Praise for Race and Reality:
What Everyone Should Know about Our Biological Diversity
“This is a very important, profound, enjoyable, and enlightening book. It should go a long way in helping disprove man's most dangerous myth.”
—Robert W. Sussman, professor of anthropology, Washington University,
editor of Yearbook of Physical Anthropology, and
editor emeritus of American Anthropologist
“A tour de force that conveys the current science on racial classification in a rigorous yet readable way. A book so clearly written, so elegantly crafted, so packed with nuggets that even those who think they know it all about race and racial classification will come away changed.”
—David B. Grusky, professor of sociology,
director of the Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality,
Stanford University
“Guy P. Harrison's well-written and passionate plea for eliminating the idea and ideology of race should be widely read. He has shown that the idea of race not only is contradicted by science but [also] is a social anachronism that should not be tolerated by society in the twenty-first century.”
—Audrey Smedley, professor emerita,
Anthropology and African American Studies,
Virginia Commonwealth University
Praise for 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
“Deep wisdom and patient explanations fill this excellent book.”
—James A. Haught, editor of West Virginia's largest newspaper,
Charleston Gazette
“Engaging and enlightening….Read this book to explore the many and diverse reasons for belief.”
—Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic
“A persuasive and frequently humorous book about an important topic….[S]hould be read by religious practitioners, political leaders, and the general public.”
—Nick Wynne, PhD, executive director of the Florida Historical Society
“[D]oesn't bully or condescend. Reading Harrison's book is like having an amiable chat with a wise old friend.”
—Cameron M. Smith and Charles Sullivan,
authors of The Top 10 Myths about Evolution
Visit Guy's website at www.guypharrison.com
Contact him at [email protected]
Published 2012 by Prometheus Books
50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True. Copyright © 2012 by Guy P. Harrison. Illustrations © by Kevin Hand. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a website without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Trademarks: In an effort to acknowledge trademarked names of products mentioned in this work, we have placed ® or ™ after the product name in the first instance of its use in each chapter. Subsequent mentions of the name within a given chapter appear without the symbol.
Cover design by Nicole Sommer-Lecht
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Harrison, Guy P.
50 popular beliefs that people think are true / by Guy P. Harrison; illustrations by Kevin Hand.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–1–61614–495–1 (paper : acid-free paper)
ISBN 978–1–61614–496–8 (ebook)
1. Common fallacies. 2. History—Errors, inventions, etc. 3. Belief and doubt—Miscellanea. 4. Popular culture—Miscellanea. I. Title. II. Title: Fifty popular beliefs that people think are true.
AZ999.H37 2011
149'.73—dc23
2011032747
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
I am grateful to the following for their invaluable help in producing this book: Kevin Hand, Frank Ward, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael Shermer, Ian Birnbaum, Paul A. Offit, Steven L. Mitchell, Tariq Moosa, Benjamin Bradford, Sheree Harrison, Seth Shostak, Andrew Chaikin, Cameron M. Smith, Brian Dunning, Lewis “Nick” Wynne, Justin Uzell, Jefferson Fish, Coni Harrison, Andrea Roach, Victor Stenger, Hank Davis, Michelle Mead, Mark “Gunner” Lewis, Nancy White, Shawn Browning, Curtis Wienker, Kenneth Feder, Phil Plait, and Cayman Free Press.
FOREWORD
Dr. Phil Plait
INTRODUCTION
MAGICAL THINKING
1. “I Believe in the Paranormal and the Supernatural.”
2. “I Know There Is an Afterlife Because of All the Near-Death Experiences.”
3. “A Psychic Read My Mind.”
4. “You're Either Born Smart or You're Not.”
5. “The Bible Code Reveals the Future.”
6. “Stories of Past Lives Prove Reincarnation Is Real.”
7. “ESP Is the Real Deal.”
8. “Nostradamus Saw It All Coming.”
9. “I Believe in Miracles.”
OUT THERE
10. “NASA Faked the Moon Landings.”
11. “Ancient Astronauts Were Here.”
12. “UFOs Are Visitors from Other Worlds.”
13. “A Flying Saucer Crashed Near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947 and the Government Knows All about It.”
14. “Aliens Have Visited Earth and Abducted Many People.”
15. “Astrology Is Scientific.”
SCIENCE AND REASON
16. “All Scientists Are Geniuses and Science Is Always Right.”
17. “The Holocaust Never Happened.”
18. “Global Warming Is a Political Issue and Nothing More.”
19. “Television News Gives Me an Accurate View of the World.”
20. “Biological Races Are Real.”
21. “Biological Race Determines Success in Sports.”
22. “Most Conspiracy Theories Are True.”
STRANGE HEALINGS
23. “Alternative Medicine Is Better.”
24. “Homeopathy Really Works, and No Side Effects!”
25. “Faith Healing Cures the Sick and Saves Lives.”
26. “Race-Based Medicine Is a Great Idea.”
27. “No Vaccines for My Baby!”
LURE OF THE GODS
28. “My God Is the Real One.”
29. “My Religion Is the One That's True.”
30. “Creationism Is True and Evolution Is Not.”
31. “Intelligent Design Is Real Science.”
32. “The Universe and Earth Are Fine-Tuned for Life.”
33. “Many Prophecies Have Come to Pass.”
34. “Prayer Works!”
35. “Religions Are Sensible and Safe. Cults Are Silly and Dangerous.”
36. “They Found Noah's Ark!”
37. “Archaeology Proved My Religion Is True.”
38. “Holy Relics Possess Supernatural Powers.”
39. “A TV Preacher Needs My Money.”
BIZARRE BEINGS
40. “Ghosts Are Real and They Live in Haunted Houses.”
41. “Bigfoot Lives and Cryptozoology Is Real Science!”
42. “Angels Watch Over Me.”
43. “Magic Is Real and Witches Are Dangerous.”
WEIRD PLACES
44. “Atlantis
Is down There Somewhere.”
45. “I'm Going to Heaven When I Die.”
46. “Something Very Strange Is Going on in the Bermuda Triangle.”
47. “Area 51 Is Where They Keep the Aliens.”
DREAMING OF THE END
48. “The Mayans Warned Us: It's All over on December 21, 2012.”
49. “The End Is Near!”
50. “We're All Gonna Die!”
FAREWELL AND GOOD LUCK
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
Dr. Phil Plait
No one is born a skeptic.
Kids are natural scientists, though. They love to soak up knowledge, explore, experiment, name things (I can still remember my very young daughter, all those years ago, asking me to name the stars in the sky, one after another).
I suppose not all that is really science, though. Memorization and categorization are important, and the foundation of being able to understand relationships between objects, but they're not science. The basic property that makes science science is that it's self-checking. You don't just make an assumption; you test it. You see if it works the next time you use it. And you don't assume that just because it did, it always will.
And the most important thing, the one aspect of science that sets it apart from all other methods of knowing, is that science isn't loyal. You can rely on an idea for years, decades, but if something comes along that proves the idea wrong, boom! It gets chucked out like moldy cheese.
Well, not always. The other thing about science is that it builds on previous knowledge. If you learn something works pretty well, and then something else comes along that does better, a lot of the time you find out the second thing is just a modification of the first. Einstein didn't trash Newton; relativity updated Newton's mechanics, made it work better when objects are traveling near the speed of light, or where there's lots of gravity.
It was the accumulation of knowledge, of fact, that modified Newton's ideas. Hard-won, too, with experiments that contradicted centuries of “common wisdom.” But that knowledge, when it's correct, builds over time. It all has to work, like a tapestry. And it does.
Still, it's hard to let go of an idea even when you know it's wrong. Sometimes the idea is stubborn (or its holder is). Sometimes it's comforting to have a warm, fuzzy idea. I bet that most of the time, though, it's ego, pure and simple. We identify with the ideas we keep, and if that idea is wrong, then that means some part of us is wrong. That's a difficult issue to deal with.
And that's why kids can be natural-born scientists, but terrible skeptics. And that's OK; sometimes kids need to just do stuff “because I said so,” and you don't want them always questioning you. The real problem comes when they grow up and don't let go of that characteristic.
We all do it. Believing is easy. Being skeptical is hard. It's the road less traveled, rough-hewn and difficult. There are pitfalls everywhere, scary dark places, things that would be so much easier just to wish away when we close our eyes.
But reality, as author Philip K. Dick said, is what doesn't go away when we stop believing in it.
Reality doesn't care what you believe, what you do, for whom you vote. It just keeps on keeping it real. And since that's the case, isn't it better to see it for what it is? When you believe in something that's wrong, then other beliefs glom onto it, getting more complicated, getting harder and harder to balance and reconcile, like a pyramid built upside down. You build up more and more nonsense until the contradictions get so glaringly obvious, your only choice is to either completely ignore them, compartmentalizing your beliefs, or to let it all come crashing down.
You have to face reality.
In this book you will read about many such heels-over-head pyramids. Aliens. The Moon hoax. Bigfoot. Some are larks, fun little tidbits of silliness that on their own don't do much harm.
Others are dangerous. “Alternative” medicines that not only don't help, but keep people from seeking real medicine, making them sicker. Intercessory prayer, which is proven not to do anything, but which people sometimes employ instead of seeking real help. Self-proclaimed “psychics” who prey on the bereaved and grieving. And of course creationism, which shuts down curiosity and turns a blind eye to the true, and very ancient, nature of the world.
Science kicks over that pyramid, and sets it on its stable base. The best thing about science—and its multipurpose toolkit, skepticism—is that they show you how the universe really is. Yes, it can be scary, dark, and impersonal. But that's OK because it's also complex, deep, marvelous, profound, wondrous, magnificent…and above all, beautiful.
That beauty is out there. All you have to do is stop believing in it, and start understanding it.
We all believe silly things. What matters is how silly and how many.
—Guy P. Harrison
Skepticism is the skill and the attitude that helps us navigate our way through an often-crazy world. Applied consistently and with force, skepticism can help us lead safer, happier, and more productive lives. It also helps to keep our minds healthy, sharp, and free by tossing aside much of the irrational junk that would otherwise obscure our view of an amazing universe. When crackpots, crooks, and fools try to lure us down costly or dangerous paths, skepticism is the shield we need to fend them off.
Some people think of skeptics as cynical, negative people with closed minds. Nothing could be further from the truth. Skepticism is really nothing more than a fancy name for trying to think clearly and thoroughly before making a decision about believing, buying, or joining something. It's about sorting out reality from lies and misperceptions. What's bad or negative about that? Embracing a skeptical attitude means approaching the world with open eyes, a switched-on brain, a willingness to ask the necessary questions, and the sense of humility that comes with knowing how easy it is for anyone to be fooled by things we see, hear, and think about. Being a skeptic means being honest and mature enough to seek answers that are based on evidence and logic rather than hopes and dreams. It also means being wise enough to accept that sometimes no satisfying answers are available.
James Randi, the world-famous skeptic and magician, has spent much of his life trying to save people from themselves by teaching how we can think our way clear of the relentless avalanche of kooky claims and irrational beliefs that bombard us all from childhood to the grave. Randi has been criticized for being too harsh toward irrational believers. But how gentle must one be when so much misery and waste comes from these unproven claims? Beyond the hundreds of billions of dollars thrown away on lies and fantasies, people literally suffer and die every day all around the world because of claims that any good skeptic could see right through in a few seconds. All irrational beliefs are not equal, yet they are all tied together in one gigantic cloud of danger. Believing in astrology may not be a direct health risk for an individual, for example, but the kind of faulty thinking that allows one to be impressed with astrology can be. Adopting weird beliefs without evidence is a dangerous game, warns Randi: “It can cost you money, emotional security, and it can cost you your life. I can think of a few exceptions, but almost any untruth or deception is bound to be a negative influence.”1
Throughout this book I have tried my best to be positive and respectful. No doubt some readers will not see it that way. But I hope they will believe me when I say that my goal is not to win arguments or take away anyone's fun, happiness, or contentment. I fully understand that falling for weird, unproven beliefs is part of being human and happens to the best of us. It's part of the human condition. We all believe silly things. What matters is how silly and how many.
To push back against dangerous irrational beliefs, we have to pour every claim and every story through the filter of skepticism and science. Although it helps to know some history and science, education alone is not enough. Neither is exceptional intelligence enough. Many highly educated and highly intelligent people embrace some of the most ridiculous and baseless claims of all. No one should doubt
that the lack of skepticism is a largely unrecognized global crisis.
I have traveled all over the world, and no matter where I found myself, I always saw money, time, and energy being squandered on beliefs that almost certainly were not true, and by people of every social and economic strata. This waste of energy and resources saddens me. We could do so much more and could possibly be so much better if only skepticism were more common. Still, frustrated as I may feel, I resist mocking, ridiculing, and dismissing those who cling to unproven beliefs. I prefer to be positive and offer help rather than condemnation to those who have yet to realize that not everything told to us in childhood is true.
I want readers to know my motivations for writing this book. I'm not scolding, lecturing, or preaching to make myself feel important. I'm only trying to encourage and inspire critical thinking and spread the word that skepticism is important. I want to help and to build, not condemn and tear down. Truth is, I really couldn't care less about what someone believes. It's only when I see unproven beliefs diminishing someone's life or causing harm to others that I feel obligated to speak up and offer a helping hand. If irrational beliefs weren't so often dangerous and such a drag on human progress, you would never hear a peep from me about anyone's beliefs. The way I see it, promoting reason and skepticism is a moral issue. It's about caring for your fellow humans.
Being a skeptic is the only way I can imagine living my life. It is part of a positive worldview that helps motivate me to get out of bed each morning. There are so many exciting experiences and important discoveries out there waiting on me that I don't want to be distracted or waste time believing things that are unlikely to be true. We should not be afraid to doubt and question, even when those around us do not. Skepticism is constructive, not destructive. It is a positive affirmation of being fully alive and mature enough to accept reality as it is rather than what we might like it to be or what somebody told us it is. The best kind of skeptic is not focused on rejecting and ridiculing. She or he embraces more of life, not less. Skepticism helps us to abandon astrology for astronomy, to see through the fog and find the stars, to stand up and exist fully as thinking human beings. Living a life as free from illusions and delusions as possible is to value that life and to understand that not one precious moment of it should be willingly sacrificed to a lie or an unproven belief.
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