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In this lively and timely tour, neuroscientist Ruth DeFoster and mass communication professor Natashia Swalve lead readers through the history and psychology behind widespread cultural fears of innocuous things, beginning with the most personal fears within our own bodies and moving outward to the home, our country, and finally to culture at its largest level.

A milestone of child psychology, The Child's Conception of the World explores the ways in which the reasoning powers of young children differ from those of adults.

Warren Buffett-widely considered the most successful investor of all time-has repeatedly acknowledged Benjamin Graham as the primary influence on his investment approach. Indeed, there is a direct line between the record-shattering investing performance of Buffett (and other value investors) and Graham's life. In six books and dozens of papers, Graham-known as the "Dean of Wall Street"-left an extensive account of an investing system that, as Buffett can attest, actually works! This biography of Benjamin Graham, the first written with access to his posthumously published memoirs, explains Graham's most essential wealth-creation concepts while telling the colorful story of his amazing business career and his multifaceted, unconventional personal life. The author distills the best from Graham's extensive published works and draws from personal interviews he conducted with Warren Buffett, Charles Brandes, and many other top US and global value investors, as well as Graham's surviving children and friends. Warren Buffett once said, "No one ever became poor by reading Graham." Find out for yourself by reading Carlen's lively account of Benjamin Graham's fascinating life and time-tested techniques for generating wealth.

She¿s Gone collects the true stories of five different women living in different decades who all have one thing in common: one moment they were busy living their lives and the next moment ¿ they were gone.

Losing Our Religion tells us how we became religious, why we¿re leaving faith behind, and how we can get along with others across the religious divides we¿ve culturally evolved.

For anyone looking to learn a new skill, teach someone else to do the same, or to better understand how our brains evolve and excel, this fascinating tour of cognition will reveal the path to surprising potential.

In this smartly curated book, author Guy P. Harrison collects 1,001 of the most influential and transformative quotations over the centuries of sci-fi.

For more than thirty years, Skeptical Inquirer has steadfastly championed science and reason, and has been the leading voice for reliable scientific examination of the paranormal and other questionable claims popularized by the media and mass culture. In this collection of outstanding articles, editor Kendrick Frazier has selected some of the best writing on topics of current interest. Among the highlights are:- "A Skeptical Look at September 11th," which prompted a drove of responses (many angry) and was selected by Richard Dawkins for the Best Science and Nature Writing of 2003. - Carl Sagan's final question-and-answer piece on the topic of science and skeptical inquiry.- Ann Druyan's beautifully expressed "Science, Religion, Wonder, and Awe."- NASA scientist Stuart Jordan's excellent appraisal of the scientific evidence for global warming, which prompted much critical response and led to another follow-up article. - Perspectives by Judge John E. Jones III, Barbara Forrest, David Morrison, Massimo Pigliucci, and Charles Sullivan and Cameron McPherson Smith on the evolution vs. intelligent design controversy. - Articles by physicians Steven Novella and Richard G. Judelsohn that strongly defend the value of vaccinations and critique the anti-vaccination movement. Additional distinguished contributors include Mario Bunge, Martin Gardner, Paul Kurtz, Chris Mooney, Steven Pinker, Ray Hyman, Joe Nickell, and many others. This collection of stimulating articles exploring science and skeptical inquiry, examining public controversies, and investigating pseudoscientific claims is a must for scientists, educators, skeptics, and everyone concerned about scientific literacy.

Forty-three essays by thirty-nine authors, including Isaac Asimov, Martin Gardner, Carl Sagan, Ray Hyman, Paul Kurtz, and James Randi, examine aspects of paranormal and fringe-science beliefs from an authoritative, scientific point of view.

UNREASON: Exploring Pseudoscience, Conspiracies, and Extraordinary Claims is a collection of forty-five of the best articles the legendary Skeptical Inquirer magazine has published in the past decade. Featuring articles from writers including Neil deGrasse Tyson on the process of science, Richard Dawkins on the standards of truth, Elizabeth Loftus on memory, Steven Pinker on the notion of progress, and many others covering topics from the politicization of science to the frightening rise of misinformation, each entry in this collection se scientific examination to bear in order to ferret out the facts and misconceptions behind popular claims.All of the articles within are interesting and readable. Yet they are also quite diverse. Some articles reinforce and complement each other; others (as happens in science) may voice disagreements or differing perspectives. But they all have one thing in common: a respect for evidence¿a demand for the best, most well-tested, most scientifically reliable information. Readers will learn: Why and how conspiracy rumors start, spread, and readily gain believers How to stay afloat in a sea of disinformation and survive the age of misinformation Why and how we form beliefs and adhere to them so powerfullyHow and why memory is fallible¿and what we can do about itHow pseudoexperiments mislead the public about scienceUnreason will arm readers with scientific knowledge to curb the misinformation and misconceptions that increasingly threaten our civil discourse. Even further, these essays present a way for us to be better citizens, equipped to deal with the winds of misinformation and disinformation swirling about us and better able to look ahead to a world where science and reason¿indeed just good old common sense¿can prevail.

Do polygraph tests really detect lies? Can memories be implanted? Is subliminal perception a reality? What is the relationship between science and belief?Experts in the fields of physical/biological science, psychology, philosophy, social science, and forensic science bring their perspectives to controversies that affect the way we think and how we perceive reality and the natural world. From science's influence on beauty to antiscience in our universities and from UFO mythologies to near-death experiences, this volume spans the gamut of pseudoscience today.Contributors include James Alcock, Susan Blackmore, Alan Cromer, Mandy Fowler, Christopher C. French, Martin Gardner, Thomas Gilovich, Theodore Goertzel, Paul R. Gross, Peter Huston, Ray Hyman, Noretta Koertge, Paul Kurtz, Dan Larhammar, Leon M. Lederman, James Lett, Norman Levitt, Scott O. Lilienfeld, Elizabeth Loftus, Lee Loevinger, Katy McCarthy, Joe Nickell, Bernard Oritz de Montellano, Debbie Peers, Anthony Pratkanis, Carl Sagan, Kenneth Savitsky, Glenn Seaborg, Elie Shneour, Matthew Smith, Victor Stenger, Jeffrey F. Victor, Jeff Wiseman, and Richard Wiseman.

UFOs and space aliens are visiting Earth?! Now it's time to get the facts!Did a "flying saucer" really crash near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947, and have we been victims of a sinister government conspiracy to hide its alien occupants in a secret facility? Is there truth behind the swirled crops phenomenon? Have humans been abducted by aliens?In an effort to counter media misinformation The UFO Invasion offers definitive, behind-the-scenes accounts of each case of extraterrestrial visitations and paranormal claims. This fully documented look at sightings, encounters, the Roswell incident, "MJ-12" documents, crop circles, the "alien autopsy," and more will challenge, illuminate, anger and amuse. Included are revealing articles by Robert A. Baker, Robert E. Bartholomew, Joseph A. Bauer, William B. Blake, Robyn M. Dawes, C. Eugene Emery, Zen Faulkes, John F. Fischer, Kingston A. George, Jr., Philip J. Klass, Joe Nickell, James E. Oberg, Peter J. Reeven, Ian Ridpath, Robert Sheaffer, Armando Simon, Lloyd Stires, Trey Stokes, Dave Thomas, Richard L. Weaver (Col. USAF), Jeff Wells, and Robert P. Young. Also, SETI coordinator Thomas P. McDonough ponders searching for extraterrestrial intelligence.

A Gallop poll surveyed 506 American teenagers, aged 13 to 18 and discovered the following:- 69% believe in angels - 59% believe in ESP- 55% believe in astrology - 28% believe in clairvoyance- 24% believe in Bigfoot - 22% believe in witchcraft- 20% believe in ghosts - 18% believe in the Loch Ness MonsterCarl Sagan has said that the wonders of real science far surpass the supposed and imagined mysteries of fringe science. Yet, as statistics show, the paranormal is still an endless source of fascination for people around the world.This collection of critical essays and investigative reports examines virtually every area of fringe science and the paranormal from a refreshingly scientific and clear-minded viewpoint. The authors are noted scientists, philosophers, psychologists, and writers. All bring to the task a determination to sift sense from nonsense and fact from fiction in an area notorious for misinformation, misperception, self-delusion, and wishful thinking. They do so in a way that highlights the differences between real science and pseudoscience. They've made special efforts first to find the actual facts behind numerous claims that have popular appeal, and then to explain and communicate what scientific investigation and reasoning reveal about them. Subjects treated to incisive and entertaining examination include astrology, ESP, psychic detectives, psychic predictions, parapsychology, remote-viewing, UFOs, creationism, the Shroud of Turin, coincidences, cult archaeology, palmistry and fringe medicine.There are also explorations of the implications of paranormal beliefs for science education.

Headlines and television news reports feature accounts of reincarnation, the predictions of astrologers, and psychic "miracles." Citizens report UFO sightings. Police departments call on psychics to provide clues in baffling crimes. From every available information source, the public is bombarded with unsubstantiated claims of paranormal phenomena. How much of the evidence is reliable? What is the truth behind these claims?Paranormal Borderlands of Science is an exciting, well-informed examination of the most publicized and exotic claims of astrology, ESP, psychokinesis, precognition, UFOs, biorhythms, and other phenomena. Written by respected psychologists, astronomers and other scientists, philosophers, investigative journalists, and magicians, the 47 articles in this superb collection present a skeptical treatment of pseudoscientific claims - an aspect often sorely neglected in sensationalized media reports.This book is an effort to help readers sort fact from fiction and sense from nonsense among the astonishing variety of assertions labeled "paranormal." Never before published in book form, the essays in this anthology originally appeared in the Skeptical Inquirer, a leading magazine devoted to the critical investigation of pseudoscience from a scientific viewpoint.Among the contributors are: Isaac Asimov (distinguished science fiction author), Martin Gardner (Scientific American columnist), James Randi (The Amazing Randi), Philip Klass (noted UFO skeptic), Scot Morris (Omni), and James Oberg (NASA).An essential contribution to skeptical literature, this book will be of lasting value to all those wishing to balance the case for paranormal claims by reading the dissenting critics.

Fear is a universal emotion and is typically depicted as a despicable one. While fear is regarded as nature's imperfect wisdom, often undesirable, and a sign of weakness, its role in maintaining human life is overlooked. In the middle of ubiquitous repulsion against fear, there is minuscule literature on the beneficial effects of fear and the consequences of fearlessness. Recent research has thrown light into the unconscious processing of fear. In sharp contrast to the existing literature, this book argues that fear, overriding all other emotions, operates relentlessly in the unconscious mind as a motivating force and renders life compatible with survival. Fear appeals can bring healthy behavioral changes; the stronger the appeal, the more persuasive it is. Moderate anxiety can improve performance that involves dominant responses. Social anxiety is regarded as the root cause of conscientiousness. This hypothesis is supported by the latest research that reveals impaired fear processing in patients with psychopathy, a condition that is associated with crimes. This book expands the concept of eustress, a positive reaction to stress, and describes the beneficial aspects of fear. The book gives a twist to the conventional view of fear as an unwanted emotion and draws a new hypothesis that fear is the primary emotion and a constant psychological operative, a lack of which poses dangerous consequences.

"Steven Lesk, after a medical career dedicated to those affected by schizophrenia and a determination to find the answer to its existence, presents a groundbreaking theory that will forever change the lives of the mentally ill. In [this book], Lesk threads evolutionary evidence with neurological evidence, turning the mysteries of our minds into a tapestry of logic. With his breakthrough theory and this unprecedented book, Lesk will invite necessary cultural dialogue about this stigmatized illness, provoke new psychiatric and pharmacological research, and provide unequivocal comfort to those afflicted and affected by schizophrenia"--

"We live in a world where things come and go, rise and fall, grow and decay, tracing out cycles of change that are ordered and predictable. But amongst those well-behaved rhythms hide other phenomena, pulsing and fizzing and refusing to play by the same rules. Earth and the life upon it have evolved over billions of years to be right where we are now only because of feedbacks that pushed those systems until they broke. And then those systems adapted, reorganized, and rebuilt. With each new cycle of growth it was feedbacks that created order from disorder and gave rise to a world perfectly optimized for everything it needed to be. Now the latest scientific research is revealing that the exact same patterns that describe plate tectonics, evolution, and mass extinctions also emerge in the heartbeat of our everyday lives, underpinning everything from the cohesion of our social networks and personal relationships to our emotional well-being and spiritual beliefs. In FEEDBACK we embark on a backstage journey revealing how these lesser-known processes keep us operating right where we need to be, poised at the edge of chaos. In a world simultaneously threatened with social and environmental disasters this journey uncovers the hidden connections that unite us not just to those around us but also across vast scales of time and space to the very fabric of the universe"--

The Caretakers tells the powerful and profound story of the British cemetery gardeners who remained at their posts in France during the Nazi invasion of WWII, secretly aiding the French Resistance and providing safe haven for downed American airmen and safe passage for refugees.

Presenting a history of science, this book chronicles the intrepid explorations of scientists and adventurers who studied the transits of Venus in the quest for scientific understanding.

How do we explain the lurid fascination that most people experience when confronted by real or simulated acts of violence, murder, horror, and crime? This is the subject examined in this candid assessment of our dark vicarious thrills. Based on a series of interviews with perpetrators, victims, and "consumers" of violence, including several celebrities, the author of a best-selling book on serial killers explores what there is about this subject that draws such a wide audience. Unlike many other books that attempt to probe the murky psyches of deviant individuals, this book focuses on normal, average people who, despite themselves, enjoy getting close to the most forbidden, perverse side of destruction and evil. The persons interviewed range from homicide detectives and emergency room personnel to a heavyweight boxer and groupies of serial killers on death row. The author considers ideas from a variety of theories and research to explain our responses to violence, raises questions about the shifting line between normal and abnormal, evaluates the confusion and ambivalence that many people feel when witnessing others' suffering, and suggests future trends in society's attitudes toward violence.

In this enlightening and entertaining book, author and Skeptical Inquirer editor Kendrick Frazier takes readers on a journey to the contentious boundary zone between science and its antagonists: pseudoscience (pretend science) and anti-science (open hostility to science).

Edmond Halley is known far and wide thanks largely to the comet bearing his name, the nature of which he predicted in 1705. While that discovery is enough to make the career of any scientist, Halley¿s massive contributions to the fields of astronomy, philosophy, history, mathematics, engineering, and actuarial science ¿ the latter of which he founded single-handedly ¿ as a young man and eventually as Astronomer Royal are mostly overlooked. Edmond Halley: The Astronomer Royal Who Brought the Universe to Earth is a revelatory and deeply researched biography of a man whose defining achievement isn¿t even the half of it. A jack-of-all-trades when it came to scientific reasoning, an all-around academic, Renaissance man, and workaholic who couldn¿t leave well enough alone, Halley was amazingly productive and prolific. He was behind some of the most groundbreaking pieces of discovery in human history: it was Halley who was the first to survey the skies and plot the stars of the southern hemisphere; he published Isaac Newton¿s Principia Mathematica, which many argue is the most important scientific text ever written; in the field of history, he translated the works of ancient Greek mathematician Apollonius and calculated the date of Julius Caesar¿s arrival in Britain; he captained the ship Paramore on a scientific expedition to plot the Earth¿s magnetic fields, not losing a single original crewmember on the mission; Halley was the first to calculate mortality annuities, creating the foundation for actuarial science; he made improvements to the diving bell, surveyed the tides of the English channel, and led the movement to accurately measure the distance between the Earth and Sun, unlocking the key to determining the distance to the nearest stars. In this incisive and surprising biography, author David K. Love reveals the boundless mind and endless curiosity of Edmond Halley, a man whom many readers may think they already know. From his inventions and innovations to his personal life, Edmond Halley firmly cements the legacy of the second Astronomer Royal among the first-rate scientists of his time.

Much has been written about the legendary flight of Apollo 11 and mankind¿s first tentative steps into deep space. It¿s often said that the world stopped, watching in awe as the crew of Apollo 11 completed their mission. It is true that in that moment, almost everyone had virtually gone to the moon as people around the world gazed in wonderment at the grainy black-and-white images of Neil Armstrong taking that first step onto the surface of another world. But that was a fleeting moment and just as quickly, the moment was gone¿ wars raged on, protestors filled the streets, and average Americans went back to their daily lives. Everyone¿s Gone to the Moon is a week-by-week journey through July 1969, one of the most pivotal months in human history ¿ in space and here on Earth. This unique book follows the crew of Apollo 11 and NASA as they prepare for the historic first lunar landing alongside the major global events buried beneath headlines covering the historic space mission. Interwoven with the story of Apollo 11 are the events on our home planet that made an equally important impact on who we were then and who we are today: the Life of Prince Charles was threatened by a terrorist attack in Wales; the storm dubbed the Ohio Fireworks Derecho ripped through the Midwest, killing dozens; the assassination of Kenyan Economic Minister Tom Myoba (of which Barack Obama Sr. was a key witness) undercut a nation just learning to stand on its own; Senator Ted Kennedy was involved in a mysterious accident in Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts; ARPANET, the first real ¿Internet¿ was unveiled; Monty Python was born; John Lennon and Paul McCartney released ¿Give Peace a Chance¿ during escalated Vietnam War tensions; Midnight Cowboy stunned the Academy Awards; and much more. Meanwhile, NASA was still scrambling. Everyone¿s Gone to the Moon features little known behind-the-scenes stories of the moon landing like how NASA had to grapple with media, the technical issues that still plagued the lunar module, and how the prior crew of Apollo 10 suffered incredible itching from their spacesuits that needed correcting before Apollo 11 could even be launched. This deep dive into the Apollo 11 mission¿s most crucial weeks and the little-known and rarely remembered events occurring simultaneously back on Earth gives a vivid new perspective to the month that launched humanity into the future.

No one present at the Battle of Cape Lopez in 1722 could have known that they were on the edge of history. There was no way to predict just how monumental an impact this obscure but fierce naval battle off the coast of West Africa would have on British colonies and the future of slavery in America. Gentlemen of Fortune is a groundbreaking exploration of the figures and events surrounding this lesser-known naval battle, the outcome of which signaled a major turning point in the Atlantic slave trade and triggered a deep and lasting legacy.Gentlemen of Fortune focuses on three fascinating figures whose fates would violently converge: Jan Conny, a charismatic leader of the Akan people who made lucrative deals with pirates and smugglers while making enemies out of the British and Dutch; the infamous pirate Black Bart, who worked his way from an anonymous navigator to a pirate king and one of the British Empire¿s most notorious enemies in the region; and British naval captain Chaloner Ogle, tasked by the Crown with hunting down and killing Black Bart at all costs. At the Battle of Cape Lopez, these three men and the massive historical forces at their backs would finally find each other¿and the world would be transformed forever.By defeating Black Bart at the Battle of Cape Lopez, the British Empire was able to achieve supremacy in the West African slave trade. Chattel slavery¿in which an enslaved person is considered fully the private property of an owner¿was born, and it was soon brought to America.In this landmark narrative history, historian Angela Sutton outlines the complex network of trade routes spanning the Atlantic Ocean trafficked by agents of empire, private merchants, and brutal pirates alike. Drawing from a wide range of primary historical sources, most of which¿because they are written in Dutch and German¿have not been engaged with by popular audiences, Sutton offers a new perspective on how a single battle played a pivotal role in reshaping the slave trade in ways that affect America to this day. Between its engaging narrative style filled with swashbuckling naval battles and tales of adventure at sea, its wide array of rigorous and detailed research, and its implications towards modern America, Gentlemen of Fortune is an essential addition to every history reader¿s shelves.

America in the early twentieth century was rife with threats. Organized crime groups like The Mafia, German spies embedded behind enemy lines ahead of World War I, package bombs sent throughout the country, and the 1920 Wall Street bombing dominated headlines. Yet the story of the one man tasked with combatting these threats has yet to be told. The Life and Times of William J. Flynn is the first book to tell the story of William J. Flynn, the first government official to bring down the powerful Mafia, uncover a sophisticated German spy ring in the United States, and launch a formal war on terrorism. As the Director of the Bureau of Investigation (the forerunner to the FBI), Flynn would become one of the most respected and effective law enforcement officials in American history.Long before Eliot Ness and the Untouchables went after Al Capone and the Italian mob in Chicago, Flynn dismantled the first Mafia family to exist in America. The success against the Mafia made Flynn famous, with front-page stories about him in newspapers across the country. His rise through the ranks was swift. As Chief of the Secret Service (then an organization devoted to intelligence rather than protecting the president), Flynn, nicknamed ¿the Bulldog¿ for his tenacity in pursuing leads, again won national acclaim when he uncovered a sophisticated German sabotage campaign in the United States on the eve of American entry into World War I. As the Director of the Bureau of Investigation, Flynn would devise the first counterterrorist strategy in U.S. history in his investigation of the anarchist terrorists leaving bombs across the country. He would also appoint an ambitious library clerk named J. Edgar Hoover to the Bureaüs newly created Radical Division. Flynn¿s distinguished career came to an inglorious end, however, when he was unable to find the perpetrators of the infamous Wall Street bombing in September 1920. He never again returned to government service, instead turning to editing a detective fiction magazine called Flynn¿s that became one of the most popular magazine publications of its time. In this riveting and well-researched biography, the first devoted to the man who became one of this country¿s greatest detectives, author and terrorism expert Jeffrey D. Simon reveals the fascinating, exciting, and at times tragic story of William J. Flynn.

Why are some of us male and others female? What makes us short or tall, blond or brunette, light-skinned or dark? What causes defects in our biochemistry that lead to debilitating illnesses and physical or other handicaps? The answer is genetics. This title provides readers with an overview of this complex area of science.

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. With only about 4.5% of the world's population, it holds about 20% of the world's inmates. But that's only the tip of the punishment iceberg. One in five Americans have a criminal record. And every day the assembly line of punishment keeps its steady pace. Many who enter the criminal justice system are never able to fully shake it, and even those who emerge, carry its scars. Fear of crime and endless demands for punishment support an enforcement apparatus that distorts democracy, the economy, and our relationships with each other. Unequal enforcement of our laws leaves the poor and, particularly, African Americans underprotected and overpunished. Instead of making us safer, the current level of unending punishment undermines communities and children's health and well-being. A criminal record reinforces inequality as it forecloses employment opportunities and depresses wages. This book is both a comprehensive bird's eye view of the contours of the criminal justice system, and a critical analysis of its impact on our society. It weaves high-profile accounts-including the conviction and later exoneration of the Central Park 5, Jens Soering's decades-long effort to get out of prison alive, and Tina Bennis's confrontation with the state that took her car because of her husband's indecent behavior-together with data, history, and personal experiences-- to reveal an interconnected system driven by fear, money, power, and structural racism. The book also shows that despite these problems, change is possible. Scores of death row exonerations, and the cost of capital punishment, have decreased capital sentences by almost ninety percent in a quarter century. Despite the recent surge in executions of federal inmates, the death penalty itself is dying a slow death. Drug decriminalization and legalization are sweeping the country, promising to shrink the system's expanse. Yet, efforts to undo the war on drugs seem to trigger promises to crack down on violent and sex offenders. Despite the horrific deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, which brought millions into the streets in the middle of a pandemic, true police reform is caught in an ideological struggle. COVID-19 revealed vast racial inequities in healthcare and the economy. Yet, when it ravaged America's prisons, which are disproportionately filled with people of color and the poor, the response remained muted. Early releases, even for the sick and elderly, still seemed unimaginable.

"Research from psychology and cognitive science has revealed a host of specific factors that contribute to misunderstanding. Some of these have to do with how our minds make sense of what we hear and read, while others are the result of cognitive, social, and cultural factors. The very structure of a given language can be problematic as well. In short, there is no one reason for miscommunication: there are a host of underlying causes. Issues of misunderstanding have only multiplied as new mediums for communication have arisen. Emails, texts, and social media posts are even more problematic because they are impoverished modes of communication. Without facial cues, tone of voice, gestures, and even the creative use of silence, our intentions in these text-only mediums are even more likely to go awry"--

"The book applies a biographical, narrative lens to explore what people in the past believed and why, and how and why those beliefs - about God, nature, history, and human agency - changed over time"--