Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction: Where Real Science Ends...and Pseudoscience Begins - Softcover

Wynn, Charles M.; Wiggins, Arthur W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 030907309X ISBN 13: 9780309073097

Publisher: Henry (Joseph) Press, 2001

Synopsis

Astrology...poltergeists and ghosts...firewalking...spontaneous human combustion...psychic surgery...ESP. This is the stuff of tabloid headlines. Sure, many people find them laughable, but consider that these papers are all staying in business because people are buying them-and often believing in their outrageous stories, even labeling it all science. The fact is that not all "science" is created equally. Indeed, some "science" isn't science at all but is really downright bogus-in other words, pseudoscience. However, separating the wheat from the chaff might not be as easy as you think when you consider how many people are seduced by the headlines that surround them in the supermarket line. UFOs and creationism certainly have their advocates among intelligent and educated people. Sometimes, though, wrongly held beliefs can get you into real trouble. Consider the proclamation by Marshall Applewhite: "Planet Earth about to be recycled. Your chance to survive-leave with us."In April 1997, 39 people-believing just that-committed suicide in their communal home in Rancho Sante Fe, California. They hoped to shed their earthly "containers" and be whisked away by extraterrestrials to a spaceship and, ultimately, a higher level of existence. Unfortunately, their tragically misguided belief in the pseudoscientific claim of Marshall Applewhite cost them their lives. "Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction" takes us on a tour of the most notorious instances of pseudoscience and sets the record straight. To clearly demonstrate what is wrong with this brand of ersatz science, the authors look closely at what's right about real science, and then compare the true scientific approach with that of pseudoscience. Readers learn that science's most basic value is that all ideas about reality are subject to testing by experiment and challenge by critical, rational thought.Scientifically literate thinkers accept ideas tentatively. They base their acceptance on evidence rather than on authority. People who are not scientifically literate are more likely to accept ideas absolutely. They are more vulnerable to deficient or phony ideas. "Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction" draws the line between what is good science and what isn't even really science at all. The basis for the book begins with the examination of the five most widely believed pseudoscientific ideas: UFOs, out-of-body experiences, astrology, creationism, and ESP These ideas are reviewed in detail to see just how well they stand up to scientific scrutiny. Cleverly illustrated with cartoons by the renowned Sidney Harris, "Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction" is both wonderful fun as well as illuminating science.Although many science topics can seem mysterious, especially when you really get into the details, in the long run its methods and ideas are remarkably straightforward. "Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction" takes this methodical approach to dissect the worst in the field. Tremendously witty, disarmingly fun, this is a book for anyone-especially for those folks who check their horoscope everyday.

About this title

Review:

Very few books give the lay person the ability to tell good from bad. While many books are there to inform you of this or that fact in an authoritarian manner, few prepare you to judge for yourself. This book is a stellar counter-example. (Ramamurti Shankar, Professor of Physics, Yale University)

Praise for the first edition:

Quantum Leaps is one of a far too small cluster of rational books that responds to "voodoo science" issues. (Leon M. Lederman, winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physics)

In a succinct and jargon-free style, the authors take us through the principles of accepted scientific thinking. They remind us that the processes of observation, hypothesis formation, testing, forming conclusions, and revision are inviolable. Such basics should not be new to us in medicine, but we may have become unfamiliar with this structure and discipline over the years. (Journal of the American Medical Association)

I believe that the inspired title illustrates [Dr. Wynnâs] talent very well. Even the inspired title conveys the sense in which the subject will be handled, and encourages the reader to look not only between the covers, but between the lines as well. I cannot imagine that anyone who has picked up that volume can resist looking further into the subjects discussed. And that is the one major purpose of education, to stimulate the student into looking further than the teacher had. Just as the late Carl Sagan went beyond his special field of astronomy to educate the public, Dr. Wynn reaches out past chemistry and brings our attention to the basic problems of understanding the universe and dealing with it. (James Randi, President of the James Randi Educational Foundation)

About the Author:

Charles M. Wynn and Arthur W. Wiggins, With Cartoons by Sidney Harris

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry (Joseph) Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 030907309X
• ISBN 13: 9780309073097
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240
• Illustrator: Harris Sidney