WEIRD EARTH

A veteran scientist disproves a host of outlandish beliefs.

In his latest, geologist and paleontologist Prothero attacks many of the avalanche of conspiracy theories, pseudoscientific explanations of natural phenomenon, quack cures, and other mythical doctrines that have existed throughout history but have mushroomed over the past generation with the explosion of the internet and lowbrow journalism. Most readers know that some unscientific beliefs, such as UFOs and creationism, enjoy a mass audience, but the author deliver some jolts—e.g., 6% to 9% of Americans believe the Apollo moon landing might be a hoax (it’s 25% in both Britain and Russia). Many people are so gullible that parody internet sites purporting to advance ridiculous beliefs (“Christians Against Dinosaurs”) convince many. Prothero also delivers 20 pages of solid evidence that the Earth is not flat, which may be more than most readers require, and he demonstrates that it orbits the sun, is not hollow, and does not harbor advanced civilizations reachable though deep caves, perhaps beneath Mount Shasta in California. Also, Atlantis is a myth, the Earth is older than 6,000 years, bad weather does not predict earthquakes, and Noah’s flood cannot explain today’s geology. Aware of this pervasive and seemingly unending blather, most readers are unwilling to give themselves an ulcer fending it off—that stress produces ulcers is another myth. Prothero cannot resist, but he is an excellent writer, so readers will learn a great deal of science as well as the history and current status of a staggering number of absurd beliefs. His introduction and conclusion deliver an earnest case for the scientific method, although the best explication remains David Deutsch’s The Beginning of Infinity (2011), which dismisses the traditional defense (experiments, logic, impartiality, peer review) in favor of a simpler one: Science provides good explanations, not bad ones.

Prothero offers plenty of convincing proof that nonsense is nonsense.