This invaluable book argues against many other books—the huckster ones sold elsewhere in the bookstore—those books filled with puffery about about the Shroud of Turin, UFOs, crystals, and New Age.

meakin_armstrong-small.jpg For years now, I’ve been a fan of the book, The Skeptic’s Dictionary: A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions.

This invaluable book argues against many other books—the huckster ones sold elsewhere in the bookstore—those books filled with puffery about about the Shroud of Turin, UFOs, crystals, and New Age. By necessity, The Skeptic’s Dictionary also explains the tenets of logic—thankfully in fashion far more clear that your professor’s ever attempted to.

Go to the Table of Contents on its companion Website, or start with the entry on Apophenia. Move to Argument to Ignorance, and then go on to the Barnum Effect, ending at Littlewood’s Law of Miracles.

This book and Website is a weapon. It will teach you how to think.

Bio: Meakin Armstrong is Guernica’s fiction editor. You can follow him on Twitter at @meakinarmstrong.

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