1. How To Think About Weird Things, Chapter 6 ("Science and Its Pretenders") and Chapter 7 ("Case Studies in the Extraordinary"). If you are pressed for time, you need not read all of the case studies in Chapter 7. Pick one or two that seem most interesting to you. Be sure to read the first part of the chapter, which tries to pull together the ideas discussed previously in the book into a set of practical guidelines for inquiry (called the "SEARCH Formula").
Writing assignment:
Answer all of the following questions
1. Write brief answers to the first four "Study Questions" for Chapter 6 of Weird Things
2. Write answers to the first two "Discussion Questions" for Chapter 6 of Weird Things. (Write about half a double spaced page on each.)
3. Pick one of the case studies in Chapter 7 and explain whether or not you think the authors of our textbook have been fair to the beliefs in question in that case. Is the evidence that they provide actually sufficient to justify their conclusions? Do a little 'research' on this topic on the internet. Do you find any credible information that contradicts or complicates our textbook authors' account? (Write a page or two.)
4. How successful do you think this textbook has been in providing usable advice about how to decide which claims are worthy of belief? (Write a page or two.)