Review: Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk

Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk by Massimo Pigliucci

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is basically a history of and paean to the scientific method. I was intrigued by the references to the philosophy of [a:Karl Popper|6211|Karl Popper|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1209255861p2/6211.jpg] (I must read some of his works) and specifically a deeper exploration of falsibility and his object of the Demarcation Problem, finding where science ends and whatever else there is begins. Whatever is out there beyond science is, basically, nonsense to Pigliucci and he holds forth for extensive attach on Creationism and ID which goes a bit long, I think. His history of paranormal research and specifically the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) program established at Princeton University is very interesting. I have long wanted to read a history of the eugenics movement, it seems such a fascinating example of crowd delusion, and this work contains an extensive section on this topic.



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