The Science of Weird Shit

An accessible and gratifying introduction to the world of paranormal beliefs and bizarre experiences.

Ghostly encounters, alien abduction, reincarnation, talking to the dead, UFO sightings, inexplicable coincidences, out-of-body and near-death experiences. Are these legitimate phenomena? If not, then how should we go about understanding them? In this fascinating book, Chris French investigates paranormal claims to discover what lurks behind this “weird shit.” French provides authoritative evidence-based explanations for a wide range of superficially mysterious phenomena, and then goes further to draw out lessons with wider applications to many other aspects of modern society where critical thinking is urgently needed.

Using academic, comprehensive, logical, and, at times, mathematical approaches, The Science of Weird Shit convincingly debunks ESP, communicating with the dead, and alien abduction claims, among other phenomena. All the while, however, French maintains that our belief in such phenomena is neither ridiculous nor trivial; if anything, such claims can tell us a great deal about the human mind if we pay them the attention they are due. Filled with light-bulb moments and a healthy dose of levity, The Science of Weird Shit is a clever, memorable, and gratifying read you won’t soon forget.Contents
Foreword by Richard Wiseman ix
Preface xiii

1 WEIRD SCIENCE 1
2 WAKING NIGHTMARES 33
3 HIGH SPIRITS, PART 1: GHOSTLY ENCOUNTERS 69
4 HIGH SPIRITS, PART 2: COMMUNICATING WITH THE DEAD 111
5 FANTASTIC MEMORIES OF ALIEN ENCOUNTERS 133
6 MANY HAPPY RETURNS? 171
7 DYING TO KNOW THE TRUTH 191
8 NO SUCH THING AS COINCIDENCE? 215
9 TRICKS OF THE MIND 235
10 SKEPTICAL INQUIRIES 247
11 DREAMS OF THE FUTURE 267
12 LESSONS FOR (THE) LIVING 283

EPILOGUE: THE LIMITS OF SKEPTICISM 301
Author’s Note and Acknowledgments 317
Notes 321
Index 365“This fascinating inquiry . . . provides scientific explanations for such otherworldly phenomena as alien encounters, déjà vu, and ghosts . . . The science intrigues . . .Skeptics will feel vindicated.”
—Publishers Weekly“In The Science of Weird Shit, Chris French, one of the world’s most important skeptics, examines why people come to believe in improbable things, showing that there are plausible scientific explanations for even the most mysterious of them. Readers will immensely enjoy this journey with him and will end up far wiser in the process.”
—Elizabeth Loftus, Past President, Association for Psychological Science; Distinguished Professor, University of California, Irvine
 
“Enlightening, entertaining, measured, thorough, and utterly absorbing.”
—Jim Al-Khalili FRS, Distinguished Professor of Physics, University of Surrey; author of Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics, Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed, and The Joy of Science
 
“Funny, fascinating, and mind-expanding. French is an amiable guide through the psychology and science of everything from alien encounters to conspiracy theories and hypnosis to ghosts. He exposes the frauds while sympathetically explaining the psychology of the true believers. You’ll never think about the strange, the paranormal, or all the other weird shit in quite the same way again.”
—Brian Klaas, Associate Professor in Global Politics, University College London; author of Fluke and CorruptibleChris French is Emeritus Professor and Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a Patron of Humanists UK. He is the coauthor of Anomalistic Psychology: Exploring Paranormal Belief and Experience.