178-1-813
MICHAEL SHERMER is a psychologist, cyclist, one-time fundamentalist Christian, founder of Skeptic magazine and, currently, the author of a monthly column with the same name published in Scientific American. He has built a professional career out of casting a rationalist’s eye over some of the wackiest beliefs that humanity has to offer.
But his latest book is more than just a display case full of specimens collected by a man fascinated by the paranormal. Mr Shermer is interested in how such beliefs come to be held, and why they can persist even in the face of what, to others, can seem to be the overwhelming evidence that contradicts them.
The first part of the book is a mixture of psychology and trendy neuroscience research that presents the evidence for Mr Shermer’s central claim: that, instead of shaping belief around painstakingly gathered, soberly judged evidence, people most often decide upon their beliefs first, and then use an impressive range of cognitive tricks to bend whatever evidence they do discover into support for those pre-decided acts of faith.

A. 어휘
medley 잡동사니, 뒤범벅, 接續曲(접속곡). aliens 외국인, 외계인.
conspiracy 음모. fundamentalist 근본주의자. rationalist 합리주의자.
specimens 재료, 견본, 표본. wacky 이상한, 괴짜. humanity 인류.
fascinate 매혹시키다. paranormal 과학적으로 알 수가 없는.
persist 지속하다, 집착하다. overwhelming 압도적인.
contradicts 否定(부정)하다, 반박하다, 모순되다. trendy 최신 유행의.
neuroscience 신경과학. painstakingly 수고를 아끼지 않고, 힘들여서.
soberly judged 냉정하게(진지하게) 판단된. cognitive 認識(인식)의.
tricks 手法(수법), 책략, 재주, 속임수. bend 왜곡시키다.