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angus_mckeogh's review
4.0
Really interesting with an edge of sarcasm and humor. Points out numerous instances of idiocy when dealing with questions about the afterlife. Not sure why the listed author is incorrect. John Grant wrote this books. Definitely worth the time.
kevin_shepherd's review
4.0
"If scientists were paid by results, the last parapsychologist would have long since died of hunger..." ~Alexander Baron
Astral Projection, Ectoplasm, ESP, EVP, Ghosts, Hauntings, Poltergeists, Heavenly Tourism, Hypnotic Regression, Levitation, Reincarnation, Spiritual Mediums, Near Death Experiences, Spirit Photography, Psychokinesis, Telekinesis... That's not a comprehensive list, but you get the picture. John Grant takes them all on with the heart of a scientist and the eye of a skeptic.
This is where psychic phenomena comes to die, or at least to be skewered with reason. Elements which are not exposed as outright fraud can be explained (with varying degrees of certainty) by physics, psycology and even neurology. And Grant accomplishes this with a sarcastic wit that sometimes (often) borders on snarky.
There are plenty of historical incidents and references. So many, in fact, that some may find it a little tedious. I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Astral Projection, Ectoplasm, ESP, EVP, Ghosts, Hauntings, Poltergeists, Heavenly Tourism, Hypnotic Regression, Levitation, Reincarnation, Spiritual Mediums, Near Death Experiences, Spirit Photography, Psychokinesis, Telekinesis... That's not a comprehensive list, but you get the picture. John Grant takes them all on with the heart of a scientist and the eye of a skeptic.
This is where psychic phenomena comes to die, or at least to be skewered with reason. Elements which are not exposed as outright fraud can be explained (with varying degrees of certainty) by physics, psycology and even neurology. And Grant accomplishes this with a sarcastic wit that sometimes (often) borders on snarky.
There are plenty of historical incidents and references. So many, in fact, that some may find it a little tedious. I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed it.
toniclark's review
4.0
Fun read. There’s just no end to charlatans, shysters, and wackadoodles. While believing in ghosts or reincarnation or whatever seems silly and inconsequential, magical thinking and denial of reality have serious consequences for more pressing matters, from the fate of the country to the fate of the planet. With a light and tongue-in-cheek approach, the author makes it clear that uncritical acceptance of pseudoscience is both delusional and dangerous.
ergriffin's review
4.0
Many people believe in the paranormal--but what do they have to go on? John Grant's Spooky Science disembowels many of the popular arguments for the paranormal and gives practical explanations for the "unexplainable."
The book tackles the paranormal in four parts: mediums; ghosts; trips to heaven; and reincarnation. While these things have been widely debunked for centuries, even by former proponents, our culture is such that a book like Grant's apparently must come along every few years or so to set the record straight, and even so serious believers stick their head in the sand.
Why would that matter though? Why not merely let the credulous be so? Grant's position is that unfounded belief of any kind leads to a collective "brainrot" which effects society in worse and worse ways, i.e. politicians lying about climate change to keep the oil tycoons happy. If we don't believe in things based on evidence, we may then believe in anything, and we find ourselves in the world we currently inhabit, one of "alternative facts." Spiritualism and willful ignorance may seem a far cry apart, but they share a contempt for empirical data and the scientific method.
The book tackles the paranormal in four parts: mediums; ghosts; trips to heaven; and reincarnation. While these things have been widely debunked for centuries, even by former proponents, our culture is such that a book like Grant's apparently must come along every few years or so to set the record straight, and even so serious believers stick their head in the sand.
Why would that matter though? Why not merely let the credulous be so? Grant's position is that unfounded belief of any kind leads to a collective "brainrot" which effects society in worse and worse ways, i.e. politicians lying about climate change to keep the oil tycoons happy. If we don't believe in things based on evidence, we may then believe in anything, and we find ourselves in the world we currently inhabit, one of "alternative facts." Spiritualism and willful ignorance may seem a far cry apart, but they share a contempt for empirical data and the scientific method.
meganm's review
2.0
This guy wants to debunk so many things, he merely glosses over everything. He basically says any belief in something not blatantly obvious to the naked eye is silly and nonsensical. I more believe that there are things in the world that we don't understand. Or, to quote Donald Rumsfeld, "we don't know what we don't know."
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