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miq33l's review against another edition
4.0
Professor Wiseman takes a task of providing rational explanations of phenomena like out of body experiences, clairvoyance or ghosts.
Throughout the book he keeps the tone light hearted, tongue in cheek, while making a strong case against supernatural origins of mentioned phenomena.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a nice, entertaining read with a lot of information and value. Recommended!
Throughout the book he keeps the tone light hearted, tongue in cheek, while making a strong case against supernatural origins of mentioned phenomena.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a nice, entertaining read with a lot of information and value. Recommended!
mattleesharp's review against another edition
3.0
I was anticipating giving this book 2 stars, but the section on prophecy and premonitions sparked an interesting conversation outside the book and I really enjoyed that this book took advantage of the inherent advantages of ebook writing (including links to relevant material available on the web, etc), so I bumped it up to 3. A lot of the examples given were kind of stale. It's hard not to be on subjects that already have a pretty large number of books available, but it does dull the reading process. I liked the conversational tone and that there were a lot of exercises to keep you invested in reading. If you don't have a dozen other books going at the same time, you can probably knock this out in a couple hours. Good refresher/conversation starter. Pretty general, but never overly dumbed down. This was a decent read.
izumen's review against another edition
Псевдонауката беше чудесна книга, наистина, но колко хора се интересуват от фармацевтичните измами? Не много (което е жалко, разбира се), но хайде разпитайте наоколо какво мислят хората за духове, гадатели, пророци, отвъден свят и т.н. Сигурен съм, че всеки срещнат ще има мнение по въпроса. Всеки се води експерт, или най-малкото има някаква изключителна история, която няма търпение да ви разкаже. Е, хванете един такъв, задръжте го за малко (колкото и да е трудно) и му обещайте, че ще изслушате всичките му фантастични преживявания, но при едно условие: да прочете новата книга на Ричард Уайзман.
feathersmcgraw's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
Everything this sort of book should be. Wiseman made the right choice in going on the pyschology why people are taken in by all the tricks of the paranormal trade as much as the how. His wry sense of humour was the cherry on the top.
itisclara's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.5
quite informative book with lots of anecdotes and jokes sprinkled throughout. I enjoyed reading this. My only issue is that I think the German translation could have been done a little bit better.
drakeula_73's review against another edition
5.0
Professor Wiseman takes the reader on a journey through the more well known aspects of the paranormal. From psychics and mediums through to precognition, mind control and ghosts. Oh and there's even a talking mongoose! He dissects each topic and explains how and why people can be fooled using psychology to back up his argument. It is well written and easy to understand and there are also tests for the reader to take part in.
krobcecil's review against another edition
4.0
I was surprised to espy a stack of Richard Wiseman's book PARANORMALITY in the Religion section at HALF PRICE BOOKS a few weeks ago. It doesn't entertain the notion that supernatural events are real for a moment, so its place alongside new age drivel is delightfully ironic. But the reason I yelped in disbelief is because the book didn't find a publisher in the United States. While Wiseman's previous books - including 59 SECONDS, an evidence based entry in the self help genre, and QUIRKOLOGY, his exploration into weird science - found a home in the US, PARANORMALITY was denied an entry visa.
While Americans devour the rambling rants of countless Chopraesque gurus, they are not so keen on books that call bullshit on flim flam. Though PARANORMALITY was a best seller abroad, publishers felt Mary Roach's 2005 SPOOK was all the skepticism towards the unrealdead we need in the U.S. of A. thank you very much, and good day sir.
This is a shame because PARANORMALITY is a fantastic read. Wiseman offers short anecdotes of ghost stories, mind readers, fortune tellers, etc; succinctly and humorously explains why they are bunk; then uses the experiences as a springboard to delve into the latest scientific theories and hypothesis on our faulty cognition. The section on the Jonestown Massacre was one of the most interesting I've read. Especially refreshing was that, unlike many skeptical authors, Wiseman encourages using his lessons to frighten, fool, and fuck with friends*. He also provides links to short videos of experiments, tricks and interviews throughout the text via QR tags. The book ends (spoiler alert) with a nice thought on the beauty of disbelief, "To believe that the findings of supernatural science remove wonder from the world is to fail to see the remarkable events that surround us every day of our lives. And, unlike those who appear to talk with the dead or move objects with the power of their minds, these amazing phenomena are genuine."
Despite the lack of a major release, Wiseman self-published and you can find the Kindle version here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00572B4BK. And, last I checked, there were still copies of the British version at the Half Price Bookstore on Lane (still hiding out in the display section of the Religion section).
*I'm concentrating on your right ring finger. Place your hand palm down on your desk, and spread out your fingers. I'm now going to hold your right ring finger down with my mind.
Hmmm.
Not working is it?
I think I'm getting bad psychic vibrations from your middle finger. It seems to be flipping me the bird in my mind, disturbing my chi. Please hide it by bending just that finger under your hand at the second joint. There. That's better. Now, with the rest of your fingers spread out as before, I'm using all of my mental force to hold down that ring finger. I'mmmmm puuuusssshhhinnnnggggg doooowwwnnnn onnnn ittt nnnnooooww... TRY TO LIFT IT AND BEHOLD MY POWERS!!!
(don't worry, the other experiments are better, this was just the easiest to do from afar.)
While Americans devour the rambling rants of countless Chopraesque gurus, they are not so keen on books that call bullshit on flim flam. Though PARANORMALITY was a best seller abroad, publishers felt Mary Roach's 2005 SPOOK was all the skepticism towards the un
This is a shame because PARANORMALITY is a fantastic read. Wiseman offers short anecdotes of ghost stories, mind readers, fortune tellers, etc; succinctly and humorously explains why they are bunk; then uses the experiences as a springboard to delve into the latest scientific theories and hypothesis on our faulty cognition. The section on the Jonestown Massacre was one of the most interesting I've read. Especially refreshing was that, unlike many skeptical authors, Wiseman encourages using his lessons to frighten, fool, and fuck with friends*. He also provides links to short videos of experiments, tricks and interviews throughout the text via QR tags. The book ends (spoiler alert) with a nice thought on the beauty of disbelief, "To believe that the findings of supernatural science remove wonder from the world is to fail to see the remarkable events that surround us every day of our lives. And, unlike those who appear to talk with the dead or move objects with the power of their minds, these amazing phenomena are genuine."
Despite the lack of a major release, Wiseman self-published and you can find the Kindle version here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00572B4BK. And, last I checked, there were still copies of the British version at the Half Price Bookstore on Lane (still hiding out in the display section of the Religion section).
*I'm concentrating on your right ring finger. Place your hand palm down on your desk, and spread out your fingers. I'm now going to hold your right ring finger down with my mind.
Hmmm.
Not working is it?
I think I'm getting bad psychic vibrations from your middle finger. It seems to be flipping me the bird in my mind, disturbing my chi. Please hide it by bending just that finger under your hand at the second joint. There. That's better. Now, with the rest of your fingers spread out as before, I'm using all of my mental force to hold down that ring finger. I'mmmmm puuuusssshhhinnnnggggg doooowwwnnnn onnnn ittt nnnnooooww... TRY TO LIFT IT AND BEHOLD MY POWERS!!!
(don't worry, the other experiments are better, this was just the easiest to do from afar.)
floubert's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.25