In Implausible Beliefs, Allan Mazur offers a comparative look at the nature of irrational belief systems, their social roots, and their cultural and political impact. He provides standards for judging implausible beliefs and assesses the scope of the problem in the United States with respect to politics and social policy. He applies "commonsense" criteria for belief in implausibility to the Bible, astrology, and visitation to earth of intelligent beings from other worlds, and attempts to explain why most people accept implausible beliefs despite evidence and logic that refute them. Lucidly written, Implausible Beliefs is a provocative and informative contribution to the literature of social psychology, sociology, religion, political science, and American studies.
