"In each of the essays in Science Friction, psychologist and science historian Michael Shermer explores the barriers and biases that plague and propel science, especially when scientists push against the boundaries of the unknown. As Shermer puts it, the challenge we all face in distinguishing facts from fiction can be summed up with a twist on a well-worn bromide: "I wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't believed it." What do we know and what do we not...

Denying History takes a bold and in-depth look at those who say the Holocaust never happened and explores the motivations behind such claims. While most commentators have dismissed the Holocaust deniers as antisemitic neo-Nazi thugs who do not deserve a response, historians Michael Shermer and Alex Grobman have immersed themselves in the minds and culture of these Holocaust "revisionists." In the process, they show how we can be certain that the Holocaust...

Shermer demonstrates how our brains selectively assess data in an attempt to confirm the conclusions (beliefs) we've already reached. Drawing on evolution, cognitive science, and neuroscience, he considers not only supernatural beliefs but political and economic ones as well.