50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True

By: Guy P. Harrison

Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt

Maybe you know someone who swears by the reliability of psychics or who is in regular contact with angels. Or perhaps you're trying to find a nice way of dissuading someone from wasting money on a homeopathy cure. Or you met someone at a party who insisted the Holocaust never happened or that no one ever walked on the moon.

How do you find a gently persuasive way of steering people away from unfounded beliefs, bogus cures, conspiracy theories, and the like? Longtime skeptic Guy P. Harrison shows you how in this down-to-earth, entertaining exploration of commonly held extraordinary claims.

A veteran journalist, Harrison has not only surveyed a vast body of literature, but has also interviewed leading scientists, explored "the most haunted house in America," frolicked in the inviting waters of the Bermuda Triangle, and even talked to a "contrite Roswell alien."

Harrison is not out simply to debunk unfounded beliefs. Wherever possible, he presents alternative scientific explanations, which in most cases are even more fascinating than the wildest speculation. For example, stories about UFOs and alien abductions lack good evidence, but science gives us plenty of reasons to keep exploring outer space for evidence that life exists elsewhere in the vast universe. The proof for Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster may be nonexistent, but scientists are regularly discovering new species, some of which are truly stranger than fiction.

Stressing the excitement of scientific discovery and the legitimate mysteries and wonder inherent in reality, Harrison invites listeners to share the joys of rational thinking and the skeptical approach to evaluating our extraordinary world.

©2011 Guy P. Harrison (P)2012 Gildan Media LLC

Critic reviews

"A much needed tour through common delusions about reality. Harrison writes clearly and succinctly about beliefs that are not supported by science or logic. However, he does so with sympathy and understanding for the reasons so many people find comfort in the irrational." (Victor J. Stenger, author of the New York Times best seller God: The Failed Hypothesis and The Fallacy of Fine-Tuning)

Training Your Thinking

I truly enjoyed this book! Great topic. Many hours of background research went into it.

No flat earth ideas, but LOTS of nonsense!

I am sure that if I were one of those people who believe any of those "50 Popular Beliefs" I would probably not have enjoyed this book so much: I love the confirmation bias with which it supports me :-) . But it is nice to hear support for the non-woo, non-sky fairy beliefs that I have and have basically always had.
Provided some evidence for anti-cam which I like to practice, and I really liked the statistics that were stated about numbers of people actually believe some of the nonsense and about numbers of lies saved and affected by real medicine and vaccines. Every time I hear arguments about the horrors of vaccine ingredients, I shake my head up out the horrors of not providing protection to children (or self – I believe in flu shots!).
And the section on religion is right on! A great book, but as I say, those who actually believe in support any of those 50 beliefs may not get full benefit of it. My experience is that providing evidence is, unfortunately, not enough.

It’s not bad, got some good points, I enjoyed it

Ehh wasn’t all for the “I’m right ,you’re wrong, I’ve been there and you haven’t “ mentality and tone but other than that it’s a good listen , I learned some things

Still willfully ignorant 15 years later

loved this. In light of recent history, a very needed reminder for me. Many are still willfully ignorant after all these years!
" Once you give charlatans power , they don't give it back"
Carl Sagan

Mixed emotions

What a monumental task! The explanations saying why these beliefs are false were sometimes illogical and flimsy. Religious beliefs were mentioned over and over again. The title should have been... 30+ Popular Beliefs About Religion That People Think Are True.

Meh...

It's a shame that a topic so interesting could be presented in such a fashion that it becomes anything but. The narrator is so monotone that even when he says something interesting or personal, it's a chore to empathize with him. Like, a literal chore. My empathizer is sore from all the heavy lifting.. In any case, this is the rare time when I would suggest reading the actual book instead of experiencing it through sound.

Be prepared to Question Your Beliefs

Would you consider the audio edition of 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True to be better than the print version?

Yes. By listening to the opinions and philosophies of the author, it is possible to engage in conversation, either internally or with others. While there are many beliefs that are based upon popular misconceptions of facts, such as the "fake" moon landing, the author also takes on religion - any religion - and belief in God. He is a died in the wool skeptic, and approaches all topics from the skeptic's point of view. If you like the comedy of Bill Maher on HBO, you will understand the point of view of this author. The good part about listening to the book instead of reading it, I was able to interact with the opinions and statements made by the author.

The reading was very good and matter-of-fact in a way that allowed the author's philosophy to come through rather than the narrator's beliefs. It was an enjoyable read and a good introduction to the world view of others (I am a Christian and so disagree with some of the author's opinions, but did not find them to be objectionable.)

What other book might you compare 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True to and why?

I tend to enjoy listening to books that expand my mind. Freakonomics, How the Mind works, other non-fiction books that allow me to learn are very enjoyable to me. The 50 Popular Beliefs was a very interesting book that, in my experience, revealed much more of the author's philosophy that actual facts - although there are many facts in the book that are irrefutable. I particularly enjoyed his use of the research of Randi ("The Amazing Randi") who has done a lot of research into ESP, Nostradamus, and psychics. Even if you are able to understand that charlatans exist in the paranormal world but think the phenomenon is viable, the research into how a skeptic discounts the experience is perceived by others is terrific. Since reviewing the Randi materials, I have been able to spot the things that psychics do that are not honest.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

I learned a different point of world view, although I disagree with the religious portion of that view.

well thought out ideas and examples

Will recommend. covered a lot of topics with a broad range. it's amazing how gullible we are as a species.

Some things can’t be proven.

I know what this author is trying to prove. He wants you to believe that if there isn’t hard scientific and factual proof to back up a belief it can’t be true until there is this proof. He is a scientist and wants that hard proof. The problem is some beliefs are faith based and will likely never have this proof. I finally had to stop listening because while some of the beliefs he picked apart I think are ridiculous too others like God, Heaven and the afterlife are entrely faith based and I got irritated at his insistence that if it can’t be proven it doesn’t exist and I got a feeling of condesention from him. So, if you too believe there has to be hard scientific proof and that softer proof or simply faith based beliefs are bunk then this is the book for you. I feel like I wasted my money.

Skepticism, so Dull & Condescending

Neither a book for the fun-poking skeptic, nor the agnostic, or even the believer. The author fills his pages with a shockingly dull approach, given the book's fun subject matter. If this dry narrative wasn't bad enough, the author indulges in endless Condescension, NOT Smugness with all the fun that word implies, but the Condescension one expects from a long tenured grade-school teacher. This was so bad that I became so convinced that the publishers forced the writer to include a "How to enlighten people, without talking down" section at the end of each chapter which some times, some how, manages to be worse then the proceeding discussion.

(For the record, I'm a huge fan of Dawkins and Hitchen's books on Atheism. I love books on Skepticism.)

Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on, this book will leave you questioning your own decision making ability, but not for the reasons the author hopes.