In Waterstones yesterday I saw a book by Damian Thompson called Counterknowledge, which attacks conspiracy theories, ID, homeopathy, holocaust denial and anything else that isn't supported by evidence and logic.

I thought about buying it but it was about £12 for quite a small hardback. I decided to wait until it comes out in paperback.

Then on Radio 4 this morning it got a mention, as if it is spearheading a movement of critical thinking. So I had a brief look at the website:

http://counterknowledge.com

Seems it's been going for at least a few months.

It's not specifically about space, of course, but I imagine the moon hoax will be one of its targets, and the bogus medicine ties in with Bad Astronomy's sister publication, Bad Medicine. Two things about the website which surprised me, though:

1. I saw no mention of Bad Astronomy. (But as I say, I only had a brief look.)

2. Thompson is not above ad hominem attacks and the use of unprofessional language. I realise certain moderately "impolite" terms are acceptable here - I think I even saw a moderator use the word "crap" - but to my mind they diminish the effect of a debunking. Saying, "John Smith's arguments are without merit," is surely a better way of gaining respect than saying, "John Smith is full of crap."

53 views and no replies. Oh well...

It's the first I've heard of it. It'll go on the list, but you know how long that can take.

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

It's listed on amazon.co.uk for £6.5. There are also two reviews.

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Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by ignorance or stupidity.
Isaac Asimov

Hmmm, haven't heard of Bad Medicine, got link?

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Iyam what Iyam

Bad and Good everything, there is.

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"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek
"Carl Sagan sent a message to ET,
Neil Armstrong walked in the Sea of Tranquility
Steve Squyers built Spirit and Opportunity
Dan Haylen upchucked in zero gravity." -Brent Simon, The Space Camp Song

Hmm, this was harder to answer than I expected. I thought there was an article somewhere else on this very site, but I can't find it. Anyway, here is an Amazon review.

I have a copy that I believe I acquired from Powell's Books in Portland, and both my local library and my alma mater's college library have copies, so you might want to check your own local library. (Sorry--that's Portland, Oregon.)

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

Thank-You!

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Iyam what Iyam

Even this far east, most people seem to be refering to Portland, OR, when they say "Portland."

There's one in Maine, too, so I felt I'd better clarify. Most people around here, of course, forget there's one not at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. And how far east is the Island of Misfit Toys, anyway?

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

Hey, I did change that. I'm in Kentucky at the moment, and I've spent the last few years in Illinois. I do remember that there's a second Portland, but after being born and raised in the Willamette Valley, it automatically means the Oregon city to me.

It means you pronounce both "Willamette" and "Oregon" right, too!

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

You sure you don't mean this one?

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Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by ignorance or stupidity.
Isaac Asimov

Well, I will be. Didn't even know about that one. Hey, while we're on tangents anyway--I may have asked you this before, but do you know if Pasadena, Texas, is named after Pasadena, California? (Pasadena, California, is named from a chunk of a Chippewa word--not even the whole word, mind, and we're probably pronouncing it wrong--so I've always been curious.)

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

The area reminded the founder - John H. Burnett - of Pasadena, CA, so he named it after that one. (Uh, lush landscape... flowers and palms... nothing to do with parades or football games.)

(Trust me, it's changed a lot since then.)

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Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by ignorance or stupidity.
Isaac Asimov

Thank you kindly. I've wondered about that since I found out how Pasadena, CA got its name; it seemed unlikely that two communities would manage the same bizarre naming history.

Back on topic, my library appears not to have Counterknowledge, so I won't, I'm afraid, be reading it any time soon.

__________________
Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"