In Guy P. Harrison’s book, 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think are True, the journalist, author, and outspoken skeptic approaches fifty common beliefs held by many around the world and examines them against hard science fact. The approach of the book is good humored. One of the remarkable qualities of the book is its compassion for its subject. That subject: people who hold beliefs that are not supported by science and scientific study. The book ranges in its topics from the anti-vaccination movement by parents of autistic children, to cryptozoology, “prosperity theology,” and to mainstream religious belief. Each chapter examines a popular belief, talks about how widely it is held, and holds up a suspect idea to what is known by modern scientific study. Harrison’s goal is to encourage skepticism, to this end he offers suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter.
Harrison reasons that some of the phenomena described in his book can’t be explained by current science. He repeats throughout the book, as a skeptic, when confronted with anecdotes about unexplained phenomena it is alright to say one simply doesn’t know. The statistical information most frequently cited in the book is often centered in the US and UK, but Harrison’s personal anecdotes about his travels to many parts of the world provide some needed balance. A skeptic attacking anti-scientific ideas could easily become heavy-handed. One of the strengths of Harrison’s book is he always treats his “believer” subjects with respect, and remains somewhat self-deprecating. This is the case when Harrison describes doing a “cold reading” of an unsuspecting woman who believes he is a psychic. By using a common technique, (and thanks to “confirmation bias,” Harrison tells us) the woman believes his claim he is a fortune-teller, even if he is nothing of the sort. Still, Harrison doesn’t deride his subjects, except for the few times a certain topic really raises his ire.
In chapters about homeopathic “medicine” and the anti-vaccination movement, Harrison writes scathing rebukes of people that perpetrate out-right hoaxes that threaten people’s lives and safety. Duping someone into believing you see the future, the dead, or aliens, is one thing, but the book draws a very fine demarcation between innocuous beliefs that do little but waste productive hours, to scams that exploit trusting people, such as televangelists, to people such as faith healers and homeopathy proponents –that profit by advancing unscientific ideas that may harm people’s health and well-being.
Ultimately, Harrison’s book is a highly entertaining read that makes a strong case for applying skepticism and rational thinking to our daily lives. Harrison’s book is least convincing when rather than following his own dictum of admitting when science doesn’t explain a phenomena, he proffers explanations which are somewhat speculative. There’s a dizzying array of topics covered here, and unquestionably, some of the strongest chapters are when Harrison examines false or pseudo-scientific ideas like creationism, and discusses advances in our scientific understanding of memory and human cognition as explanations for phenomena like near-death experiences. The scope of the book is vast enough that somewhere in the book is an idea the reader is likely to hold. Still, Harrison does make convincing enough a case, that at the very least the book will raise questions, challenge the reader, and think critically about a variety of common, unscientific beliefs.
Book Review: 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True by Guy P. Harrison, Prometheus Books 2012
