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, how should we go about understanding them?
In The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal, psychologist 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.
“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,” said Elizabeth Loftus, past President of the Association for Psychological Science. “Readers will immensely enjoy this journey with him and will end up far wiser in the process.”
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.
The Science of Weird Shit in the media
The Daily Mail published a double-page “digest” on The Science of Weird Shit and an edited excerpt from the book.
BBC Science Focus’s Instant Genius podcast interviewed French on why we see UFOs, ghosts, and visions of past lives.
French spoke to The Guardian about ghost busting and was interviewed in their Science Weekly podcast.
An excerpt from the book appeared in Big Think.
Cool Science Radio on NPR’s KPCW Radio aired an interview with the author about The Science of Weird Shit.
French was interviewed by Reader’s Digest about precognitive dreams.
Nautilus published an excerpt from The Science of Weird Shit about coincidences.
Skeptical Inquirer spoke to French about skepticism and the paranormal.
The European Skeptics podcast featured a conversation with French about his theories on anomalistic psychology.
Publishers Weekly reviewed the book, describing it as a “fascinating inquiry.”