An informed and highly readable account, the book comes at a time when its message could not be more relevant.
Michael Heap who is the Editor of the Quarterly Magazine of the Association for Skeptical Inquiry Skeptical Intelligencer in Number 4, (Winter 2022) published a review of Fades, Fakes, and Frauds. Exploding Myths in Culture, Science and Psychology.
Reviewed by Michael Heap
It is always good news to announce that our Polish skeptical colleague, Dr Tomasz Witkowski, has published another book on the theme of how the study of the human mind and its application in real life so readily depart from the disciplined, evidence-based approach offered by science, only to embrace fads, myths and pseudo-scientific notions and practices. Aptly titled Fads, Fakes, and Frauds, in his book Dr Witkowski provides us with a series of hard hitting, highly skeptical essays on a wide range of issues of contemporary concern. These include our understanding and treatment of mental health problems, including suicide and self-harm; placebo and nocebo in medicine; the quality of scientific research; loneliness; victimization; and criminal justice. His aim is to demonstrate how we have come to understand and represent these issues in ways that are counterproductive rather than beneficial, and to highlight the muddling of fact, misrepresentation and self-interested fiction in conventional discourse and social policy. An informed and highly readable account, the book comes at a time when its message could not be more relevant. Dr Witkowski (note 5) is a psychologist whose previous books have been reviewed in the Intelligencer (notes 6, 7 &8). In 2010 he was awarded the title of Rationalist of the Year by the Polish Society of Rationalists.
5. See his blog at: http://www.forbiddenpsychology.wordpress.com.
6. Shaping Psychology: Perspectives on legacy, controversy and the future of the field by Tomasz Witkowski. Palgrave Macmillan (Springer Nature: Cham, Switzerland). Reviewed by M. Heap in the Skeptical Intelligencer, 2020, 23 (4), 13-14.
7. Psychology Led Astray: Cargo cult in science and therapy by Tomasz Witkowski, Boca Raton, FL: BrownWalker Press, 2016. Reviewed by M. Heap in the Skeptical Intelligencer, 2017, 20 (1), 9-10.
8. Psychology Gone Wrong: The dark sides of science and therapy by Tomasz Witkowski and Maciej Zatonoski Boca Raton FL: BrownWalker Press, 2015. Reviewed by M. Heap in the Skeptical Intelligencer, 2015, 18 (3), 29.
Psychology Gone Wrong 