General Description
Sergey Yazev's book "Myths of the Past Century" is dedicated to analyzing popular misconceptions, pseudoscientific theories, and mass myths of the 20th century. The author is not a journalist or a blogger, but a professional scientist: a professor, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, astronomer, and science communicator. This is immediately felt in the presentation of the material—the book is based on a scientific approach, facts, logic, and critical thinking, yet it is written in simple and accessible language.
The book examines in detail such phenomena as astrology and horoscopes, ufology, the predictions of Nostradamus, various pseudomedical "miracle" devices and methods, as well as the activities of famous charlatans of the past century. The author shows precisely how myths are formed, why people believe in them, and what psychological and social reasons underlie the spread of pseudoscience. Special attention is paid to how authority, bold claims, and a lack of basic scientific education allow such ideas to take root in society.
The book is not overloaded with formulas or complex terminology and does not require special preparation. It is quality popular science in the best sense of the word—respectful of the reader and without oversimplification to the point of absurdity.
Opinion
So far, this is the best book I have ever read. I won't say I learned a huge amount of fundamentally new information from it, but it was incredibly pleasant to read the reasoning of a like-minded person who is not just a science enthusiast, but a professional scientist. Sergey Yazev consistently and argumentatively, relying on the scientific method, thoroughly demolishes popular pseudoscientific concepts, without descending into mockery or aggression.
It is especially valuable that the author doesn't just say "this is not true," but explains in detail why it is not true, where the logical error is, where there's a substitution of concepts, and where there is conscious manipulation. The book excellently trains critical thinking and teaches a skeptical attitude toward bold claims, miracles, and "secret knowledge."
I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in science, space, the history of misconceptions, and who wants to better understand how to distinguish science from pseudoscience.
