An entertainingly written examination of the social, economic, and political forces that elicit or support flawed or fake science and sustain it in the face of often overwhelming contrary evidence. Voodoo Science includes pseudoscience, or irrational beliefs dressed up in scientific garb, the misuse of science to deliberately mislead, and pathological science, in which scientists persist with their interpretations long after the evidence has effectively discredited them.

From uttering a prayer before boarding a plane, to exploring past lives through hypnosis, has superstition become pervasive in contemporary culture? Robert Park, the best-selling author of "Voodoo Science," argues that it has. In "Superstition," Park asks why people persist in superstitious convictions long after science has shown them to be ill-founded. He takes on supernatural beliefs from religion and the afterlife to New Age spiritualism and faith-based medical claims. He examines recent controversies and concludes that science is the only way we have of understanding the world.

Park sides with the forces of reason in a world of continuing and, he fears, increasing superstition. Chapter by chapter, he explains how people too easily mistake pseudoscience for science. He discusses parapsychology, homeopathy, and acupuncture; he questions the existence of souls, the foundations of intelligent design, and the power of prayer; he asks for evidence of reincarnation and astral projections; and he challenges the idea of heaven. Throughout, he demonstrates how people's blind faith, and their confidence in suspect phenomena and remedies, are manipulated for political ends. Park shows that science prevails when people stop fooling themselves.

Compelling and precise, "Superstition" takes no hostages in its quest to provoke. In shedding light on some very sensitive--and Park would say scientifically dubious--issues, the book is sure to spark discussion and controversy.

"That would never happen to me." Have you ever said this, or heard someone else say it? This world is very unsafe. Crime rates throughout the country are high. Young women on their own in the world are frequently at risk. Women leaving home and entering college, and those who soon will be, can benefit from the information in this book. It is a common sense approach for young people to the threats of today's world. This guide offers essential education on possible dangers. It then offers practical strategies and solutions that can help individuals avoid trouble. Staying Safe will teach young women behavior patterns that will increase their ability to avoid the monsters and stay safe in this very unsafe world. "With my experience directing the murder investigations that ultimately led to the capture, conviction, and execution of serial killer Ted Bundy for these crimes in Tallahassee, Florida, I can enthusiastically recommend Mr. Parke's book as a must read." - W. Ken Katsaris, elected Sheriff of Leon County in Tallahassee, Florida from 1977-1981, during the well-known terror spree of Ted Bundy.

In a time of dazzling scientific progress, how can we separate genuine breakthroughs from the noisy gaggle of false claims? From Deepak Chopra's "quantum alternative to growing old" to unwarranted hype surrounding the International Space Station, Robert Park leads us down the back alleys of fringe science, through the gleaming corridors of Washington power and even into our evolutionary past to search out the origins of voodoo science. Along the way, he offers simple and engaging science lessons, proving that you don't have to be a scientist to spot the fraudulent science that swirls around us.

While remaining highly humorous, this hard-hitting account also tallies the cost: the billions spent on worthless therapies, the tax dollars squandered on government projects that are doomed to fail, the investors bilked by schemes that violate the most fundamental laws of nature. But the greatest cost is human: fear of imaginary dangers, reliance on magical cures, and above all, a mistaken view of how the world works.

To expose the forces that sustain voodoo science, Park examines the role of the media, the courts, bureaucrats and politicians, as well as the scientific community. Scientists argue that the cure is to raise general scientific literacy. But what exactly should a scientifically literate society know? Park argues that the public does not need a specific knowledge of science so much as a scientific world view--an understanding that we live in an orderly universe governed by natural laws that cannot be circumvented.