“One of the greatest strengths of this book is its active engagement of the reader. Every few pages, Smith interrupts the text with a Reality Check box, a set of discussion questions that challenge students to think more deeply about the implications of what they have just read.” (PsycCRITIQUES, April 2010)
“This book, particularly in regard to its discussion of memory errors and its insistence on the value of real science, takes a place of prominence on my personal library shelf.”
―James Randi, Chairman of the James Randi Educational Foundation
“I am astonished by the excellence of this book. Smith has produced a highly readable and very entertaining yet critical examination of virtually the entire gamut of paranormal claims, and he demonstrates an encyclopedic knowledge of the field in doing so. While drawing extensively from psychology, physics, logical analysis and history, he always manages to keep things clear and straightforward, so that one is never lost in complexity. Moreover, the tone is light-hearted throughout, and never becomes pedantic or condescending. And the book offers much more than an evaluation of extraordinary claims. It provides a refined set of critical thinking tools that the reader will find invaluable in everyday life. I strongly recommend this book to everyone who values the pursuit of truth in all things. And I can only wish that those who know that they already have the truth would read it as well, for they need it the most.”
―James Alcock, PhD, Professor of Psychology, York University
“Can you be both a critical thinker and a believer in the paranormal? The “reality checks” in Jonathan Smith’s Critical Thinker’s Toolkit will guide you to your answer.”
―Robert Todd Carroll, author of The Skeptic’s Dictionary
“An excellent, engaging, and highly readable introduction to the paranormal and to the distinction between science and pseudoscience. A superb student-friendly guide to extraordinary claims. Chock full of interesting and fun examples, not to mention humor. Should become a favorite in undergraduate psychology courses.”
―Scott O. Lilienfeld, Emory University
From the Inside Flap
Are ghosts real? Can the living communicate with the dead? Does prayer work? Are astrology and psychic readings accurate? In this groundbreaking book, a leading expert in the field makes sense of these mysteries and many more. Geared for paranormal believers and skeptics alike, Pseudoscience and Extraordinary Claims of the Paranormal: A Critical Thinker’s Toolkit provides readers with a highly original, engaging, and clear-headed approach for analyzing paranormal claims and distinguishing science from pseudoscience.
Committed above all to embracing fact over fiction, Smith encourages readers to question “fearlessly and honestly.” The result may just be a greater appreciation of the awe and wonder that true science brings to our world.
From the Back Cover
Are ghosts real? Can the living communicate with the dead? Does prayer work? Are astrology and psychic readings accurate? In this groundbreaking book, a leading expert in the field makes sense of these mysteries and many more. Geared for paranormal believers and skeptics alike, Pseudoscience and Extraordinary Claims of the Paranormal: A Critical Thinker’s Toolkit provides readers with a highly original, engaging, and clear-headed approach for analyzing paranormal claims and distinguishing science from pseudoscience.
Committed above all to embracing fact over fiction, Smith encourages readers to question “fearlessly and honestly.” The result may just be a greater appreciation of the awe and wonder that true science brings to our world.
About the Author
Jonathan C. Smith, Ph.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Professor of Psychology at Roosevelt University, Founding Director of the Roosevelt University Stress Institute, and Head of the Pseudoscience and Paranormal Laboratory. Dr. Smith has published 17 books and has written numerous articles on stress, relaxation, meditation, and mindfulness, as well as spirituality and skepticism. In 1984 he founded the Roosevelt University Stress Institute primarily to combat pseudoscience in the field. He has created classroom and online classes specifically designed to teach critical thinking skills and evaluate extraordinary claims of the paranormal.
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