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Summary
Summary
One of the great paradoxes of modern times is that the more scientists understand the natural world, the more we discover that our everyday beliefs about it are wrong. Neil F. Comins has identified and classified, by origin and topic, over 1,700 commonly held misconceptions about the universe. He presents the reader with the tools needed to probe erroneous notions so that we can begin to question for ourselves... and to think more like scientists.
Author Notes
Neil F. Comins has contributed numerous articles to Astronomy magazine and is professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Maine
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Exhorting readers to "abandon common sense," Comins (What if the Moon Didn't Exist?) proceeds to reveal that there are actually 13 (not 12) zodiacal constellations, that the powers-that-be cannot possibly send us into a black hole for misbehaving and that the asteroid belt in The Empire Strikes Back is implausibly dense. Debunking silly, frightening and grandiose beliefs, the University of Maine professor of physics and astronomy is reassuring and engaging. Illus. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Kooky but prevalent beliefs both amuse and dismay scientists, and their popular writings embrace a tradition of critiquing cranky and implausible ideas. Authors Comins and Shermer both write accessibly about common scientific misperceptions. Drawing from an introductory astronomy course he teaches, Comins explores why, for example, his students erroneously believe that Earth's varying distance from the sun is what causes the change in seasons. He finds that logical, scientific thinking is drastically different from reasoning based on common sense and experience. Further, Comins ascribes resistance to new ideas to childlike thinking habits, such as generalizing from a single case. How to eradicate such habits is his purpose for writing, and although fellow professors may get the most use from his book, Comins' astronomical examples widen his appeal to the public-library audience. Shermer runs an outfit called the Skeptics Society, which also publishes a magazine, a Web site, and books that contend with the rampancy of pseudoscience in modern culture. This eclectic title comprises essays on topics about science (e.g., human cloning, evolution) and personalities in science. The latter is Shermer's bait for readers, for in characters like Copernicus, Alfred Russel Wallace, and Carl Sagan, the author demonstrates in human-interest fashion how scientists' personal traits influence their scientific research. The recreational rationalist will have fun with Shermer's potpourri. --Gilbert Taylor
Choice Review
Comins (physics and astronomy, Univ. of Maine) provides an informal and engaging discourse on the misconceptions that hinder people from fully understanding the natural world and from discriminating between fact and fraud in everyday life. He uses astronomical examples to illustrate the differences between how nature actually works and how people tend to perceive how it works. Drawing on his experience teaching large science classes, he ruminates on why it is that students enter college with deep-seated misconceptions that prove difficult to correct using traditional lecture-style teaching. The book has a few minor shortcomings worth noting. Some chapters ramble a bit off subject. Much of the posited causes of misconceptions about nature are subjective or anecdotal, not necessarily backed by rigorous research conducted by learned specialists. Chapter 6 contains an unabashed pitch for the author's own elementary astronomy text. Quibbles aside, Heavenly Errors is an interesting new look at how humans perceive nature. Science teachers may find useful the Web-accessible database that Comins has compiled over the years, as well as some of the teaching strategies he describes. Interesting reading for anyone interested in science teaching or public outreach and useful for undergraduate seminars. A good primer on critical thinking and how science really works. All levels. T. D. Oswalt Florida Institute of Technology
Library Journal Review
Among his other courses at the University of Maine, astrophysicist Comins teaches introductory astronomy. He has discovered that his students harbor a large number of misconceptions about the universe when they begin his course, e.g., that black holes swallow everything around them and that the moon alone creates tides. Over the years, he has turned this ostensibly unpromising situation into a teaching tool as he helps the students analyze their misconceptions and find their way to an accurate understanding of modern astronomy. Comins does several different things: he presents over 1500 misconceptions, arranged by origin and topic, and then provides the scientific facts; he gives some details of his teaching methods and data to demonstrate the successful results; and he provides 22 suggestions for developing one's critical thinking skills. His relaxed style of discourse makes his book quite readable, and though his pedagogical approach is somewhat unconventional, he deserves a hearing. Recommended for academic and public libraries. Jack W. Weigel, Ann Arbor, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Introduction |
| 1 Fun in the Sun: Some Misconceptions Close to Home |
| 3 Creating Your Own Private Cosmos: Internal and Mixed Origins of Incorrect Beliefs |
| 2 Blame It on Someone Else: External Origins of Incorrect Beliefs |
| 4 Survival in a Misperceived World: How Well Did Our Ancestors Do Without Understanding Nature? |
| 5 Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Misconceptions are Hard to Replace |
| 6 The Sage on the Stage or the Guide by Your Side: A Peek Behind the Effort to Help You Unlearn Misconceptions |
| 7 Let the Buyer Beware: How to Avoid Future Misconceptions |
| 8 Conflicts and Dangers: The Problems That Misconceptions Create |
| Epilogue: False Personal Cosmologies |
| Selected |
| Bibliography |
| Index |