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Books like Why people believe weird things
A clarifying, conversational plunge into the quirks of human cognition that explains why our brains so easily fall for the irrational. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Why people believe weird things.
- intellectual
- clarifying
- grounded
- curious
- 01
The Demon-Haunted World
Carl Sagan · 1996
A compassionate, urgent lantern of reason held up against the encroaching shadows of superstition and misinformation.
- 02
How we know what isn't so
Thomas Gilovich
A clarifying exploration of human fallibility that dismantles the comforting illusions of false belief.
- 03
Breaking the spell
Daniel C. Dennett · 2004
A methodical, clear-eyed dissection of humanity's oldest and most fiercely protected cultural phenomenon.
- 04
Religion Explained
Pascal Boyer
A provocative, intellectually rigorous dive into the evolutionary and cognitive machinery that makes human beings uniquely primed for belief.
- 05
Philosophy of Science
Samir Okasha
A crisp, illuminating mental workout that strips away assumptions about how we know what we know.
- 06
Bad Science
Ben Goldacre · 2008
A hilarious, exasperated, and fiercely intelligent takedown of the pseudoscience that surrounds us every day.
- 07
Why evolution is true
Jerry A. Coyne · 2009
A masterclass in scientific clarity that leaves you marveling at the magnificent, undeniable reality of the natural world.
- 08
Quirkology
Richard Wiseman
A playful, eye-opening romp through the bizarre and hidden science of everyday human behavior.
- 09
Consciousness
Susan Blackmore · 2003
A dizzying, rigorous dismantling of everything you thought you knew about your own mind and sense of self.
- 10
The unpersuadables
Will Storr
A fascinating, empathetic dive into the minds of fringe believers that ultimately holds a mirror up to our own irrationalities.
- 11
God
Victor J. Stenger · 2007
A methodical, science-driven examination that treats the divine as a testable hypothesis.
- 12
Bad astronomy
Philip C. Plait
A witty, myth-busting tour of the cosmos that replaces popular misconceptions with the far more fascinating truth.
