The Borderlands of Science : Where Sense Meets Nonsense: Where Sense Meets Nonsense

Michael Shermer

Oxford University Press, May 17, 2001 - Science - 368 pages

As author of the bestselling Why People Believe Weird Things and How We Believe, and Editor-in-Chief of Skeptic magazine, Michael Shermer has emerged as the nation's number one scourge of superstition and bad science. Now, in The Borderlands of Science, he takes us to the place where real science (such as the big bang theory), borderland science (superstring theory), and just plain nonsense (Big Foot) collide with one another. Shermer argues that science is the best lens through which to view the world, but he recognizes that it's often difficult for most of us to tell where valid science leaves off and borderland science begins. To help us, Shermer looks at a range of topics that put the boundary line in high relief. For instance, he discusses the many "theories of everything" that try to reduce the complexity of the world to a single principle, and shows how most fall into the category of pseudoscience. He examines the work of Darwin and Freud, explaining why one is among the great scientists in history, while the other has become nothing more than a historical curiosity. He also shows how Carl Sagan's life exemplified the struggle we all face to find a balance between being open-minded enough to recognize radical new ideas but not so open-minded that our brains fall out. And finally, he reveals how scientists themselves can be led astray, as seen in the infamous Piltdown Hoax. Michael Shermer's enlightening volume will be a valuable aid to anyone bewildered by the many scientific theories swirling about. It will help us stay grounded in common sense as we try to evaluate everything from SETI and acupuncture to hypnosis and cloning.

What people are saying

Review: The Borderlands of Science: Where Sense Meets Nonsense

User Review  - Leonardo - Goodreads

Wordy, uneven, repetitive; presumptuous at times. Even though the author is a professional editor, this book would hugely benefit from more professional editing. And the title is misleading: the ...

Review: The Borderlands of Science: Where Sense Meets Nonsense

User Review  - Sariene - Goodreads

I'm a fan of Michael Shermer, and I hate to rate a book of his so poorly, but I see no way around it, as this book is badly put together. I could barely keep my attention from wandering away through ...

Contents

• Blurry Lines and Fuzzy Sets The Boundary Detection: 1
• Borderlands Theories: 30
• Reality Must Take Precedence in the Search: 37
• Nonsense in the Name of Science: 50
• Cloning Tests the Moral Borderlands: 66
• Racial Differences and What They Really: 80
• Punctuated Equilibrium and the Nature: 97
• Borderlands People: 127
• Alfred Russel Wallace and the Nature: 159
• Crossing the Boundary from Science: 179
• Freud Darwin and the HeroMyth in Science: 199
• Carl Sagan and the Difference Between: 215
• Why the Grass is Always Greener in: 241
• Mozart and the Myth of the Miracle of Genius: 262
• Science at its Best in the Great: 283
• Piltdown and the SelfCorrecting Nature: 307
• Notes: 321
• Bibliography: 339
• About the Author: 353

About the author

Michael Shermer is the director of the Skeptics Society and the host of the Skeptics Lecture Series at the California Institute of Technology. He teaches science, technology, and evolutionary thought in the Cultural Studies Program at Occidental College.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Borderlands of Science : Where Sense Meets Nonsense: Where Sense Meets Nonsense
• Author: Michael Shermer
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2001
• ISBN: 0198032722, 9780198032724
• Length: 368 pages
• Subjects: Science / Philosophy & Social Aspects