Hoaxes, Myths, and Manias

by BARTHOLOMEW, ROBERT E.RADFORD, BENJAMIN

• ISBN13: 9781591020486
• ISBN10: 1591020484
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-02-01
• Publisher: Prometheus Books

Summary

What factors led to the "Martian panic" of 1938? Why did so many people conclude that an alien spaceship crashed in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947? How do we explain the frenzied dance manias that captivated thousands of Europeans during the Middle Ages? Thinking is an innate ability that most people take for granted. But -- like writing and public speaking -- thinking well is a skill that can be learned and improved with practice. Hoaxes, myths, and manias occur when people give in to unreason, emotion, and unfounded belief. Our ability to think and reason needs to be exercised, tested, and sharpened to make us able to evaluate new situations as they arise. In this unique introduction to critical thinking, Robert Bartholomew and Benjamin Radford first lay out the principles of critical thinking and then invite readers to put these principles to the test by examining a number of unusual and challenging case studies. Assembling a wide range of bizarre but actual incidents that span different cultures and time periods, they demonstrate how the tools of critical thinking can help reveal the truth behind strange events and seemingly mysterious behaviour. Bartholomew and Radford show that reality is very much a social construction, that cultural assumptions play a large part in our judgements about what is normal and what is deviant, and that the use of critical reasoning is our best means of ensuring an objective perspective.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	9	(4)
PART 1: THE BROAD PICTURE
Why Develop a Critical Eye?	13	(16)
PART 2: THE AMERICAN PICTURE
Was There Really a Martian Panic in 1938?	29	(12)
The Roswell ``Flying Saucer'' Crash of 1947	41	(8)
The Mad Gasser of Mattoon: Press Creation of an Imaginary Criminal	49	(12)
New England's Great Airship Hoax	61	(24)
PART 3: THE CROSS--CULTURAL PICTURE
What Is Normal?	85	(8)
Latah: Strange Mental Disorder or Exotic Custom?	93	(12)
Exploring Tolerance: Religious Devoutness or Bizarre Ritual?	105	(18)
Genital-Shrinking Scares	123	(14)
PART 4: THE HISTORICAL PICTURE
The Dancing Mania of the Middle Ages	137	(14)
The Jumping Frenchmen of Maine	151	(8)
The Birthplace of the Flying Saucer	159	(26)
England's Black Helicopters	185	(18)
India's Monkey Man Mania	203	(6)
How to Recognize Mass Delusions	209	(10)
About the Authors and Contributors	219	(2)
Index	221