “Demon haunted world – Science as a candle against Darkness“ is an excellent introduction to the topic. Sagan provides a skeptical analysis of several kinds of superstition, fraud, pseudoscience and religious beliefs, such as gods, witches, UFOs, ESP and faith healing. It is a great read! Sagan‘s book ends with this reminder:
“If we can‘t think for ourselves, if we‘re unwilling to question authority, then we‘re just putty in the hands of those in power. But if the citizens are educated and form their own opinions, then those in power work for us. In every country, we should be teaching our children the scientific method and the reasons for a Bill of Rights. With it comes a certain decency, humility and community spirit. In the demon-haunted world that we inhabit by virtue of being human, this may be all that stands between us and the enveloping darkness.“
A great successor to “demon haunted world“ is a book by Michael Shermer, editor of Skeptic magazine, called “Why People Believe Weird Things : Pseudoscience, Superstition & Other Confusions of Our Time“. I discovered Michael Shermer from “Demon haunted world“ book since this was mentioned in “Additional readings“. Shermer clearly describes the reasons why “smart“ people are prone to believe things that are “weird“. The book is an easy read, and is populated with various anecdotes and incidents from history such as the Holecaust and Salem witch trials. A must read for anyone with interest in science and critical thinking.
Any mention of books on skpeticism cannot be complete without the books by Martin Gardner, I still have not gotten hold of his book “Fads and Fallacies in the name of science“ , but I read a collection of his essays, “The night is large“ and this gives a pretty good introduction to Gardner. I am still looking for his other books, “ Science: Good, Bad and Bogus“ and “Notes of a fringe watcher”.
