Are Universes Thicker Than Blackberries?: Discourses on Gödel, Magic Hexagrams, Little Red Riding Hood, and Other Mathematical and Pseudoscientific TopicsMartin Gardner, debunker of scientific fraud and chicanery, explores in this title startling scientific concepts, such as the possibility of multiple universes and the theory that time can go backwards. Armed with his expert, sceptical eye, he examines the bizarre tangents produced by Freudians and deconstructionists in their critiques of Little Red Riding Hood and reveals the fallacies of pseudoscientific cures, from Doctor Bruno Bettelheim's erroneous theory of autism to the cruel farces of Facilitated Communication and Primal Scream Therapy. |
Contents
Multiverses and Blackberries | 3 |
A Skeptical Look at Karl Popper | 12 |
Rudolf Carnap Philosopher of Science | 19 |
Some Thoughts About Induction | 23 |
Can Time Go Backward? | 29 |
Against the Odds a story | 49 |
Fun with Mobius Bands | 57 |
Is Mathematics Out There? | 61 |
Three Parodies of Famous Poems | 144 |
Edgar Wallace and The Green Archer | 147 |
Afterword to The Green Archer | 159 |
The Tin Woodman of Oz | 164 |
Little Red Riding Hood | 177 |
The Brutality of Dr Bettelheim | 188 |
Facilitated Communication A Cruel Farce | 195 |
Distant Healing and Elisabeth Targ | 203 |
Ian Stewarts Flatterland | 64 |
Kurt Godels Amazing Discovery | 67 |
New Results on Magic Hexagrams | 74 |
The Strange Case of Garry Wills | 85 |
Mad Messiahs | 94 |
Oahspe | 101 |
The Vagueness of Krishnamurti | 112 |
Chestertons The Man Who Was Thursday | 125 |
Ernest Hemingway and Jane | 135 |
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Common terms and phrases
American arrow autism backward Baum Baum Bugle became believe Bettelheim blindfolded Bohm Bohm's called Carnap chapter Chesterton's child claimed colors conjecture convinced distant healing Edgar Wallace edited electron Elisabeth Targ experiment eyeless vision eyes Faithists famous father finger galaxy Gödel Green Archer hand Hemingway hexagram induction James Jane Janov Krishnamurti later Little Red Riding living logical LRRH Luther magic constant magician married Martin Gardner Mathematical mathematician medium Messiah Miss Perkins Möbius strip mother move multiverse mysterious never Newbrough Nimmie novel Oahspe paranormal parapsychologist particle peeks philosophers physicists Piper Popper positron Primal primal therapy published quantum Red Riding Hood Rudolf Carnap Schneerson scientists séance Skeptical Inquirer Slade slate spirits Spiritualist story Targ tell theory Therapeutic Touch therapy Tin Woodman tion told trance triangles universe Wallace wolf Woodman of Oz writes wrote York Youtz