Think
Subtitle: why you should question everything
By: Guy P. Harrison
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Published: 2013
Language: eng
Number of pages: 240
ISBN-13: 9781616148072
Subjects: Methodology; Science; Critical thinking; Miscellanea; Skepticism; Reasoning
Description: "This accessible and introductory guide to critical thinking will help you think like a scientist, learn to question everything, and understand how your own brain can trip you up. This fresh and exciting approach to science, skepticism, and critical thinking will enlighten and inspire readers of all ages. With a mix of wit and wisdom, it challenges everyone to think like a scientist, embrace the skeptical life, and improve their critical thinking skills. Think shows you how to better navigate through the maze of biases and traps that are standard features of every human brain. These innate pitfalls threaten to trick us into seeing, hearing, thinking, remembering, and believing things that are not real or true. Guy Harrison's straightforward text will help you trim away the nonsense, deflect bad ideas, and keep both feet firmly planted in reality. With an upbeat and friendly tone, Harrison shows how it's in everyone's best interest to question everything. He brands skepticism as a constructive and optimistic attitude--a way of life that anyone can embrace. An antidote to nonsense and delusion, this accessible guide to critical thinking is the perfect book for anyone seeking a jolt of inspiration"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Standing tall on a fantasy-prone planet. Think like a scientist ; Halfway home ; Wait, what is skepticism? ; No off days ; Who cares?  So what? and Why bother? ; The greatest show in the universe ; Hate the belief, love the believer ; The young thinker ; Take responsibility for your own brain ; The daily grind ; Fantasy and fiction are okay ; Science versus superstition ; It's not about intelligence ; Skepticism takes on all comers ; Never give up! Never surrender! ; The green troll in a red dress ; It's always a good time for skepticism ; Believers say the darndest things ; Evidence?  We don't need no stinking evidence! ; "I come in peace" ; Wrap it up ; Good thinking!; title: Pay a visit to the strange thing that lives inside your head. Remember not to trust your memory ; I'll never forget that day! (Yes, you will) ; The deceptive brain ; Forget eyes; title: it's the brain that sees ; The ape that wasn't there ; Confirmation bias ; The tale of little Gretchen Greengums ; Your bizarre and biased brain ; Arm yourself in the war against reality ; Good thinking!; title: A thinker's guide to unusual claims and weird beliefs. Magical, supernatural, paranormal ; UFOs ; Alternative medicine ; Ghosts ; Alien abductions ; Bigfoot and cryptozoology ; Psychics ; The Roswell UFO crash ; Conspiracy theories ; Astrology ; Miracles ; Ancient alien astronauts ; The end of the world ; Moon-landing hoax ; Nostradamus ; Near-death experiences ; Bermuda triangle ; Atlantis ; Area 51 ; Extraordinary religious claims ; Good thinking!; title: The proper care and feeding of a thinking machine. Brains deserve better than this ; Embracing the brain ; Eat well, think well ; Stand up for thinking ; Sleep ; Use it or lose it ; Good thinking!; title: So little to lose and a universe to gain. Too big to fail? ; Constructive optimism ; Thrill seekers ; Wonders large and small ; Ready for the big time ; The meaning of life ; Present for the show ; Good thinking!