{"product_id":"the-science-of-weird-shit-isbn-9780262048361","title":"The Science of Weird Shit","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn accessible and gratifying introduction to the world of paranormal beliefs and bizarre experiences.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGhostly 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsing academic, comprehensive, logical, and, at times, mathematical approaches, \u003ci\u003eThe Science of Weird Shit\u003c\/i\u003e 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, \u003ci\u003eThe Science of Weird Shit\u003c\/i\u003e is a clever, memorable, and gratifying read you won’t soon forget.Contents\u003cbr\u003e Foreword by Richard Wiseman ix\u003cbr\u003e Preface xiii\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1 WEIRD SCIENCE 1\u003cbr\u003e 2 WAKING NIGHTMARES 33\u003cbr\u003e 3 HIGH SPIRITS, PART 1: GHOSTLY ENCOUNTERS 69\u003cbr\u003e 4 HIGH SPIRITS, PART 2: COMMUNICATING WITH THE DEAD 111\u003cbr\u003e 5 FANTASTIC MEMORIES OF ALIEN ENCOUNTERS 133\u003cbr\u003e 6 MANY HAPPY RETURNS? 171\u003cbr\u003e 7 DYING TO KNOW THE TRUTH 191\u003cbr\u003e 8 NO SUCH THING AS COINCIDENCE? 215\u003cbr\u003e 9 TRICKS OF THE MIND 235\u003cbr\u003e 10 SKEPTICAL  INQUIRIES 247\u003cbr\u003e 11 DREAMS OF THE FUTURE 267\u003cbr\u003e 12 LESSONS FOR (THE) LIVING 283\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEPILOGUE: THE LIMITS OF SKEPTICISM 301\u003cbr\u003e Author’s Note and Acknowledgments 317\u003cbr\u003e Notes 321\u003cbr\u003e 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.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“In \u003ci\u003eThe Science of Weird Shit, \u003c\/i\u003eChris 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.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Elizabeth Loftus, Past President, Association for Psychological Science; Distinguished Professor, University of California, Irvine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Enlightening, entertaining, measured, thorough, and utterly absorbing.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Jim Al-Khalili FRS, Distinguished Professor of Physics, University of Surrey; author of \u003ci\u003eParadox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eQuantum: A Guide for the Perplexed\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Joy of Science\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“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.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Brian Klaas, Associate Professor in Global Politics, University College London; author of \u003ci\u003eFluke \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eCorruptible\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eChris 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 \u003ci\u003eAnomalistic Psychology: Exploring Paranormal Belief and Experience\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300286746853,"sku":"NP9780262048361","price":32.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262048361.jpg?v=1742919461","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-science-of-weird-shit-isbn-9780262048361","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}