Editorial

A Game of Illusion and Delusion

WHAT is it that drives large sections of the population towards belief in miracles and the
paranormal and to support unscientific conspiracies and claims? Lack of scientific literacy, a
desire to cling to hope, or simply a lazy mind that does not bother to question and reason, or
an intelligent mind that seeks attention or, for that matter, a crooked mind that tries to benefit
in some manner from weird interpretations of scientific phenomena? All of these may be true.
Science There may be other factors at play too.
Donald R. Prothero examines several such claims
R E P O R T ER and controversies and the motivations behind such beliefs
DIRECTOR in his new book Weird Earth: Debunking Strange Ideas
DR RANJANA AGGARWAL About Our Planet. Donald has earlier co-authored a
book debunking UFOs and aliens (UFOs, Chemtrails,
EDITOR
HASAN JAWAID KHAN
and Aliens: What Science Says, 2017) and a book
about cryptozoology (Bigfoot, Nessie, Yeti, etc.) titled
ASSISTANT EDITOR Abominable Science. Since 2011, he has been writing
SONALI NAGAR weekly blog posts on www.skepticblog.org on science
MEHER WAN and skepticism, and addressing, as he says, “popular
nonsense about the earth”.
LAYOUT & DESIGN This book, therefore, is in a way a coming together of
SARLA DUTTA his years of study and analysis of scientific investigations
MANENDER SINGH of some of the most prevalent weird ideas from beliefs in
flat earth, expanding earth, hollow earth and geocentrism
PRODUCTION
to faith in the paranormal, aliens, UFOs, crystal healing,
ASHWANI KUMAR BRAHMI and even the controversy of the faked moon landing.
Weird Earth – Debunking Strange Ideas
ARUN UNIYAL Although written from the perspective of American About Our Planet by Donald R. Prothero,
ANIL KUMAR realities, the ideas in the book hold true globally. “It’s bad published by Red Lightning Books, USA
enough that American television runs a constant stream (redlightningbooks.com), 2020.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
of pseudoscience, from UFO, shows to ghost hunters
DIVISION to Bigfoot shows, just to gain audience,” he says, “but the media also give credibility to the
CHARU VERMA conspiracy theorists with shows like this.”
RANBIR SINGH Donald examines a range of claims and conspiracy theories including several related to
the earth, whether the moon landing was a hoax, apocalyptic scenarios, prediction claims of
earthquakes, are dinosaurs faked, myth of Atlantis, the pseudoscience of crystal healing and
many more. He also examines factors that motivate such beliefs, including a literal interpretation
of religious treatises and the emphasis on believing the literal truth contained therein without
doubting. It also arises, he says, from a section of people who tend to believe in ancient myths,
legends and glories of the past. Then there are conspiracy theorists who doubt everything scientific
and would blame rejection of their ideas on a “grand conspiracy by scientists or all of society
to suppress their ideas”.
People who hold such beliefs are often not ready to examine their beliefs scientifically
and tend to confine themselves into what are termed “echo chambers”, where their biases keep
getting confirmed, and not challenged. This happens with believers in creationism, climate change
deniers, believers in the occult and the paranormal, and the conspiracy theorists, who were truly
in their elements during the recent coronavirus pandemic as well.
With vivid examples and scientific explanations, the book makes for interesting reading.
COVER DESIGN
MANENDER SINGH
Hasan Jawaid Khan

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