gwynn (02/22/83)
There is an excellent book by JAMES RANDI which was re-issued
in October in paperback by Random House. The book is titled
"FLIM-FLAM!" and is a very good (and humorous) debunking of
many of the current popular pseudo-sciences such as Sir Conan
Doyle's Cottingley Fairies (which some people still actually
believe in), the Bermuda triangle, the Maharishi Yoga's
levitation racket, psychic surgery, dowsing, Eric von Daniken,
and many more. (The chapter on von Daniken is hilarious.
Randi debunks him so thoroughly you almost feel sorry for him.
Almost. Until you remember that he's making a fortune selling
those silly books -- "Chariots of the Clods", et. al.).
"FLIM-FLAM!" has an extensive bibliography of the other side
of the pseudo-science publishing racket (the books that get
buried for trying to shed some light of reason (and evidence)
on the kind of caca that certain supermarket tabloids (I'm sure
everyone knows of several) put out to pander to and promote the
general public's love of superstitious nonsense. Isn't it fright-
ening that all those "magazines" actually make enough money to
stay in business!?! Somebody's actually BUYING those things!).
Another good bibliography (albeit older) can be found in Martin
Gardner's "FADS AND FALLACIES".
Kim Andersen
!ucbvax!unmvax!nmtvax!gwynnpresley (02/28/83)
Another good source of debunking information by Martin Gardner is "Science Good, Bad, and Bogus", Prometheus Books, 1981.