Want to learn the ideas in Why People Believe Weird Things better than ever? Read the world’s #1 book summary of Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer here.

Read a brief 1-Page Summary or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book.

Video Summaries of Why People Believe Weird Things

We’ve scoured the Internet for the very best videos on Why People Believe Weird Things, from high-quality videos summaries to interviews or commentary by Michael Shermer.

1-Page Summary of Why People Believe Weird Things

Overview

Superstition and belief in the supernatural are still very much present today, despite widespread disbelief. There are many superstitions and pseudosciences that people believe in, such as divination, creationism or alien abductions. These things may induce nothing worse than a weary head shake from some people, but they can be dangerous for others. Why do these pseudoscientific beliefs persist? Why do people continue to believe them?

Why People Believe Weird Things attempts to answer the question of why people believe weird things. These are some of the commonly held beliefs and how they’re supported by their proponents, as well as what makes them different from actual sciences. You’ll also learn how you can become a psychic in just a few minutes; why the human wish for immortality will likely remain just a dream; and why the “tunnel” seen by people who have near death experiences is biological.

Big Idea #1: Science is based on facts – pseudoscience is based on belief.

Pseudosciences like astrology and creationism claim to be scientific, but they actually reject scientific laws and methods.

In science, laws describe natural patterns that are proven by tests. Gravity is an example of a scientific law because we can test it and prove how true it always is. From here, scientists can launch their own theories using gravity as the foundation for their knowledge about physical objects.

‘ ‘

A theory can also be tested, but is different from a law. The fact that theories don’t have to be correct makes science stronger. Anyone can research a theory and improve it if necessary.

Pseudoscientific theories are based on beliefs and can’t be proven wrong because they don’t follow the scientific method. Divination is an example of a pseudoscience, which is not based on evidence or laws like science.

Pseudoscience is different from science in that it can’t be proven wrong. Science would say, “x is true because I can prove x,” but pseudoscience would say, “x is true because you can’t prove x.”

Big Idea #2: Scientific knowledge always grows and improves, whereas pseudosciences are static.

Since the dawn of humanity, knowledge has been growing rapidly. Through scientific research and testing, we have gained a better understanding of how things work in our world. Each new theory builds on what we already know about science; if one gets replaced by another theory, we can still use the information from it that is useful to us.

If a scientist can prove that a theory is wrong, they’ll offer an alternative. They don’t have to abandon the rest of scientific knowledge because science always corrects itself as new information emerges.

Before Darwin came up with his theory of evolution, people believed that the world was created by God. However, when he presented his ideas about evolution, they replaced the belief in special creation. His theory included a lot of knowledge from anatomy and geology as well as various other fields.

Pseudosciences don’t progress because they’re based on belief instead of science. They can’t be tested, so they stay the same and never get better.

Creationism is an example of this. Creationists try to prove their beliefs with scientific evidence, but if they were a true science, they would have to disprove Darwin’s theory of evolution (which they haven’t been able to do) or accept it (which means the Bible is wrong). Therefore creationism isn’t really a science because it doesn’t follow the rules of being rigorous.

Supernatural beliefs are not like scientific theories. Nevertheless, many people believe in them. In the following key points, we’ll examine some common supernatural beliefs and why they’re wrong.