"Why People Believe Weird Things"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Michael Shermer's book "Why People Believe Weird Things," in which he discusses many issues such as pseudoscience and superstition, which continue to permeate our modern society. The paper describes the two major fallacies that Shermer discusses, that have led people to believe in things that are not true and it describes some of the examples that he brings to illustrate his points.

From the Paper:

"As with the Holocaust deniers, the creationists also latch onto flaws or mistakes from historians and academics. When there are any gaps in the time line of artifacts used in the works of evolutionist scientists, it works as full proof in the eyes of creationists that evolutionary theory is incorrect, and by default their beliefs are proven. In this case, just like with Holocaust deniers misquoting historians, they do not work to fulfill burden of proof, because they are not working to actually prove their own theory or belief, but only making futile attempts to poke holes in the case of the opposing belief system or theory. They are misunderstanding the burden of proof, that even if they completely disprove evolution it does not prove creation, but only opens up the field for a whole new option."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Shermer, Michael. Why People Believe Weird Things. New York: Henry Holt and Company 2002.

More papers on "Why People Believe Weird Things":

• Book Review # 110699 : "Why People Don't Heal"
• Analytical Essay # 1102 : "Understanding Why People Need Religion"
• Analytical Essay # 130612 : "Conspiratorial Thinking and Theories"

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