Why People Believe Weird Things

In this book, Michael Shermer critically examines various forms of pseudoscience, superstition, and paranormal beliefs.

The book is divided into five segments and fifteen chapters, covering topics such as UFO sightings, alien abductions, creationism, Holocaust denial, and cult behaviors.

Shermer uses the scientific method to refute these beliefs and explains how cognitive biases and cultural influences lead people to believe in unproven claims.

The foreword by Stephen Jay Gould underscores the importance of skepticism in combating organized irrationalism.