Miss Anthrope
Illuminator
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
- Messages
- 3,575
Yesterday I picked up "Maybe Yes, Maybe No: A Guide For Young Skeptics" by Dan Barker. I must say that I am very pleased!
This book is short and to the point. It begins in cartoonish way telling the story of a skeptical child who is confronted with friends who make claims about a haunted house. It follows the skeptical character through questioning until it is determined the house is not haunted at all. It even covers the refusal of some people to admit they have been proven wrong. After that the scientific method is presented with amazing simplicity.
Very briefly they cover some wild woo beliefs, such as UFO's, psychics, religion (YEP!), dowsing, et cetera. These beliefs are simply presented as "some people believe this or that...what do YOU think?". They offer reasonable explanations of why people make certain claims, and why people believe things that are not true. The child is encouraged to follow the scientific method to determine if these things are true. If they have not done their research, it is best to say "Maybe yes, maybe no", which I find is a very excellent starting position for honest critical thinking.
The book does not impart a lot of heavy concepts, rather introduces all of the above in a quick, straightforward manner. My daughter is 10 and I could have probably introduced this a year or two ago. The writing style would work with younger kids, but I think the concepts and the instructions to do research will be lost on those under 8 or 9.
Now that I've found this book so pleasing, I'll be picking up the author's second title called "Maybe Right Maybe Wrong", which by the description introduces developing one's own morality & principles in a secular respect.
This book is short and to the point. It begins in cartoonish way telling the story of a skeptical child who is confronted with friends who make claims about a haunted house. It follows the skeptical character through questioning until it is determined the house is not haunted at all. It even covers the refusal of some people to admit they have been proven wrong. After that the scientific method is presented with amazing simplicity.
Very briefly they cover some wild woo beliefs, such as UFO's, psychics, religion (YEP!), dowsing, et cetera. These beliefs are simply presented as "some people believe this or that...what do YOU think?". They offer reasonable explanations of why people make certain claims, and why people believe things that are not true. The child is encouraged to follow the scientific method to determine if these things are true. If they have not done their research, it is best to say "Maybe yes, maybe no", which I find is a very excellent starting position for honest critical thinking.
The book does not impart a lot of heavy concepts, rather introduces all of the above in a quick, straightforward manner. My daughter is 10 and I could have probably introduced this a year or two ago. The writing style would work with younger kids, but I think the concepts and the instructions to do research will be lost on those under 8 or 9.
Now that I've found this book so pleasing, I'll be picking up the author's second title called "Maybe Right Maybe Wrong", which by the description introduces developing one's own morality & principles in a secular respect.
