UFO abductions, television psychics, creationism, Holocaust denial. Faced with the rapid changes and anxieties of modern life, many people are turning to the alluring comforts of pseudoscience and the occult. In Why People Believe Weird Things, Michael Shermer explores the very human reasons we find these otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories, and cults so appealing.

In this program, Shermer shows how the eternal search for meaning and spiritual fulfillment often results in our thinking being led astray by extraordinary claims and controversial ideas-particularly in the realms of superstition and the supernatural. A compelling portrait of our immense capacity for self-delusion, Why People Believe Weird Things celebrates the scientific spirit and the joy to be found in rationally exploring the world's greatest mysteries, even if many of the questions remain unanswered.