SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Vol. 18, No. 1 Fall 1993/$6.25 HONESTY TESTS How Valid Are They? L 1 £
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Mathematical Magic • Challenging Education Myths astrology's Counterattack . Science & Feminism • Weird Water
Published by the Committee 7^70"80575' for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER is the official journal of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, an international organization. Editor Kendrick Frazier. Editorial Board James E. Alcock, Barry Beyerstein, Susan J. Blackmore, Martin Gardner, Ray Hyman, Philip J. (Class, Paul Kurtz, Joe Nickell, Lee Nisbet. Consulting Editors Robert A. Baker, William Sims Bainbridge, John R. Cole, Kenneth L. Feder, C. E. M. Hansel, E. C. Krupp, David F. Marks, Andrew Neher, James E. Oberg, Robert Sheaffer, Steven N. Shore. Managing Editor Doris Hawley Doyle. Contributing Editor Lys Ann Shore. Business Manager Mary Rose Hays. Assistant Business Manager Sandra Lesniak. Chief Data Officer Richard Seymour. Computer Assistant Michael Cione. Production Paul E. Loynes. Art Linda Hays. Audio Technician Vance Vigrass. Librarian Jonathan Jiras. Staff Alfreda Pidgeon, Ranjit Sandhu, Sharon Sikora, Elizabeth Begley (Albuquerque). Cartoonist Rob Pudim. The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal Paul Kurtz, Chairman; professor emeritus of philosophy, State University of New York at Buffalo. Barry Karr, Executive Director and Public Relations Director. Lee Nisbet, Special Projects Director. Fellows of the Committee James E. Alcock,* psychologist, York Univ., Toronto; Robert A. Baker, psychologist, Univ. of Kentucky; Stephen Barrett, M.D., psychiatrist, author, consumer advocate, Allentown, Pa. Barry Beyerstein,* biopsychologist, Simon Fraser Univ., Vancouver, B.C., Canada; Irving Biederman, psychologist, Univ. of Southern California; Susan Blackmore,* psychologist, Univ. of the West of England, Bristol; Henri Broch, physicist, Univ. of Nice, France; Jan Harold Brunvand, folklorist, professor of English, Univ. of Utah; Vern Bullough, Distinguished Professor, State Univ. of New York; Mario Bunge, philosopher, McGill University; John R. Cole, anthropologist, Inst, for the Study of Human Issues; F. H. C. Crick, biophysicist, Salk Inst, for Biological Studies, La Jolla, Calif.; L. Sprague de Camp, author, engineer; Cornelis de Jager, professor of astrophysics, Univ. of Utrecht, the Netherlands; Bernard Dixon, science writer, London, U.K.: Paul Edwards, philosopher. Editor, Encyclopedia of Philosophy; Antony Flew, philosopher, Reading Univ., U.K.; Andrew Fraknoi, astronomer, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, Calif.; Kendrick Frazier,* science writer, Editor, THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER; Yves Galifret, Exec. Secretary, L'Union Ratlanaliste; Martin Gardner,* author, critic; Murray Gell-Mann, professor of physics, California Inst, of Technology; Henry Gordon, magician, columnist, Toronto; Stephen Jay Gould, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard Univ.; C. E. M. Hansel, psychologist, Univ. of Wales; Al Hibbs, scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Douglas Hofstadter, professor of human understanding and cognitive science, Indiana Univ.; Ray Hyman, psycholo gist, Univ. of Oregon; Leon Jaroff, sciences editor, Time; Lawrence Jerome, science writer, engineer; Sergei Kapitza, editor, Russian edition, Scientific American; Philip J. Klass,* science writer, engineer; Marvin Kohl, professor of philosophy, SUNY at Fredonia; Edwin C. Krupp, astronomer, director, Griffith Observatory; Paul Kurtz,* chairman, CSICOP; Lawrence Kusche, science writer; Paul MacCready, scientist/ engineer, AeroVironment, Inc., Monrovia, Calif.; David Marks, psychologist, Middlesex Polytech, England; David Morrison, space scientist, NASA Ames Research Center; Richard A. Muller, professor of physics, Univ. of Calif., Berkeley; H. Narasimhaiah, physicist, president, Bangalore Science Forum, India; Dorothy Nelkin, sociologist, Cornell Univ. Joe Nickell,* author, technical writing instructor, Univ. of Kentucky; Lee Nisbet,* philosopher, Medaille College; James E. Oberg, science writer; Loren Pankratz, psychologist, Oregon Health Sciences Univ.; John Paulos, mathematician. Temple. Univ.; Mark Plummer, lawyer, Australia; W. V. Quine, philosopher, Harvard Univ.; Milton Rosenberg, psychologist, Univ. of Chicago; Carl Sagan, astronomer, Cornell Univ.; Wallace Sampson, M.D., clinical professor of medicine, Stanford Univ.; Evry Schatzman, President, French Physics Association; Eugenie Scott, physical anthropologist, executive director, National Center for Science Education; Thomas A. Sebeok, anthropologist, linguist, Indiana Univ.; Robert Sheaffer, science writer; Dick Smith, film producer, publisher, Terrey Hills, N.S.W., Australia; Robert Steiner, magician, author, El Cerrito, Calif.; Carol Tavris, psychologist and author, Los Angeles, Calif.; Stephen Toulmin, professor of philosophy. Northwestern Univ.; Marvin Zelen, statisti cian. Harvard Univ. Lin Zixin, former editor Science and Technology Daily (China). (Affiliations given for identification only.) 'Member, CSICOP Executive Council
Manuscripts, letters, books for review, and editorial inquiries should be addressed to Kendrick Frazier, Editor, THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, 3025 Palo Alto Dr., N.E., Albuquerque, NM 87111. Subscriptions, change of address, and advertising should be addressed to: THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Box 703, Buffalo, NY 14226-0703. Old address as well as new are necessary for change of subscriber's address, with six weeks advance notice. Subscribers to THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER may not speak on behalf of CSICOP or THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. Inquiries from the media and the public about the work of the Committee should be made to Paul Kurtz, Chairman, CSICOP, Box 703, Buffalo, NY 14226-0703. Tel.: (716) 636-1425. FAX: (716)-636-1733. Articles, reports, reviews, and letters published in THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER represent the views and work of individual authors. Their publication does not necessarily constitute an endorsement by CSICOP or its members unless so stated. THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER is indexed in the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. Copyright *1993 by the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, 3965 Rensch Road, Buffalo, NY 14228. All rights reserved. THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER is available on 16mm microfilm, 35mm microfilm, and 105mm microfiche from University Microfilms International. Subscription Rates: Individuals, libraries, and institutions, $25.00 a year; back issues, $6.25 each. THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER (ISSN 0194-6730) is published quarterly. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Printed in Canada. Second-class postage paid at Buffalo, New York, and additional mailing offices. Send changes of address to THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, BOX 703, Buffalo, NY 14226-0703. SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Vol. 18, No. 1, Fall 1993 I ~~l Journal of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
I — 1 SPECIAL REPORT 'Perspectives on Education in America': Sandia Study Challenges Misconceptions Kendrick Frazier 26
I I ARTICLES Do 'Honest/ Tests Really Measure Honesty? Scott O. Lilienfeld 32 Astrology Strikes Back—But to What Effect? Geoffrey Dean 42 Diagnoses of Alien Kidnappings That Result from Conjunction Effects in Memory Robyn M. Dawes and Matthew Mulford 50 Mathematical Magic for Skeptics Arthur Benjamin and Michael Shermer 52 The Blind Girl Who Saw the Flash of the First Nuclear Weapon Test Rolf Sinclair 63 Science: The Feminists' Scapegoat? Barbara G Walker 68 NEWS AND COMMENT 3 UFO 'Dogfight in Kentucky / CSICOP Wins Lawsuit in Maryland / Old Minerals with New Names in Vermont / Paranormal Hotline in Nebraska / The 'Face' in the Cervix / Notes and Comments
NOTES OF A FRINGE-WATCHER Weird Water, or H2Oh! Martin Gardner 15 PSYCHIC VIBRATIONS Alien Stigmata, Shy Craft, and a UFO Conference Robert Sheaffer 21 BOOK REVIEWS Paul Eberte and Shirley Eberie, The Abuse of Innocence: The McMartin Preschool Trial Lloyd K. Stires 73 Lyall Watson, The Nature of Things: The Secret Life of Inanimate Objects Robert A Baker 76 Anthony Aveni, Conversing with the Planets L Stephen Coles 79 Jacques Vallee, UFO Chronicles of the Soviet Union Erik Vaughn 82
NEW BOOKS 89
ARTICLES OF NOTE 90
FORUM Science and Truth and Us Ralph Estling 95 American Indians and the New Age Rick Romancito 97 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 100
ON THE COVER: Illustration by Bruce Adams. HELP US DEFEND SKEPTICISM AGAINST HARASSING SUITS CSICOP LEGAL DEFENSE FOUNDATION
n the Winter 1992 issue of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER we outlined the I difficulties that the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal is experiencing because of harassing lawsuits filed against skeptics. We feel confident that these suits will eventually be dismissed. Still, we suspect that the lawsuits were brought for reasons other than the redress of alleged grievances. For what do these suits mean? They mean that the pro- paranormalists think they have finally found a way to strike below the belt of scientists and skeptics. For years they have been unable to prove their claims of miraculous abilities. They've grown tired of hearing our challenges. Now they have turned to intimidation by lawsuit in an effort to silence their only persistent critics. It doesn't necessarily matter if the plaintiff wins or loses the suit. Their purpose is to waste their opponents' resources and to intimidate and silence them—in effect, depriving individuals or organizations of their First Amendment rights. We are by no means a wealthy organization, but we are not prepared to surrender our rights. We have vowed to fight back. To do so, we need your support. CSICOP has established the CSICOP Legal Defense Foundation. Its funds will be used to help pay the costs of existing lawsuits and any that may arise in the future, and to countersue when appropriate. Don't allow the claim-mongers to destroy CSICOP (and the values of science and reason it steadfastly represents) through unjust and frivolous legal proceedings. Support the CSICOP Legal Defense Foundation today. It's the best way to blunt this frightening new weapon of the apostles of nonsense.
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Nar Address City State Zip . Mail to: CSICOP Legal Defense Foundation Box 703, Buffalo, NY 14226 News and Comment
D UFO 'Dogfight': A Ballooning Tale
\ \ I |FO Fires on Louisville, Ky "fireballs" (which fortunately "fizzled Police Chopper" was the out before they hit"); and then—as the headline on the Weekly helicopter pilot pushed his speed to World News's May 4 cover story, over 100 mph—the UFO "shot past complete with fanciful illustration. the chopper, instantly climbing But if the tabloid account seemed hundreds of feet," only to moment overly sensational in describing the arily descend again before flying into "harrowing two-minute dogfight"— the distance and disappearing. That before vanishing into the night—it the "flowing" object was only "about was only following the lead of the the size of a basketball" and that it respected Louisville Courier-Journal. had "hovered" before initially The Courier had used similar wording approaching the helicopter were in relating the February 26 incident (which had not been immediately made public), headlining its front-page story of March 4: "UFO Puts on Show: Jefferson [County] Police Officers Describe Close Encounter." Unfortunately, the Weekly World News did not cite the Courier's follow-up report that explained the phenomenon. Yet the tabloid's tale contained numerous clues that might have tipped off an astute reader. The first sighting was of what looked like "a fire" off to the patrol craft's left; the "pear-shaped" UFO was seen in the police spotlight "drifting back and forth like a balloon on a string"; after circling the helicopter several times, the Scott Heacock (left) puts the finishing touches on a object darted away before model hot-air balloon like the one he had launched in Louisville. Kentucky, on February 26. Looking on is zooming back to shoot the psychologist Robert A. Baker (Photo by Joe Nickell.)
Fall 1993 3 additional clues from the original Heacock how certain he was that his Courier account that the tabloid balloon was the reported UFO. Since omitted. he had witnessed the encounter and The Courier's follow-up story of kept the balloon in sight until it was March 6 was headed "A Trial Bal caught in the police spotlight, he loon?" It pictured Scott Heacock and replied: "I'd bet my life on it." To his wife, Conchys, demonstrating another reporter, his Mexican wife how they had launched a hot-air explained: "I'm the only alien around balloon Scott had made from a plastic here." dry-cleaning bag, strips of balsa wood, —Joe Nickell and a dozen birthday candles—a device familiar to anyone who has read Joe Nickell, CSICOP Fellow and inves Philip J. Klass's UFOs Explained (Vin tigative writer, teaches at the University tage Books, 1976, pp. 28-34, plates 2a of Kentucky. and 2b). No sooner had the balloon cleared the trees, said Heacock, than the county police helicopter encoun tered it and began circling, shining its CSICOP Wins Lawsuit spotlight on the glowing toy. The encounter was a comedy of In Maryland errors and misperceptions. Likened to a cat chasing its tail, the helicopter was n June 4, 1993, a federal actually pushing the lightweight jury in Baltimore, Maryland, device around with its prop wash. In O found the Committee for the fact, as indicated by the officers' own Scientific Investigation of Claims of account, the UFO zoomed away in the Paranormal (CSICOP) not liable response to the helicopter's sudden for statements made by magician propulsion—behavior consistent with James "The Amazing" Randi regard a lightweight object. As to the "fire ing the personal life of the plaintiff balls," they may have been melting, in the case, Eldon Byrd. The verdict flaming globs of plastic, or candles that was handed down in the court of U.S. became dislodged and fell, or some District Judge Marvin Garbis. other effect. (Heacock says he used the In 1989, Byrd sued Randi and novelty "relighting" type of birthday CSICOP for more than $30 million, candles as a safeguard against the alleging libel, slander, and invasion of wind snuffing them out. Such candles privacy for statements made by Randi may sputter, then abruptly reflame.) in a 1988 interview with the now- Although one of the officers defunct Twilight Zone magazine and insisted the object he saw that night at a 1988 speech for the New York traveled at speeds too fast for a Area Skeptics. balloon, he seems not to have consid Although the jury did find that ered the effects of the helicopter's some of the statements made by Randi prop-wash propulsion. Contacted by regarding Byrd were defamatory, it psychologist and skeptical investigator refused to award Byrd any damages Robert A. Baker, the other officer whatsoever. declined to comment further, except CSICOP was named in the lawsuit to state his feeling that the whole because the plaintiff contended that affair had been "blown out of propor Randi was acting as an agent of tion" by the media. Be that as it may, CSICOP and was authorized, or a television reporter asked Scott apparently authorized, to speak on
4 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 CSICOP's behalf. clude a small disclaimer to the effect During the two-week trial, both that they don't advocate the use of Randi and CSICOP testified that stones as a substitute for conventional Randi was not authorized to speak for medical or psychological care. That CSICOP and that Randi had not said, they go on to provide 16 large, requested permission to do so. It is closely printed pages of medical and/ a long-standing policy of the CSICOP or psychological advocacy for their Executive Council that members of stones, all of which are notably the Council are not authorized to expensive. speak for CSICOP on any topic unless The mineral spurrite, well known permission has been granted by a since 1908, has been rediscovered and majority of the other members of the renamed "strombolite" by this estab Council. lishment, which informs us that Accordingly, CSICOP contended at strombolite's whitish veins are the trial that Randi was neither "lightning strikes" that direct energy authorized nor apparently authorized toward fortification of one's weak by CSICOP to make the statements nesses and create instantly noticeable at issue in the suit. The jury agreed. healing. Strombolite also enhances memory and the integration of knowl —Barry Karr edge. Combined with another min CSICOP Executive Director eral, newly named "merlinite," it will "bring access to the Cosmic Book of Knowledge," which is also parenthet ically and most mysteriously described What on Earth? as "The Void." Void indeed. It turns out that From Old Minerals merlinite is nothing but drusy crys talline (misspelled "druzy crystaline") To New Mystical Gems quartz, blackened by inclusions of the manganese oxide known as psilo- mail-order establishment in melane. The latter is given a highly Marshfield, Vermont, called original spelling, "solalamine." Merli Ai Heaven & Earth, publishes a nite is said to bring on an instant alpha catalog not only selling "metaphysical" state, etheric body "allignment" (sic)— jewelry but also trading on some highly creative mineralogical nomen clature. Heaven & Earth invents new names for old minerals and claims that they are new dis coveries. Each one is presented in the catalog with lavish "channeled information" concern ing its properties. This information is usually attributed to an outside consultant channeler. The proprietors in
Fall 1993 5 with what, we are not told—time never to mineralogists. traveling, and grounding light into Another alleged discovery has one's negative energies. Heavy work received the Heaven & Earth name of for a piece of blackened quartz. Gel Litium Silica or Gel Lithium The newsletter/catalog that first Silicate, depending on which page of announced the wonders of merlinite the catalog one reads, though it is gave no indication of its composition. declared that this name was invented This writer asked Heaven & Earth for by those ubiquitous and mysterious the real name of the mineral and was miners. When pressed a bit, Heaven told that merlinite is the true species & Earth confessed that Gel Lit(h)ium name of a brand-new discovery and Silica(te) is lepidolite—a violet-colored that the original discovery date and mica well known since the late chemical formula are closely guarded 1700s—combined with quartz. It is secrets. The informant (or uninfor- said to balance "physical systems" and mant) was adamantly opposed to to act as a diuretic for women suf making any such details available to fering from excessive water retention. the public. Another stone, imaginatively Of course there is no such secrecy renamed Aphrodite, is called a wel attending any discovery of a genuinely come surprise "only now entering the new mineral. The very process of awareness of metaphysical stone- establishing its species status depends users." The real name of this stone on extensive testing and publication is mentioned just once. It is cobaltian of test results in accredited journals. calcite, in the form of microscopic pink A similar inquiry about another crystals clustered on a rock matrix. Heaven & Earth find named azeztulile The catalog claims that Aphrodite will met with similar evasion. Heaven & "strongly aid the tissues of the body" Earth claimed that their azeztulite and improve circulation, besides came from a beryllium mine and might bringing about success in love. be a beryllium silicate like phenakite Though Heaven & Earth's proprie (which they always spell "phenacite"), tors continually suggest an extensive but that it is not phenakite. Its formula empirical knowledge of minerals on is not known because "the miners" their part, they do consistently mis haven't finished testing it yet. (Miners spell common mineral names and don't do tests for new mineral species.) mineralogical terms, such as cabo- The Heaven & Earth catalog describes chon, heliodor, nickel, rhodochrosite, azeztulite as a mineral specially iridescent, translucent, crystallize, selected by a space-traveling "group cobaltian, and many other words. soul," the Azez, "to re-engineer the Despite the upscale nature of their etheric pattern of its energies so that expensive products, they create a it can become a conductor or conduit general impression of ignorance fos for the energy of the Nameless Light." tering and feeding on ignorance. It The material shown in the catalog's may be unfair to single them out, since color illustration of azeztulite jewelry the country is full of similar establish looks very much like chips of plain ments selling minerals and jewelry on glass, which would indicate a distinct similar pretenses; but Heaven & Earth lack of discrimination on the part of is a little different in its habit of the Azez. But whatever it is, Heaven creating "new" minerals from old ones & Earth refuses to say. Evidently by the simple expedient of renaming azeztulite is another secret to be them. Thus the commonplace is made revealed only to channelers and never, to seem rare, the tired old pseudo-
6 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 effects are made to seem new, and their claims as questionable. Here is the customers are made to think another confirmation of the necessity they have bought something un for skepticism, which may be one of usual. the most needed if least appreciated Such misleading advertisers flour of all modes of thought. ish in our modern atmosphere of lenient omnicredulity and scientific —Barbara G. Walker illiteracy. No laws exist to control them. Only an ingrained habit of Barbara G. Walker is the author of The skepticism, combined with willingness Book of Sacred Stones: Fact and to do a bit of research, can identify Fallacy in the Crystal World.
interpretation of the intent and the The Nebraska Experiment:concep t of the telephone service A Paranormal Claims created some misconceptions that need correction. Phone Service The telephone service is now housed at the Department of Psychol ogy on the University of Nebraska- |ebraskans who think they Lincoln (UNL) campus. It is available have seen ghosts, uniden for use by citizens of Nebraska who 1ST tified flying objects or wish to report what they believe may other weird things now have a tele be a paranormal experience—which phone help line they can call for may or may not be able to be explained assistance and information," began an by existing scientific laws—or who Associated Press story released want to discuss any paranormal claim nationwide during the 1991 Easter with a behavioral or physical scientist. weekend. The 24-hour number is 402-472-9493, More than 75 calls were generated and all inquiries are kept confidential. from around the nation within the In 1987,1 established the telephone subsequent five days, including some service through a $10,000 endowment 15 inquiries from the media. CNN with the University of Nebraska Headline News carried the story on Foundation as a public service in edu Easter Sunday, and the following day cation and consumer health. an East Coast radio station called to There are three sub-purposes: (l) ask, "Is this an April Fool's joke?" to provide scientists with a way to Such was the reaction to the AP collect information associated with the release, which was based on a repor subjects reported, (2) to offer the ter's article about what is now called inquirer more access to reliable, the Nebraska Paranormal Referrals factual information for judging the Service and an editor's "piggy-back" validity of these reports or claims, and insert on a then-forthcoming Fortean (3) to offer an atmosphere to the in conference, both published on page 5 quirer that promotes a scientific atti of the March 30, 1991, issue of the tude, respect, and confidentiality. Lincoln Journal-Star. All inquirers are reminded that While the original article with its reputable scientists and other profes insert and the subsequent AP release sionals have not been able to demon contained much that is accurate, their strate claims of the paranormal under
Fall 1993 7 experimental control to the satisfac ferrals in their areas of expertise, such tion of the scientific community in as astronomy, physics, physiology, general; nor are they able to formulate and psychology, and in their areas of quantitative theories that will explain interest, such as ESP, ghosts, mon phenomena people have described. sters, UFO reports, and witchcraft. Inquirers are also informed that The majority of these scientists were humankind's innate curiosity about an integral part of Paranormal Claims the unknown will very likely continue Research, a private group of profes and that someone may someday sors and lay people I co-organized in discover a way to measure phenomena 1980 and dissolved in 1988. Addition not now recognized or understood by ally, anyone in the university system modern science. and elsewhere, including CSICOP, Upon dialing the 24-hour number, with any relevant expertise may be the caller reaches a recording machine consulted. However, names of scien with which to make an inquiry, tists who take referrals are not re describe a report, and leave a phone leased. number or address. During daytime In the fall of 1988, Paranormal hours, Donald D. Jensen, a professor Claims Research's revised Selected Pro/ of psychology at UNL, provides a Con Bibliography of the Paranormal, response, determines if a referral to including the phone service's tele a scientist affiliated with the Univer phone number and information about sity of Nebraska or other appropriate the Nebraska Paranormal Collection, institution is warranted, and mails a was mailed to some 900 law- pro/con bibliography of the para enforcement officials, private and normal to the inquirer. The inquirer public high school principals, college is also informed about the existence and public libraries, and other agency of the Nebraska Paranormal Collec personnel in Nebraska. By December tion housed in Love Library on the of that year, an official announcement UNL campus. Report forms are kept on the service's stationery was mailed in a confidential file, but names of to the same 900 people. callers and their communities are not As a private citizen, I also assisted recorded. in publicizing the existence of the Implementation of the telephone service and the Nebraska Paranormal service originally occurred in March Collection in 1989 by having an 1988 with the assignment of a mental- nouncements placed in the Nebraska health educator in the Department of State Education Association newslet Psychiatry at the University of ter of January 19, the State Patrol Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha Bulletin #9 on March 1, the Nebraska to handle calls and set up the project Library Association Quarterly, Summer within the Research Section when her issue, and the Nebraska Psychologist, or his duties permit. The entire November issue. There was no cov operation is under the direction of the erage in the public media. Chair at the Department of Psychol Despite the limited publicity, there ogy, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, were 54 calls from April 1, 1988, to 209 Burnett Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588- September 30, 1990, a period of two 0308. and half years. A breakdown of the Several behavioral and physical 54 different inquiries reveals that 19 scientists affiliated with the Univer could not be returned (because of sity of Nebraska system and other "giggles" or the lack of a phone institutions volunteered to take re number or address); 22 involved the
8 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 Donald D. Jensen (left), a professor in the UNL Department of Psychology, where the telephone service is now housed, with E. A. Krai, who originally established the service in Omaha in 1987.
paranormal in general; 11 ghost/ the paranormal in general, 40 were in poltergeist/demonic spirits; and 2 UFO the ghost/poltergeist/demonic spirits reports. (Several individuals called category, and 28 were UFO reports. more than once, amounting to 10 Since only 12 contacts occurred more calls, but all calls from one from October 1, 1990, to March 30, individual were tabulated as one 1991, the overwhelming majority inquiry.) were related to the March 30 article It is important to note there were in the Lincoln Journal-Star and the AP 6 demonic-cult reports, which may be story on March 31. Inquiries were over-representative because of media received from all areas of the nation, attention and rumored "satanic cult" many from the East and West coasts. involvement with at least three cases Callers were referred to national in the Omaha area during the 1989- organizations and publications in their 90 school year. Of the 35 legitimate local libraries and local outlets of inquiries, 9 were referred to scientists nationwide bookstores. A few were for future discussion. referred to ABC-TV, since the Requests for information came "20/20" feature on exorcism was from 7 law-enforcement, mental- shown at about the same time the AP health, and library personnel, 11 stu released its story. dents working on term papers, 7 adult Of the 138 legitimate inquiries, 14 individuals at large, and 1 media were referred to scientists for further person. discussion. Requests for information From October 1, 1990, to Sep came from 6 students working on tember 30, 1991, there were 138 calls. term papers, 8 from people "curious" (An additional 14 calls were mis about the service but with no specific directed.) A breakdown of the 138 dif phenomenon to report, and 24 from ferent inquiries reveals that 17 could media members. not be returned because of "giggles," From October 1, 1991, to obscenity, or the lack of phone num December 31, 1992, there were 23 ber or address. Fifty-three involved inquiries, of which 13 involved
Fall 1993 0 requests for sources of information, on the UNMC campus. In November 6 were from outside of Nebraska as 1992, the collection and confidential a result of the 1991 AP story, and 4 file were moved to Love Library on were misdirected or nuisance calls. the UNL campus. People were willing to discuss their The telephone service was inte UFO reports, even though the grated in existing facilities and pro "events" may have occurred 10 to 30 grams with a minimum of university years ago, and they indicated a will time and expense. It is not a new ingness to contact national UFO program or an effort to legitimize groups. Those who reported ghost/ paranormal beliefs or claims, as the poltergeist/demonic spirits were more AP release, the headline writers, and secretive and often voiced fears and the perception of some citizens confusion about their situations. It seemed to suggest. was difficult to provide assistance to Its intent is clearly to help callers some callers from other parts of the pursue the truth rather than to nation because of a lack of knowledge reinforce or perpetuate paranormal of their local resources. beliefs. And while researchers who There was a high degree of "novel- examine the data collected over a ization" in the reports, i.e., they were period of years may not discover closely related to television, motion anything new to science, the citizens picture, and book plots. Most of the of Nebraska will at least be able to UFO reports were similar to previous have confidence in calling a reliable, ones, including a report of "reptoids" scientific, professional source of (intelligent reptiles from other information to assist in their efforts planets) that closely resembled the TV to assess the validity of claims asserted movie "V." Some who reported pol and disseminated, to relieve anxiety, tergeists and demonic spirits were or to satisfy their curiosity. Moreover, looking for a "ghostbuster" service. people who call can have confidence A separate but important adjunct that their information will be treated to the telephone service is the with respect and confidentiality. Nebraska Paranormal Collection, There is also built-in protection which I established in 1980 for the from misuse. The endowment con benefit of laymen and scholars alike. tract stipulates that if the project does Initially, I donated $5,000 and mate not meet a need or does not work as rials with an appraised value of $1,700 intended, then the funding will be to house the collection at the Univer transferred to the Nebraska State sity of Nebraska-Omaha Folklore Historical Society for its uses. Archive, where it was organized by For those who may object to the folklorist and foreign language profes setting in which the service has been sor Richard S. Thill, who also placed housed, I will offer an argument for my UFO field notes in a confidential the involvement of scientists found in file. philosopher Durant Drake's Invitation With a need for more accessibility, to Philosophy (1933; reprinted by and my desire to create an endowment Greenwood Press, 1968): "The insist for long-range maintenance of the ence upon the untrustworthiness of collection, I donated another $5,000 science is usually, if not always, subtle through the University of Nebraska propaganda in favor of some theology Foundation in 1985, and the collection or metaphysics which would take us and the confidential file were moved farther away from the world of to the McGoogan Library of Medicine obdurate reality rather than give us
10 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 a clearer view. Amid the welter of such as education and consumer-health day-dreams, it is safe to cling to issues. That's what the phone service scientific fact. The conclusions of at the UNL Department of Psychology science are the surest knowledge we attempts to offer the citizens of have; and so far as science goes, we can Nebraska. trust it more confidently than any other brand of truth" (emphasis in —E. A. Krai original). All of us, from time to time, need E. A. Krai is former co-chair of the help in separating knowledge from C5ICOP Education Subcommittee and belief. From my perspective, scien was a high school English teacher for 30 tifically verifiable knowledge does years. He is now retired and engages in improve the quality of our lives. That's historical research and writing. Corres what I have concluded will be the pondence may be addressed to him at Box effect of treating paranormal claims 356, Wilber, NE 68465.
Faces Can Be Found bles a face. The dark region in the upper part of the photo is the bladder, Just About Anywhere and the 'face' is the cervix of the uterus, in the lower central part of the photo. he accompanying ultrasound "The facial features are made by image, submitted by Michael H. small cysts (Nabothian cysts) in the T Maiman, M.D., a radiologist in cervix. As much as we scanned the Fremont, California, illustrates once area, we could not make the face
again how readily images that look like disappear. ... It just stayed there, human faces can be found just about staring at us. Being an amateur anywhere. astronomer and recalling the famous "I am enclosing a photo taken from face on Mars, I suspect that this 'face a recent ultrasound examination of a on the cervix' is no random distribu woman's pelvis," Maiman says in his tion of cysts. Can you or CSICOP note. "The examination shows a offer an explanation of this apparently startling image that strongly resem- paranormal phenomenon?" •
Fall 1993 11 D Notes and Comments for everyone to remember the next time we hear of personal testimonies to crashed flying saucers, abductions The discovery of a new species of aboard UFOs, covens committing I mammal in the forests of western ritualistic satanic murders, or any of Vietnam is not only an exciting the myriad alleged psychic-type scientific find but a sobering lesson for wonders. all who might have thought such a thing impossible. The new genus and species of living bovid is reported by The notorious MJ-12 papers are Vietnamese and Hong Kong zoolo I officially not official. Released gists in the June 3 Nature (V. V. Dung nearly six years ago by UFO pro et al., 363:443-445). It has been more moters William L. Moore, Stanton T. than 50 years since any comparable Friedman, and Jaime Shandera, they find of a large mammal species was were purported to be official U.S. made. The last was the kouprey bos, government documents about recov also from Indochina, in 1937. The ery of crashed flying saucers in New bovid family includes cattle, sheep, Mexico. They were immediately sus goats, and antelope, but this Vu pected of being a hoax, and evidence Quang bovid, given the genus name now clearly shows that to be so (see Pseudoryx, differs signicantly from all the three articles about this in SI, of them in appearance, morphology, Winter 1987-88, Spring 1988, and cranial and dental features, and DNA. Winter 1990, for example). Now the An adult weighs about 160 pounds and Office of the Secretary of the Air has long, smooth, almost straight Force has officially designated and slender horns and other diagnostic stamped on them: NOT AN OFFICIAL features. The scientists have exam USAF DOCUMENT, NOT CLASSIFIED, ined more than 20 specimens, all local SUSPECTED FORGERY OR BOGUS DOC hunters' trophies, and they now plan UMENT. The process took so long a three-month field study to observe because only the agency that classifies the living animal. a document has the authority to declassify it. Finally, Philip J. Klass reports in his July 1993 Skeptics UFO Newsletter, Col. Richard L. Weaver, ie syringes-in-Pepsi-cans flap this Deputy for Security and Investigative Ppast June took less than one week Programs in the Office of the Secre to go from scary-sounding cases of tary of the Air Force, "decided to bite multiple unexplained tampering to the bullet and buy an appropriate proved copycat hoaxes, complete with rubber stamp." Klass nominates Col. surveillance-camera videotape of one Weaver to receive "the USAF's Medal of the perpetrators and multiple for Outstanding Bravery and Valor arrests. The flap illustrates once again, Under Deadly Fire." if a reminder is needed, that there is virtually no limit to the human temptation toward deception. Good —Kendrick Frazier
12 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal announces the 1994 CSICOP Conference at the Doubletree Suites Hotel in SEATTLE WASHINGTON Friday, Saturday, and Sunday June 24,25, and 26
The Belief Engine: Developing a Worldview The Psychology of Credulity Therapy-Induced Memories Anomalies of Perception: The Unreliability of Memory Anomalies of Interpretation: Cognitive and Heuristic Biases Rumors, Urban Myths, and the Media Junk Psychology in the Courts and much morel
ACCOMMODATIONS: Doubletree Suites Hotel: Single/double $79. (Mention CSICOP Conference for this special rate. Cut-off date for conference rate is June 8.) All suites have livingroom, bedroom, and bath; two telephones, two televisions, refrigerator, and wetbar, plus complimentary full breakfast buffet. Or stay at the Doubletree Inn directly across the street. Single/double $65. Complimentary shuttle service to and from Sea-Tac Airport to Doubletree Suites or Doubletree Inn 15 minutes from downtown. For more information, call or write Mary Rose Hays, CSICOP, Box 703, Buffalo, NY 14226, 716-636-1425. BELIEVE IT.
You can make a lasting impact on the future of skepticism —
. when you provide for the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER in your will. CSICOP and the SKEPTICAL We would be happy to work with INQUIRER changed the terms of dis you and your attorney in the cussion in fields ranging from pseu- development of a will or estate plan doscience and the paranormal to that meets your wishes. A variety of science and educational policy. You arrangements are possible, in can take an enduring step to preserve cluding gifts of a fixed amount or a its vitality when you provide for the percentage of your estate; living SKEPTICAL INQUIRER in your will. trusts or gift annuities, which pro Your bequest to CSICOP, Inc., will vide you with a lifetime income; or help to provide for the future of a contingent bequest that provides skepticism as it helps to keep the for the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER only if SKEPTICAL INQUIRER financially your primary beneficiaries do not secure. Depending on your tax situa survive you. tion, a charitable bequest to CSICOP may have little impact on the net size For more information, contact of your estate—or may even result in Barry Karr, Executive Director of a greater amount being available to CSICOP. All inquiries will be held your beneficiaries. in the strictest confidence. P.O. Box 703, Buffalo, New York 14226-0703 716-636-1425 Notes of a Fringe-Watcher MARTIN GARDNER • Weird Water, or H, Oh! How sweet from the green mossy Bloom, in Joyce's Ulysses (pp. 442-443), brim to receive it, fills almost two pages with poetic As poised on the curb it inclined to musings on the wonders of water. my lips! In view of water's omnipresence, Not a full blushing goblet would it is hardly surprising that it would tempt me to leave it, be involved, throughout history, with The brightest that beauty or all sorts of preposterous claims. In revelry sips. recent decades there have been two —Samuel Woodworth, outstanding instances, neither of "The Old Oaken Bucket" which turned out to hold water. In 1968 a top Soviet chemist startled the scientific world by revealing tests e are so familiar with ordi showing that distilled water, when it nary water that we forget condensed in hairlike capillary tubes, W how magical it is. Cool it and turned into "polywater," so called it turns into a solid. Heat it and it because it acquired a polymeric molec vanishes into thin air. Under certain ular structure with fantastic proper weather conditions it becomes snow, ties. Federal agencies squandered with its beautiful crystals. Salt water millions on polywater research. covers most of the earth's surface, Hundreds of reports were published from which it rises as invisible vapor in scientific journals before it was to make clouds. The clouds condense shown that polywater doesn't exist. to produce salt-free rain, which in turn It was nothing more than ordinary fills rivers and lakes. The rivers flow water contaminated by human per into the sea, and the awesome cycle spiration and silica from glass and repeats endlessly. Clearly, life as we quartz containers. know it could not exist without water. Another much-publicized flap over "Be careful with water!" reads one a peculiar kind of water occurred in of Ashleigh Brilliant's aphorisms. "It's 1988, when a French biochemist, full of hydrogen and oxygen." Is it not funded by a firm that made homeo amazing that, when those two gases pathic medicines, announced a dra combine, something emerges, seem matic confirmation of homeopathic ingly from nowhere, with totally theory. Homeopathic doctors main different properties? "Water-lover" tain that when one of their drugs is Fall 1993 15 diluted in water to such a degree that The British philosopher Bishop no molecule of the substance remains, George Berkeley, for whom Berkeley, the dose somehow becomes extremely California, is named, wrote an entire potent. The French laboratory claimed book extolling the healing powers of that when all the molecules of a water contaminated by tar. Holy certain antibody are removed by water, blessed by pagan and Christian repeated dilutions, the water, owing priests, has for centuries been taken to some unknown process, manages by believers to have healing proper to "remember" the antibody's proper ties. Oral Roberts once mailed to his ties. "Water with a memory" it was financial contributors tiny vials of called. This watery claim, too, quickly water that he and his son Richard had evaporated when serious flaws were blessed. found in the French experiments. (See Belief in the curative power of my article on this in the Winter 1989 ordinary water reached its apex in the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, reprinted with 1850s, when hydropathy, or water an Addendum in my On the Wild Side cure, became a mania in America and [Prometheus Books, 1992].) Europe. All over the land, especially A book would be needed to cover in New England, water-cure resorts all the spurious claims made in the past sprang up, charging rates only the for water's curative properties. We all wealthy could afford. They were know the medieval legend about the patronized by millions of the ill, Fountain of Youth, and how it spurred including such famous men and Ponce de Leon to search for it in women as William James and Harriet Florida. The New Testament (John 5: Beecher Stowe. Stowe spent ten 2-9) tells of a pool at Bethesda where months at a water-cure resort, and her an angel periodically "troubled the husband was there later for a year. water," giving it the power to cause Hundreds of books promoted hydrop miraculous cures. Since recorded athy. There were several impressive history, all over the world, certain journals, notably the popular Water- pools, wells, and springs have been Cure Journal, published by the Fowler thought to have great healing brothers, the nation's best-known powers. phrenologists. During the previous century and A classic crank work, Rational the first half of this century, health- Hydropathy (1900), was written by giving bottled "mineral water," said to the Seventh-day Adventist (before come from natural sources, was he was excommunicated) John Harvey widely advertised and sold. Mineral Kellogg. The inventor of breakfast springs, especially those with hot cereal, he was founder and head of water, were visited by millions of the famous Battle Creek Sanitarium, eager bathers. In recent decades in Michigan. My copy, a 1906 third companies have made enormous prof revised edition, is three inches thick, its selling bottled water to customers has 1,217 pages, weighs five pounds, who assumed it was free of the and contains 293 illustrations, some chemicals in tap water. In some cases, in full color. Every known ailment, inspections showed that the bottled according to the doctor, can be cured water actually came from taps. Perri- or helped by proper applications of er's popular mineral water was once cold, hot, or tepid water. Here is what found to contain toxic benzene, and Kellogg has to say about the sitz bath the firm was forced to recall 72 million (bathing in a sitting position with bottles. water above the hips): 16 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 COMBINED RAIN DOUCHE. HORIZONTAL JET. AND MULTIPLE CIRCLE DOUCHE from Kellogg's Rational Hy&opatny. page 473 The sitz bath is useful for chronic their severe ailments. A farmer in congestions of the abdominal and sisted his wheat crop greatly increased pelvic viscera, diarrhea, piles, dysen after he soaked the seeds in Catalyst tery, constipation, uterine diseases, Water. Giant fruits and plants were and genital and urinary disorders. In shown, allegedly produced by spray treating female diseases it is an ing buds with Catalyst Water. indispensable remedy. It is very valuable in various nervous affec A recent advertising brochure from tions, especially those which imme Lyke and Associates, in Hoffman diately involve the brain. Estates, Illinois, says that in ten years it has sold more than two million Kellogg defined a "douche" as a bottles of the water. The price listed stream of water aimed at any part of is $24.95 per bottle, plus $4.00 for the body. More than 30 different kinds UPS shipping. Dan Vasil, a chiroprac of douches are discussed, with pho tor, is quoted in the brochure as saying tographs. The soles of the feet, the "catalyst" alters the water's Kellogg wrote, are connected by molecular structure, "making its nerves to the bowels, genitals, and molecules smaller." This allows them brain. "A short, very cold douche to to "penetrate the cell's walls at a much the feet, combined with strong pres greater rate and carry nutrient to sure . . . dilates the vesicles of the where it needs to be." uterus, and is hence useful in Catalyst Water can be imbibed or amenorrhea." applied locally to the skin. You can add Bathing feet, we are informed, it to bath water and brush your teeth alleviates "headaches, neuralgia, with it. The Lyke brochure prints toothache, catarrh, congestion of the stirring testimonials of cures. No abdominal and pelvic organs, colds, addresses are supplied, and a note and cold feet." How good to know that reveals that "names have been hot water will warm cold feet! A wet changed to protect privacy." This of towel wrapped around the body "is a course makes it impossible to check very efficient remedy for constipation, authenticity. The testimonials tell chronic diarrhea, and most other how the water cured sinusitis, skin intestinal disorders. It is equally ulcers, liver spots, arthritis, irregular valuable in dyspepsia, torpid liver, heartbeats, warts, constipation, sore enlarged spleen, and uterine derange throats, and insomnia. It stopped ments." cataract growth, allowed a diabetic to I am indebted to reader William decrease his insulin, and made a Carleton for sending me recent liter woman's face look younger. Litera ature promoting what it calls "Cata ture from other firms selling the lyst Water." In July 1980, Harry water claims that it grows hair, Reasoner, on CBS's "60 Minutes" preserves food, cures cancer in cows, television show, interviewed John cleans walls and paintbrushes, and Wesley Willard, the inventor of Cata unclogs drains. lyst Water, and many of his enthu A phone call to William Jarvis, siastic patients in Rapid City, South CSICOP's medical-claims expert, Dakota. Ingredients in the water's turned up the bizarre history of secret formula, Willard said, act as a Catalyst Water. It was originally called catalyst, transforming the water into "Willard's Water," after its discoverer, a powerful curative agent. Several who was then a chemistry professor people in Rapid City told Reasoner at the South Dakota School of Mines how rapidly Willard's water cured and Technology, in Rapid City. In the 18 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 1930s Willard patented a detergent holds a doctor of divinity degree from used to clean passenger trains. Later the Church of Humanity, which he he discovered it had marvelous cura himself founded. tive properties for both humans and In 1982, the U.S. Food and Drug beasts. He attributed this to the fact Administration (FDA) threw cold that it decreases surface tension, water on Willard and his son by allowing water to permeate cell mem refusing to approve their water as branes more readily. medicine. The Willards agreed to stop For many years "Doc" Willard sold promoting it as a curative agent. FDA his water through CAW Industries, laboratories found that the water, in CAW being the initials of "Catalyst spite of claims that it used no "chem Altered Water." His son, William J. icals," contained varying combinations Willard, eventually took over the firm. of rock salt, lignite, sodium meta- After the great boost provided by "60 silicate, sulfated castor oil, calcium Minutes," several other firms acquired chloride, and magnesium sulfate. The distribution rights for the water. amounts are so small, however, that Domino Chemicals, in New York, drinking the water apparently has no called it "biowater." Solvent, Inc., in baleful effects. Kansas City, Kansas, advertised "Wil- This column would be incomplete lard's Water as seen on CBS '60 without mention of those inventors Minutes.' " In Fort Lauderdale, Flor who every few years announce their ida, Russ Michael, president of the discovery of a cheap way to separate Fountain of Youth International hydrogen from oxygen in water. The Trust, published a book about the hydrogen is then used to run engines. water called Miracle Cures. He puts The catch is that all methods of "Dr." in front of his name because he splitting water require more energy Fall 1993 19 than the energy that can be extracted initials plus X). It split tap water into from the hydrogen. If an energy hydrogen and oxygen, which could output exceeds input, perpetual- then be used to run cars. Morris motion machines would be possible. Mirkin, a wealthy businessman, My random clippings on water- bought rights. Morris Shade, a retired powered motors only scratch the Air Force colonel who served as a surface. In 1910, John Andrews, a science advisor to Senator Barry Canadian Navy seaman, claimed he Goldwater, told reporters: "It works. could split water by putting a green ... It is such a profound breakthrough powder into tap water. He surfaced in thermonuclear physics that it will again in 1935 to demonstrate his astound the world by providing an magic powder to the U.S. Bureau of unlimited energy source." Skeptical Standards. Two years later he was physicists were accused of "tunnel mysteriously murdered in the base vision" (Science News, April 24, 1976; ment of his home in Library, Pennsyl New York Times, March 29 and April vania. This suggested to writers 23, 1976, and July 10, 1978). obsessed by conspiracies that big car In 1990 a firm called the Water Fuel and oil firms had done him in to keep Cell, in Grace City, Ohio, issued a sales his product off the market. manual of several hundred pages In 1973, Guido French claimed to about their method of powering transform water into what he called engines with tap water. Its manual "mota" fuel ("atom" backward), also swarms with biblical quotations fore by using a green powder. Occult telling this great breakthrough. In journalist Tom Valentine interviewed 1992, the Reno Gazette-Journal (May him for the National Exchange tabloid 18) reported that physicist Rudolf (January 1977). French said he learned Gunnerman could run car engines his secret formula from a German with a 50-50 mix of water and gas scientist, but at other times he claimed oline. What he called "catalytic poles" he got it from spacemen who lived on split the water into hydrogen and Neptune. He wanted $250,000 up oxygen. Plasma physicist Milton front to disclose his secret, $10 million Rothman exploded Gunnerman's in escrow, and one cent per gallon claims in "Running on H20," an article royalty on all fuel sold. in CSICOP's Skeptical Briefs newsletter In 1976, Jean Chambrin, in Rouen, (September 1992). France, claimed he could run engines The notion that mammoth corpo on a mixture of 60 percent water and rations, fiercely competitive, suppress 40 percent alcohol (Atlas World Press such inventions is, of course, baloney. Review, December 1975 and February It is regrettable enough when the 1976). Archie Blue, in London, media, ever eager to sensationalize extracted $17,000 from three busi science, publicize miracle-water nessmen for a similar scheme (Toronto inventors. It is more tragic when Star, October 12, 1977). honest but ignorant investors stub Sam Leslie Leech, of California, bornly refuse advice from knowledge generated a surprising amount of able physicists, only to find themselves media coverage in the late seventies in hot water as their funds dribble with a machine he called SLX (his down the drain. o 20 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 Psychic Vibrations Alien Stigmata, Shy Craft, and a UFO Conference ROBERT SHEAFFER ie scope of the great saucer crash- Remarkably, a number of their sub and-abduction conspiracy seems jects were supposedly abducted just Tto be growing daily. The 1993 before the meeting, as if the aliens had movie Fire in the Sky recast the 1975 wanted to tease the HUFON inves Travis Walton "UFO abduction" story tigators with extra clues. in the mold of the frightening 1990s "Starting December 8," HUFON mutilation-and-death scenario to reports, "several of the subjects on the which Budd Hopkins has accustomed panel were reabducted. These abduc- us. However, the film seems to have made little impact on the public, in spite of its sensational eye-gouging scene (a detail Walton himself had neglected to report). In a related development, William Cone, a Southern California psy chotherapist who counsels "abduc- tees," has discovered what he claims is a new stigmata of alien abduction: a hole in the palate of the mouth. Cone cited such blemishes as evidence that alien captors had violated three of his patients with "implants." However, Philip J. Klass suggests in his Skeptics UFO Newsletter that Cone would do well to consult Gray's Anatomy, which notes that "occasionally there may be a hole in the middle line of the hard palate." The most astonishing news is that of the "Houston mass abduction" reported by Derrel Sims of the Hous ton UFO Network (HUFON). That group, which had been studying people who claim to have been abducted, scheduled an abductees' panel discussion last December 10. Fall 1993 21 tions were not realized at the time, miles outside of New York City. John but over the next few days, many of Ford, chairman of the Long Island the abductees began suffering PAS UFO Network (LIUFON), reports that (Post Abduction Syndrome)." A an object was seen to go down on number of the abductees reported November 24,1992, at approximately having nosebleeds and/or sinus pains 7:15 P.M. The Suffolk County Police prior to the panel, which UFOlogists closed some nearby roads, claiming claim was caused by their being there had been an accident; but this prodded and violated by extraterres is believed to be part of the cover-up, trial captors, presumably implanting as some witnesses claim to have monitoring devices. The meeting on actually seen the object impact in a December 10 went well, producing no park. Others claim to have experi surprises; but, the morning after, enced bizarre electromagnetic distur many of the abductees "awoke to find bances. Unfortunately, LIUFON they had nosebleeds during the night." reports that its investigation is being The alien abductors had apparently hampered by harassment from police returned to retrieve what they had officials. recently implanted, and perhaps with The Center for the Study of Extra it a complete record of the previous terrestrial Ingelligence (CSETI, not to day's proceedings. This supposed be confused with NASA's SETI pro reabduction was readily confirmed by gram), in Asheville, North Carolina, hypnotic regression. "The significance attempts to make contact with UFO of this event cannot be overlooked," occupants. Steven Greer, director of HUFON notes. "It would appear that CSETI, recently dispatched his Rapid the implants were deliberately placed Mobilization Investigation Team to in the abductees before the HUFON Mexico in response to a rash of meeting and removed the day after." sightings there. On its third night But pioneer UFO abductee Betty there, while the group was engaged Hill warns in James Moseley's Saucer in Coherent Thought Sequencing Smear newsletter that many such (CTS), Greer sensed that he should claimed abductions are "psychological" sit up and look to the right, where rather than physical. In real UFO he beheld a "structured craft" travel abductions, she explains, "no sexual ing eastward. He flashed a high- interest is shown. However, fre powered light at the craft, which quently they help themselves to some flashed back at him in return. "The of our belongings, such as fishing rods, group moved into the next field, jewelry of different types, eyeglasses, continuing to signal as the craft made or a cup of laundry soap." Another an elegant sweeping right turn and criterion, explains Hill, is that "no real aligned with the field." Unfortunately, abductions have resulted in therapy," the object was "camera shy," for "no which, if correct, forces us to rank the sooner was the video turned on when story of her own famous "Interrupted the craft stopped its approach. Journey" among the bogus. Although the camera was trained at the brilliant craft, there was no light being registered!" As for saucer crashes, the most recent incident to come to light occurred not in some remote desert in New Mexico, In UFO-conspiracy developments, a but in Yaphank, Long Island, a few May UFO conference that may be "the 22 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 \^*f^coA.hu^-' »--oire r most important event of the year" was capability to distort both time and held in the tiny desert hamlet of gravity. (When mainstream scientists, Rachel, Nevada, at least a two-hour who thus far only know of 106 drive north of Las Vegas. This unlikely elements, catch up with this discovery, location was chosen because of its they will no doubt name this mirac proximity to the famous "Area 51" at ulous element Lazarium, after its Groom Lake (see this column, Spring discoverer.) Lazar further claims that 1992, p. 250), where the U.S. govern in 1979 a military Special Forces ment is said to keep nine alien saucers officer inadvertently violated security in secret hangars, attempting to regulations during a meeting with reverse-engineer their engines, per aliens, who immediately "liquidated" haps even under the supervision of the him. When other Special Forces agents aliens themselves. One of the organ stormed the room, they, too, were izers of the conference was Gary "liquidated," along with 44 govern Schultz, director of a group known as ment scientists who were unfortunate the Secret Saucer Base Expeditions, enough to be watching. However, the based in Southern California. Schultz deaths of all these persons was easily is convinced that the government is hushed up. Lazar says, because the hiding alien crafts at Papoose Lake (10 government has wisely recruited miles south of Groom Lake) and that orphans and loners for such work. a joint technological exchange pro If attendees at the Rachel Confer gram of some type is going on among ence failed to bring back indisputable aliens, the military, and a select group photos and evidence of government of top scientists. saucers, it should not be taken as The star of the conference was the evidence against their claims; rather, reclusive Bob Lazar, who regaled the conference organizers announced in crowd with wild tales. Lazar claims to advance that they had learned from be a physicist and that government unnamed sources that for security agents have erased all record of his reasons all test flights of alien vehicles studies at Caltech and MIT. Lazar says were to be shut down from five days that the saucers' propulsion system is before the conference until five days based on Element 115, which has the afterward. D Fall 1993 23 "Crank science books far outsell most books by reputable scientists. wrote the words above way back in 1981, in my book Science: Good, Bad and Bogus. I think they are still true. The book is a collection of essays, many of them culled from the pages of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. There I dealt with ESP, biorhythms, psychics, and dozens of other fringe-science phenomena. That was then. This is now. Hardly anyone takes biorhythms, ancient astronauts, or the Bermuda Triangle seriously anymore. I expect that this is at least partly because the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER and its parent, CSICOP, have been doing their work. Psychics? We have lots more to do there. But we need to work from a position of strength. That's where the Center for Inquiry comes in. The Center, in Amherst, New York (a suburb of Buffalo, 60 miles from Rochester, 80 miles from Toronto, an hour by air from New York City, five hours from California), will be able to dedicate these fea- Martin Gardner, co-chairman of CSICOP's "Price of Reason" Campaign $3.96 million tures to the skeptical movement with the success of its "Price of Reason" Campaign: 1. The world's largest skeptics' library 2. Our own seminar, meeting, and conference rooms 3. Our own video and audio $3 million production center The new facility will be adja cent to the Amherst Campus of the State University of New York at Buffalo, the largest campus of the country's largest state uni versity system. $2 million Price: $3.96 million in donated capital. I am proud to be co- chairman of this effort with $1,720000 Steve Allen. We have both given Total raised thus far in gifts, pledges, trusts, to it. But we can't accomplish our and bequests in the goals without your participation, Center for Inquiry "Price of Reason" Campaign too. (a joint project of CSICOP and CODESH) Please use the postpaid re as of August 1993. sponse card in this issue, and let us know how you would like to help out. SPECIAL REPORT Perspectives on Education in America': Sandia Study Challenges Misconceptions KENDRICK FRAZIER if you think that —documented declines in SAT scores mean American secondary school students are doing worse —American schools are among the worst in the world —students are dropping out of school at increasingly alarming rates —American schools are graduating fewer and fewer technically trained students then you might want to reconsider those assumptions in view of an independent systems study of education in America that after three A controversial years has finally seen the light of day and been published.1 study has just During those three years, photocopied been published summaries of the study were circulating like an underground samizdat throughout the educa that provides tional community. The study, titled "Perspec some surprising tives on Education in America," was carried out by three scientists at Sandia National Labora insights into U.S. tories, Robert M. Huelskamp, Charles C. education. Carson, and Thomas D. Woodall. It provoked an immediate debate on the status of education. Scores of newspaper columns and editorials have been written about it. Some educators and media commentators have accused government agencies in Washington of delaying or even suppressing the document. The agencies said the report had been undergoing peer review. (It did undergo additional peer review at that point). Sandia has received nearly a thousand requests 26 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 for the report. Schoolboard members, teachers, and administrators have spoken positively about it at meetings. "To their surprise, on Many have taken heart from its fresh nearly every measure they analyses of the facts and its sometimes surprising conclusions. found steady or slightly Almost all educators familiar with improving trends." the study have taken the results as confirmation that things aren't as bad as they have often, for whatever has world expertise in dozens of areas reason, been painted. Some Adminis of science and engineering. It increas tration officials, on the other hand, ingly has broad interactions with U.S. argued publicly with the interpreta industry aimed at strengthening tions and worried that the results technologies critical to the country's might lead to unwarranted compla future. As a result of all this, Sandia, cency. For nearly two years, the the Perspectives analysts note, has a authors weren't in a position to "keen interest" in the education respond or even talk about their study. system that develops future scientists, Nevertheless they adamantly oppose engineers, and mathematicians. any suggestion that the study is When the Bush Administration in defending the status quo rather than 1989 set forth its National Education seeking a fundamental understanding Goals and then-Secretary of Energy of the facts. Some people felt the James Watkins challenged the national culprit in the delays was a former laboratories to become more involved federal administration that, for its in education, Sandia took up the call. own reasons, seemed to want to The New Initiatives Department of present public schools in as bad a light Sandia's Strategic Studies Center as possible. (Some of the best reports undertook a wide-ranging analysis of on these aspects of the controversy secondary-school education systems. have been written by Julie A. Miller The purpose was to see how Sandia of Education Week, for example, May might best direct its efforts. The three 26, 1993, September 23, 1992, and Sandia systems analysts examined the October 9, 1991.) For its part, Sandia areas of historical performance, had no axe to grind; it just wanted including dropout-retention rates, to present the findings. It certainly standardized tests, expenditures, wanted no part of any controversy, international comparisons, and the and this one has caused it considerable status of educators; and of future pain. requirements, including workforce How did the whole thing come skills, changing demographics, and about? What about the results is so education goals. To their surprise, on surprising to those who have been nearly every measure they found critical of the state of American steady or slightly improving trends. education? The participants told a Congres Sandia National Laboratories, sional subcommittee on July 18, 1991: headquartered in Albuquerque, New "The study is producing interesting Mexico, is one of the nation's largest results. It has greatly changed Sandia's scientific and engineering labora initial perceptions in several of the tories. Operated for the U.S. Depart areas and reinforced others. Overall ment of Energy, it conducts scientific it provides an objective 'outsider' research for the U.S. government. It perspective on the status of education Fall 1993 27 dropped from the 79th percentile in class rank to the 73rd percentile. "If every ethnic or racial Additionally, every ethnic group population has maintained or taking the test is performing as well or better today than it did 15 years generally improved its average ago. More people in America are SAT score in recent years [and aspiring to achieve a college education than ever before, and the national it has], how can the combined SAT average is lowered as more average decline during that students in the third and fourth quartiles of their high school classes interval?" take the test. "This phenomenon, known as in the United States." Simpson's paradox, shows that an Some of the results may be of average can change in a direction particular interest to our readers. opposite from all subgroups if the Perhaps the most surprising find proportion of the total represented by ing involves standardized tests. The the subgroups changes." analysts discovered that the much- (In an interview in the April Omni, publicized "decline" in average SAT mathematics professor and Innumer- (Scholastic Aptitude Test) scores acy author John Allen Paulos cited this among U.S. college-bound high school same SAT score information as an students misrepresents the true story example of how readily even well- about student SAT performance. educated people can be fooled by Average SAT scores have declined counterintuitive data. In Innumeracy, (about 5 percent) over the past 20 page 41, he gives a somewhat similar years. The Sandia analysts learned, example of how a baseball player can however, that while it is true that lead the league in hitting for both average SAT scores have been declin halves of the season yet come in ing, the reason for the decline is not second for the whole season.) decreasing student performance. Fol The Sandia analysts found that if lowing some declines in the 1970s, SAT scores are controlled for class every minority subpopulation taking rank and gender, so that the popu the SAT showed general improve lation of students taking the test ment in its average score during the matches that of the 1975 test-takers, 1980s. At the same time, scores by the average performance of these whites remained stable. (See chart on "traditional" test-takers on the SAT page 29.) has actually improved by more than "This raises an interesting ques 30 points. (They quickly note that this tion," they say. "If every ethnic or improved score may be misleading too, racial population has maintained or however, as better test preparation generally improved its average SAT and other nonaptitude factors may score in recent years, how can the contribute to it.) The point, say the combined average decline during that Sandia analysts, is that "student same interval? performance on the SAT is far too "We found that the decline arises complex to be discussed in terms of from the fact that more students in decline or improvements in average the bottom half of the class are taking scores." the SAT today than in years past. Another indicator of education Since 1971, the median test-taker has achievement has been the National 28 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 Average SAT Scores - Subpopulations 1000 White 900 • k_ Asian-American O o American-Indian w _ §, 600 "["Mexican-American > Puerto Rican < 700 - Black 600 1975 1980 1985 1990 Source: NCES From the Sandia report. Assessment of Educational Progress lying problems, however. The Sandia (NAEP). The Sandia analysts found analysts found that the "fine struc that the fraction of students scoring ture" indicates that the most signif at or above a given level has generally icant dropout problems are among remained steady or has increased for minority youth and students in urban all age groups and subject areas. schools. While nearly 80 percent of "Although the gains have been modest white students complete high school at best, the national data on student on time, and 88 percent do so by age performance do not indicate signifi 25, minorities do not fare as well. cant declines in any area." One encouraging trend is that, They hasten to add that they are with the exception of Hispanics, not implying that the performance dropout rates are declining for all levels are adequate for today's or ethnicities and community types. One tomorrow's society, only that accord interesting finding is that the lowest ing to the NAEP assessment, student dropout rate by far of any such group performance is not in decline. is among suburban blacks. Suburban Another key area is dropout blacks drop out at a much lower rate assessment. than even suburban whites (6.8 per "Our investigation shows that cent compared with 11.8 percent). The America's 'on-time' high school grad high Hispanic dropout rate is troub uation rate has been steady for over ling. But the study says recent immi 20 years at roughly 75% to 80%. gration of Hispanics, many of whom However, some students require more come into the U.S. school system with than four years to complete high inadequate background to succeed, "is school, and many dropouts avail significantly inflating dropout figures themselves of opportunities to reenter for the Hispanic population." This (GED, night school, etc.), resulting in doesn't mean there isn't a serious an overall high school completion rate problem; but it does help point out for young adults of over 85 percent. more precisely where attention must This rate is improving and is among be focused to try to solve it. the best in the world" (emphasis added). On another issue, funding, the Gross numbers can mask under analysts found that almost all of the Fall 1993 29 Percent of 22-Year-Olds Obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in Science and Engineering 10 E3 1970 • 1975 • 1980 0 1987 8 - % Japan FRG France Canada Source: NCES From the Sandia report. increase in total average expenditures science and engineering degrees at a for secondary and elementary educa much higher rate than their peers in tion in the 1980s has gone for special the 1960s. education and for fixed expenses • From 1977 to 1987, the total (retirement, social security taxes, and number of bachelor's degrees awarded insurance). Expenditures for regular to U.S. citizens in math, computer education have remained constant. science, physical science, and engi Special-ed students now account for neering rose more than 75 percent, 11 percent of all students (up from from roughly 90,000 degrees in 1977 8 percent in 1977), and they require to 155,000 in 1987. (The increase more than twice the expenditure per among males was 70 percent; among pupil as regular students. females, 200 percent.) "As a national Some other findings: laboratory, we were particularly • About three in five (57%) U.S. interested in possible shortages in youths attempt postsecondary stud technical-degree attainment. To our ies. This is roughly the high-school surprise, we found that about 200,000 graduation rate of the early 1950s. U.S. students earn technical bachelor's Moreover, they say, this rate is about degrees each year, up significantly twice that of Japanese students. from 20 years ago, but representing • Approximately one in four per a fairly steady rate of 4-5% of U.S. sons in the 25- to 29-year-old age youth getting degrees in natural group has completed at least a four- science and engineering." year college degree. This rate is nearly On international comparisons: the same as the U.S. high school • "We found little credible data on graduation rate of the 1930s. international comparisons of educa • The percentage of 22-year-olds tion." Differences in educational goals, obtaining bachelor's degrees in the philosophy, and culture make mean natural sciences and engineering was ingful comparisons very difficult. In rather stable from 1960 to 1980, at the U.S. the democratic value of nearly 4 percent. The 1980s data "education for all" is a goal; in other indicate that youth today are choosing countries there may be much more 30 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 "weeding out" at earlier ages. "Based minority and urban students on the sparse data available . . . , —Adjusting to demographic average U.S. student performance changes and immigration continues to be low in both math and —Improving the status of elemen science, compared to other partici tary and secondary educators: "Much pants. The major differences in edu of the blame for problems in educa cation systems and cultures across tion, real and imagined, has been countries diminish the value of these placed on local teachers and admin single-point comparisons." istrators. This has resulted in feelings • "Other international indicators of low self-esteem and bitterness. of education-system performance reflect well on the U.S. Only Belgium —Upgrading the quality of educa and Finland exceed the U.S. in the tional data: "The available data . . . percentage of 17-year-olds enrolled in are often used by decision makers in school." unintended, and sometimes inapprop • "The U.S. continues to lead the riate, applications. The use of inap world in the percentage of young propriate, simplistic, or highly people obtaining bachelor's degrees aggregated data will most likely result and in the percentage of degrees in poorly focused actions, with disap obtained by women and minorities. pointing outcomes." The report, while This is true for both technical and emphasizing that the U.S. education nontechnical degrees. The U.S. also system faces serious challenges, crit has the most balanced male/female icizes "counterproductive rhetoric" ratio for both technical and nontech based on simplistic data and anecdotes. nical degrees." In the United States, "Much of this rhetoric is a distraction in fact, women now earn more bache that diverts the nation's focus away lor's degrees than men do, and this from real [education] problems." trend could soon extend to graduate degrees. Note • "Our comparison of technical workforces reflected well on the U.S. 1. Charles C. Carson, Robert M. Huels- education system. Although the Uni kamp, and Thomas D. Woodall, "Perspectives on Education in America." Journal of Edu ted States lags behind other countries cational Research, 86(5):257-312, May-June in certain specialties (such as industrial 1993 (entire issue). Copies of the Sandia engineering), the overall technical and report are available for $9.50 from the ]ER, nontechnical degree attainment by the Heldref Publications, 1319 18th St. NW, Washington DC 20036-1802. A summary of workforce and population as a whole the report, by Huelskamp and with the same is unparalleled in the world." title, was published in the May 1993 Phi Delta The Sandians conclude by identi Kappan, the professional fraternity in fying five primary challenges facing education. education today: —Forming a national consensus Kendrick Frazier is Editor of the and finding leadership in educational SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. He is also a improvement ("extremely difficult" member of the staff of Sandia National because education "has so many stake Laboratories and has delayed writing holders") about this report and controversy until it —Improving the performance of was published. Fall 1993 31 Do 'Honesty' Tests Really Measure Honesty? SCOTT O. LILIENFELD aypersons and scientists alike have long been intrigued by the prospect of develop L ing a foolproof technique for assessing deception (Lykken 1981). Perhaps because lying is so prevalent in our daily experience (Saxe 1991) and because humans are such fallible lie detectors (even the most perspicacious among us are capable of distinguishing truths from falsehoods no more than about 70 to 85 percent of the time [Ekman 1985; Lykken 1981]), the Self-report public has maintained a fascination with methods purported to detect dishonesty with "honesty" tests are essentially perfect accuracy. Nevertheless, for misnamed and decades the validity of such methods has been an ongoing source of controversy among appear to suffer researchers (e.g., Lykken 1979; Raskin and from some of the Podlesny 1979). In this article, I focus upon what same shortcomings has recently become the most widespread and lucrative technology in the detection-of- that have plagued deception industry: the use of self-report the polygraph test "honesty" questionnaires for pre-employment and other standard screening. lie-detection Overview of "Honesty" Techniques methods. Most of the early efforts to assess dishonesty were predicated upon the existence of a "Pinocchio response"—a supposed observable reaction that always occurs while telling lies but never at other times. Undoubtedly the greatest amount of public and scientific attention has focused upon the polygraph, or "lie detector," test, which has often been used by companies to identify individuals responsible for theft and other crimes in the workplace. In addition, the polygraph test has frequently been utilized as a pre-employment screening device to detect potential employees with a history of criminality 32 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 (Lykken 1981). The polygraph test sion of the potential use of brain was invented by William Marston, electrical activity in lie detection), the whose other major creation was the polygraph test rests upon an untena comic-book character "Wonder ble assumption. Because autonomic Woman," who induced criminals to tell arousal can stem from a variety of the truth by encircling their waists sources, including surprise, anger, with a magical lasso. The standard fear, disgust, guilt, and even amuse polygraph test compares subjects' ment, individuals can exhibit more autonomic responses, such as their elevated autonomic responses to heart rate, respiration, and palmar relevant questions than to other sweating, to "relevant" questions questions for a multitude of reasons ("Did you rob the bank?") with their other than lying. Thus the polygraph autonomic responses to "irrelevant" test suffers from what Ekman (1985) questions ("Were you born in the has termed the "Othello error," after U.S.?"). Many variants of the poly the tragic Shakespearean character graph test also include "control" who mistook his wife's distress at his questions designed to gauge the accusations as proof of her infidelity— subject's autonomic responsitivity to namely, the error of interpreting known lies (Lykken 1981). Subjects arousal as evidence of deceit (also see who consistently exhibit more pro Shneour 1990). For example, a subset nounced autonomic reactions to rele of innocent subjects, sometimes vant questions compared with other referred to as "guilt-grabbers," appear questions are presumed to have given to exhibit elevated autonomic dishonest responses to the former. responses to relevant questions as a consequence of an overly harsh con Nevertheless, as there is no scien science. Such people often show tific evidence for a specific autonomic marked physiological arousal follow lie response (Lykken 1981; but see ing questions like "Did you strangle Bashore and Rapp 1993 for a discus Fall 1993 33 (Schatzberg and Cole 1986). There is no evidence that this so-called truth "Like the polygraph, many serum increases the probability of honesty tests, paradoxically, honest responding, and it seems likely that amytal simply lowers the thresh may penalize particularly old for reporting virtually all memo moral individuals, many of ries, both accurate and inaccurate. Popular misconceptions notwith whom may be the 'guilt- standing, hypnosis appears no better grabbers' erroneously detected at recapturing veridical memories (Hilgard 1981). Voice stress analysis by the polygraph test." (Ekman 1985; Klass 1980), measures of pupillary diameter (Lykken 1981), your boss?" not because they are graphology (Furnham 1988), "fidget- guilty of the act, but rather because ometers" (i.e., chairs measuring the they feel guilty for having entertained extent to which subjects squirm thoughts of doing so. Thus the "lie during interrogation [Lykken 1981]), detector," paradoxically, may detect and numerous other methods for excessively guilt-prone individuals, distinguishing honest from dishonest who are probably among the least responses, suffer from the same likely of all people to prevaricate. dubious assumption that is the Because autonomic arousal is not Achilles heel of the polygraph—the a specific indicator of lying, the existence of a Pinocchio response. Not polygraph test typically yields a high surprisingly, they have all been found rate of false positives (Lykken 1981); in to be poor indices of deception. less technical terms, the test mistak enly classifies a large number of The New Frontier: innocent individuals as guilty. In Self-Report Honesty Tests addition, there is suggestive evidence that the polygraph test yields a The growing recognition of the defi nontrivial rate of false negatives—guilty ciencies of the polygraph test and of individuals mistakenly classified by similar measures has led to intensified the test as innocent. For example, public and scientific pressure to place psychopathic personalities, who lack tight restrictions upon their use. a well-developed conscience and expe Several state laws limit polygraph use rience low levels of fear, may often (Sackett, Burris, and Callahan 1989), "beat" the lie-detector because of their and the 1988 Federal Polygraph Pro low autonomic reactivity (Lykken tection Act banned most uses of the 1978; cf. Patrick and Iacono 1989). polygraph in the private sector. In A variety of other methods have response, an increasing number of similarly been heralded as essentially organizations seeking an alternative infallible indicators of either truths or to the polygraph have turned to falsehoods. One technique that has questionnaire measures of honesty. long captured the public's imagination Unlike the polygraph, which is usually is the administration of so-called administered to ascertain whether an "truth serum," or sodium amobarbital individual is dissembling on a partic (amytal), a barbiturate sometimes ular occasion, honesty tests are given during psychiatric interviews to intended to assess whether individuals uncover memories that the individual possess high levels of the trait of is unwilling or unable to reveal honesty (but see Hartshorne and May 34 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 1928 and Mischel 1968, for criticisms of the concept of an honesty trait). By a trait, psychologists typically mean "We? found that a group of 41 an enduring disposition that is rela monks and nuns obtained tively stable across many situations. Honesty tests are typically used by significantly lower (i.e., 'more companies to detect prospective dishonest') scores on the Reid employees at high risk for dishonest or so-called counterproductive behav Report punitiveness items than iors (stealing, falsifying time-cards, a group of 226 college students, goldbricking, taking long lunch breaks, making unauthorized tele and even scored lower (although phone calls). More rarely, these tests not significantly) than a group are also administered to current employees (Camara and Lane 1992). of incarcerated criminals." The desire of companies to detect would-be employees who may be become a substitute for the polygraph prone to thievery and related behav test. Indeed, many of these tests, such iors in the workplace is certainly as the Reid Report (e.g., Ash 1975), understandable. Estimates of the have been developed by polygraph amount of money lost to employee firms (Sackett et al. 1989). With few theft and other defalcations in the exceptions, honesty tests have been United States range from $5 billion constructed by nonpsychologists who to $200 billion annually, with most have no formal training in psycholog estimates in the $40-billion range ical assessment, test development, (Murphy 1993). In one recent survey, measurement, or statistics. For exam 62 percent of workers in the fast-food ple, the Phase II profile, which has industry confessed to pilfering money been administered to well over one or merchandise during their previous million people, was developed by a six months on the job (Slora 1991); former police officer with no back comparable rates have been reported ground in psychological testing (Paa- for a number of other businesses. janen 1988). Moreover, it has been estimated that Although a large number of approximately 30 percent of new honesty tests are currently on the companies fail as a result of employee market (see Sackett and Harris 1984, theft (Morgenstern 1977). and Sackett et al. 1989), most are quite The increased state and federal similar. Most honesty tests, for exam prohibitions on polygraph use, ple, contain items assessing admis coupled with the need to control sions of prior theft (e.g., "Have you employee dishonesty on the job, have ever stolen merchandise from your led to a marked upsurge in the use place of work?"). The rationale is that of self-report honesty measures. At people who admit to having stolen in least 5,000 companies administer the past are at increased risk of honesty tests to approximately 5 stealing in the future. Another set of million people every year (Sackett and questions assesses attitudes and Harris 1984). This makes them among thoughts concerning theft and related the most frequently administered behaviors (e.g., "Have you ever been psychological tests in the United tempted to steal a piece of jewelry States. Moreover, in many organiza from a store?"). The assumption here tions honesty tests have essentially is that people who admit to frequent Fall 1993 35 temptations are at heightened risk of (Andrews and Lilienfeld 1993) have succumbing to these temptations in found that college students with high the future. ("more honest") scores on several Other items measure one's percep commonly used honesty measures tions regarding the dishonesty of obtained slightly lower scores on a others (e.g., "Do you think that most well-known measure of moral reason people steal money from their work ing, Rest's Defining Issues Test (Rest place every now and then?"); a "true" 1979). Items assessing individuals' response is scored in the direction of perceptions concerning the dishonesty dishonesty. These questions are based of others may reward respondents upon the assumption that dishonest who hold a naive and Polyannaish individuals tend to believe that most view of the world (Lykken 1992) and other people are similar to themselves punish those who are "street smart," (Goldberg et al. 1991). are perceptive regarding others' short Still other items assess what is comings, or live in areas where crime sometimes referred to as "punitive- is rampant. Finally, the "punitiveness" ness"—the extent to which a person items may reward respondents who endorses strict punishments for oth are authoritarian and rule-bound and ers' misbehaviors (e.g., "A person has punish those who are forgiving and been a loyal and honest employee at flexible. a firm for 20 years. One day, after Preliminary support for this latter realizing that she has neglected to conjecture derives from analyses we bring lunch money, she takes $10 have recently conducted (Andrews from her workplace, but returns it the and Lilienfeld 1992). Specifically, we next day. Should she be fired?"). A found that a group of 41 monks and response of "No" to such items is nuns obtained significantly lower (i.e., considered an indicator of dishonesty; "more dishonest") scores on the Reid the premise here is that dishonest Report punitiveness items than a individuals are less willing to favor group of 226 college students, and punishments for persons like them even scored lower (although not selves (Lykken 1992). significantly) than a group of incar Nevertheless, the assumptions be cerated criminals. These findings raise hind many honesty-test items appear the possibility that punitiveness items to be questionable. For example, items are biased against those who have assessing admissions of past wrong been taught to preach and practice doings and items assessing tempta charity (also see Guastello and Rieke tions to misbehavior may reward 1991 and Lykken 1981). respondents who consciously attempt The claims made by many honesty- to create a favorable impression, and test publishers range from the unin punish those who are honest, open tentionally humorous to the plainly about their faults, and introspective deceptive. The publishers of the Reid (Lykken 1992). Thus, like the poly Report, for example, distributed an graph, many honesty tests, paradox advertisement headlined "After years ically, may penalize particularly moral of catching thieves with the lie- individuals, many of whom may be the detector, we've perfected a way to "guilt-grabbers" erroneously detected catch them with paper and pencil" by the polygraph test. Although (Lykken 1981). Other honesty-test relatively little research has been publishers proclaim that their tests conducted to evaluate this possibility, have been demonstrated to identify one of my graduate assistants and I the majority of individuals who sub- 36 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 sequently engage in theft, but they neglect to report the proportion of innocent individuals who are mistak "Most of the research on the enly classified as likely to steal (i.e., validity of honesty tests has false positives). Detecting in advance all individuals who will engage in theft been performed by researchers is no great accomplishment; a simple directly affiliated with test reductio ad absurdum shows why. By predicting that every employee will publishers, who possess a vested steal, one could successfully identify interest in obtaining and 100 percent of future thieves. In another case, the institutional affili reporting positive findings on ation of a researcher employed by a their own measures." test publisher was listed as the well- known university at which he obtained his doctorate 30 years earlier, The claims of test publishers aside, rather than his present affiliation do honesty tests predict counterpro (Sackett et al. 1989). The blatantly ductive behaviors in the workplace? overblown and sometimes deceitful A major difficulty with conducting assertions of a number of honesty-test research on the validity of honesty publishers might lead an impartial tests is that the scoring keys for most observer to wonder whether such of these tests are proprietary; they are publishers would succeed in passing not in the public domain and can be their own tests. obtained only with the permission of the test publisher. Independent inves Research on the Validity of tigators who wish to conduct research Honesty Tests on proprietary tests must have their research proposal "approved" by the Despite the increasingly widespread publisher. There is of course no use of honesty tests, there is little guarantee that this approval process adequate research on their validity— is impartial; in our experience, we have the extent to which they assess what found that some publishers reject they are purported to assess. proposals aimed at subjecting their Moreover, little consensus exists on tests to close scrutiny. Consequently, the constructs, or underlying psycho most of the research on the validity logical attributes, assessed by honesty of honesty tests has been performed tests. Among the constructs honesty- by researchers directly affiliated with test publishers claim their tests mea test publishers, who possess a vested sure are honesty, integrity, counter- interest in obtaining and reporting productivity, employee deviance, positive findings on their own wayward impulses, organizational measures. delinquency, absenteeism/tardiness, Moreover, the proprietary nature dependability/conscientiousness, of most honesty tests makes objective theft-proneness, emotional stability, evaluation of the research on their job performance, predictiveness, ser validity difficult or impossible. vice orientation, and stress tolerance Research on honesty testing is espe (Camara and Lane 1992). This prolif cially susceptible to the "file-drawer eration of terms reflects pervasive problem" (Rosenthal 1979)—the ten confusion regarding what honesty dency of negative findings to remain tests measure. unpublished. The file-drawer problem Fall 1993 37 may contribute to a favorable but problematic, because a substantial misleading evaluation of a test's number of guilty subjects may not validity. For example, Ones, Viswes- confess to wrongdoing. Conse varan, and Schmidt (1991) recently quently, the use of polygraph-elicited used meta-analysis (a statistical tech admissions may detect only those nique for summarizing the results of individuals honest enough to confess studies) to conduct a comprehensive to minor misbehaviors, who in turn review of validity research on honesty may be the same individuals who tests. They reported that honesty confess to such misbehaviors on tests tend to have moderate levels of honesty tests. The second problem validity for a number of criteria, such with the polygraph studies is similar: as theft on the job. Nevertheless, it because many individuals who fail the is difficult to interpret the results of polygraph test are innocent, a corre Ones et al.'s review because the lation between honesty tests and the majority of studies included in their results of polygraph examinations analyses were conducted "in-house" may indicate only that the same (i.e., by test publishers), and the innocent subjects ("guilt-grabbers"?) authors made no attempt to correct are misclassified by both tests. for the possibility that negative Other studies reveal that honesty- findings on honesty tests were selec test results are negatively correlated tively withheld. with admissions of theft and related Setting aside for a moment the file- behaviors obtained from self-report drawer problem, what do the pub measures. These studies are uncon lished data on the validity of honesty vincing, however, for the same reason tests indicate? One piece of evidence that renders the studies of admissions often cited in support of their validity elicited during polygraph tests sus is that convicted felons tend to receive pect: honest individuals may be espe lower scores on such tests (note: low cially likely to confess to minor scores on honesty tests are in the wrongdoings, resulting in a spurious direction of greater "dishonesty") than correlation between honesty-test do individuals in the general popula results and admissions of wrongdoing. tion (Goldberg et al. 1991). Neverthe In addition, because many honesty less, it should come as no great tests themselves contain questions surprise that felons, many of whom eliciting admissions of theft, this are incarcerated for theft, report more correlation may simply be a result of instances of theft and more frequent content overlap between the two thoughts about theft compared with measures. the average person. Thus such data Other researchers have examined do not provide particularly compelling the relation between the introduction support for the validity of honesty of honesty tests in the workplace and tests. institutional "shrinkage"—the loss of A number of researchers have money ostensibly stemming from found that scores on honesty tests employee theft. The results of several correlate negatively with admissions studies indicate that once an organ obtained from polygraph examina ization begins to screen potential tions, as well as with the results of employees with honesty tests, shrin these examinations. Nevertheless, kage decreases (Sackett et al. 1989). these findings are flawed in two major Nevertheless, such studies are fatally respects. First, admissions derived flawed in one major respect—they lack from polygraph tests are highly a control group that did not receive 38 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 the honesty test. This makes it impos sible to attribute definitively the cause of the shrinkage reduction to the "There has been virtually no introduction of the test. Even with a research on the issue of control group, reductions in shrinkage may result from a number of factors fakability, leaving open the unrelated to honesty tests themselves, possibility that a number of such as perceived changes in an organization's attitudes and policies high scorers on honesty tests are toward theft. 'seeing through' the lest and Superficially, the most persuasive support for the validity of honesty consciously creating a favorable tests comes from studies examining impression." their ability to predict counterproduc tive behaviors in the workplace. In general, honesty tests have been These latter measures contain items found to forecast theft and related assessing denial of common or every misbehaviors in the workplace at day frailties ("I occasionally make better than chance levels (Goldberg et mistakes in my work," "I sometimes al. 1991). But the magnitude of these, get more upset about things than I predictive correlations tends to be should"); subjects who deny a large quite low; most are in the 0.1 to 0.3 number of such human frailties can range, indicating that honesty tests generally be assumed to be account for between roughly 1 to 9 dissimulating. The positive correlation percent of the differences among between honesty tests and measures individuals in job-related dishonesty of lying is problematic, because (one obtains these percentages by individuals with higher levels of squaring the correlations). The honesty would presumably be remaining 90 percent or more of these expected to admit to more trivial faults differences typically remain unpre- shared by virtually all of humanity. dicted by honesty tests. Moreover, Instead, this finding again raises the honesty tests yield a very high false possibility that honesty tests penalize positive rate. Using the cut-offs individuals who are frank and recommended by test publishers, introspective. between 73 and 97 percent of indi A related issue that has received viduals who receive failing scores on surprisingly little attention is the such tests are not found to later extent to which honesty tests are commit theft on the job (Office of susceptible to attempts at "faking Technology Assessment 1990, cited in good." Many of the items on these Guastello and Rieke 1991). measures are highly "face-valid," Interestingly, most honesty tests meaning that most respondents can have been found to be moderately easily discern what answers will make positively correlated with question them appear honest. Nevertheless, naire measures of lying-(for which there has been virtually no research high scores indicate a greater prob on the issue of fakability, leaving open ability of lying); that, is, individuals the possibility that a number of high with "more honest" scores on honesty scorers on honesty tests are "seeing tests paradoxically tend to receive through" the test and consciously "more dishonest" scores on measures creating a favorable impression. of lying (Guastello and Rieke 1991). Although a prominent proponent of Fall 1993 39 honesty testing has asserted that "in traditionalism (Lilienfeld, Andrews, fact, ['faking good'] does not seem to Stone, and Stone, in press). Such happen" (Ash 1975: 141), he provided findings raise the possibility that no evidence to substantiate his claim. honesty tests may systematically In an attempt to deal with the poten exclude certain persons from some tial problem of fakability, some organ occupations because of their standing izations have developed "disguised- on personality traits that are irrele purpose" honesty tests (Sackett et al. vant to honesty. 1989; Murphy 1993). These tests Moreover, honesty tests seem to consist primarily of items ("I would suffer from many of the same liabil do almost anything for a thrill," "I ities that have bedeviled the polygraph usually enjoy watching a good brawl") test and other standard methods of that assess personality traits puta- lie detection. Honesty tests, like the tively related to dishonesty (e.g, polygraph, yield a high rate of false impulsivity, aggressiveness). The positives. Ironically, many of the extent to which such tests can circum innocent individuals mistakenly iden vent the shortcomings of more tra tified as dishonest by both of these ditional "clear-purpose" tests procedures may be especially moral (Murphy 1993) remains to be seen. people whose strong consciences lead Similarly, no research has been con them to take these tests more seri ducted on the extent to which people ously and conscientiously than does can be trained to beat honesty tests; the average person. In addition, both if such tests were highly susceptible honesty tests and polygraph tests may to training, they would presumably be yield a significant number of false at risk of becoming obsolete soon after negatives. Equally ironically, many of the formula for passing them became the guilty individuals missed by both widely known. procedures may be people whose absence of a strong conscience allows them to beat these tests with equa Reprise: Do Honesty Tests Really nimity. Thus honesty tests, which in Measure Honesty? large measure are the progeny of polygraph tests, appear to have inher What can we say in response to the ited many of their ancestors' deficien question constituting the title of this cies. Unless these shortcomings can be article? It appears that honesty tests remedied, honesty tests seem destined assess a variety of characteristics to go the way of the polygraph and largely or entirely unrelated to the other pseudoscientific dinosaurs honesty, and are thus misnamed. Low of the lie-detection industry. scores on these tests probably reflect dishonesty in some cases, but they may just as often reflect other traits, Note such as street-wiseness, charity toward others, and extreme honesty I thank George Alliger, Brian Andrews, Lori (!) and openness concerning one's Marino, and Vincent Marino for their helpful temptations and history of peccadillos. comments on an earlier draft of this article. The Reid Report correlates positively References with a number of characteristics not traditionally considered important to Andrews, B. P. , and S. O. Lilienfeld. 1992. the construct of honesty, such as Are self-report honesty measures biased freedom from stress, desire for inter against religious individuals? Manuscript. . 1993. Self-report honesty tests, personal intimacy, fearfulness, and moral reasoning, and religiosity. Manu- 40 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 script in preparation. Pacific Grove, Calif.: Brooks/Cole. Ash, P. 1975. Predicting dishonesty with the Office of Technology Assessment. 1990. The Reid Report. Polygraph, 5: 139-153. Use of Integrity Tests for Pre-employment Bashore, T. R., and P. E. Rapp. 1993. Are Screening. Washington, D.C.: U.S. there alternatives to traditional poly Government Printing Office. graph procedures? Psychological Bulletin, Ones, D., C. Viswesvaran, and F. L. Schmidt. 113: 3-22. 1991. Moderators of the validity of Camara, W. G., and D. Lane. 1992. What integrity tests: A meta-analysis. Paper we know, and still do not know, about presented to the Sixth Annual Confer integrity testing. Manuscript. ence of the Society of Industrial and Ekman, P. 1985. Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit Organizational Psychologists, St. Louis, in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage. April. New York: W. W. Norton. Paajanen, G. 1988. The prediction of coun Furnham, A. 1988. The validity of grapho- terproductive behavior by individual and logical analysis. SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, organizational variables. Doctoral disser 13(1): 64-69, Fall. tation, University of Minnesota, Minne Goldberg, L. R., J. R. Grenier, R. M. Guion, apolis. L. B. Sechrest, and H. Wing. 1991. Patrick, C. J., and W. G. Iacono. 1989. Questionnaires Used in the Prediction of Psychopathy, threat, and polygraph test Trustworthiness in Pre-employment Selec accuracy, journal of Applied Psychology, tion Decisions: An APA Task Force Report. 74: 347-355. Washington, D.C.: American Psycholog Raskin, D. C, and J. A. Podlesny. 1979. Truth ical Association. and deception: A reply to Lykken. Psy Guastello, S. J., and M. L. Rieke. 1991. A chological Bulletin, 86: 54-59. review and critique of honesty test Rest, J. 1979. Revised Manual for the Defining research. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, Issues Test: An Objective Test of Moral 9: 501-523. judgment. Minneapolis: Minnesota Moral Hartshorne, H., and M. A. May. Studies in Research Project. the Nature of Character. Vol. 1, Studies in Rosenthal, R. 1979. The "file drawer prob Deceit. New York: Macmillan. lem" and tolerance for null results. Hilgard, E. R. 1981. Hypnosis gives rise to Psychological Bulletin, 86: 638-641. fantasy and is not a truth serum. Sackett, P. R., L. R. Burris, and C. Callahan. SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, 5(3): 25, Spring. 1989. Integrity testing for personnel Klass, P. J. 1980. Beware of the "truth selection: An update. Personnel Psychology, evaluator." SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, 4(4): 44- 42: 491-529. 51, Summer. Sackett, P. R., and M. E. Harris. 1984. Lilienfeld, S. O., B. P. Andrews, E. F. Stone, Honesty testing for personnel selection. and D. Stone. In press. The relations A review and critique. Personnel Psychol between a self-report honesty test and ogy, 37: 221-246. personality measures in prison and Saxe, L. 1991. Lying: Thoughts of an applied college samples, journal of Research in social psychologist. American Psychologist, Personality. 46: 409-415. Lykken, D. T. 1978. The psychopath and the Schatzberg, A., and J. O. Cole. 1986. Manual lie detector. Psychophysiology, 15: 137- of Clinical Psychopharmacology. Washing 142. ton, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press. . 1979. The detection of deception. Shneour, E. A. 1990. Lying about polygraph Psychological Bulletin, 86: 47-53. tests. SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, 14: 292-297. . 1981. A Tremor in the Blood: Uses Slora, K. B. 1991. "An Empirical Approach and Abuses of the Lie Detector. New York: to Determining Employee Deviance Base McGraw Hill. Rates." In Pre-employment Honesty Testing: . 1992. Honesty testing: An environ Current Research and Future Directions, ed. mental impact assessment. Manuscript. by J. W.Jones, 21-38. New York: Quorum Mischel, W. 1968. Personality and Assessment. Books. New York: Wiley. Morgenstern, D. 1977. Blue Collar Theft in Scoff Lilienfeld is in the Department of Business and Industry. Springfield, Va.: National Technical Information Service. Psychology, 55112, State University of Murphy, K. R. 1993. Honesty in the Workplace. New York, Albany, NY 12222. Fall 1993 41 Astrology Strikes Back- But to What Effect? GEOFFREY DEAN n two new books, pro-astrology authors strike back at nonbelievers. The blurb on Robert I Parry's book, Astrology's Complete Book of Self- Defence, promises "a carefully argued defence against all possible attack" based on "great depth of research." The dustjacket on John Anthony West's hardcover, The Case for Astrology, says, "Sceptics will never lightly dismiss astrology again," while on the paperback version Colin Wilson calls it "the most serious and important Two new books study of astrology ever written." The implica tion is that convincing new evidence in support promise to reveal of astrology will be revealed. What actually convincing new happens is the selective reporting of dated studies with a relentless blind eye for crucial evidence for issues. astrology, but In the first book, Parry aims to provide their attacks on believers with a defense against attack by critics. The first of three parts (42 pages) looks briefly criticisms are at astrology's popularity, techniques, history, based on and types of astrology (pop, hobbyist, semi-pro, pro ). Part 2 (97 pages) is the defense proper. selective reporting According to Parry, there are 12 main attacks of dated studies on astrology, as follows. His defense is in paren theses, with my occasional comment in italics. and a blind eye 1. Sun-sign astrology is nonsense. (Agreed, for crucial issues. he says, it is not real astrology, but journalism.) 2. Free will makes astrology nonfalsifiable. (Free will is part of astrological philosophy.) This evades the issue. 3. Astrology is a heathen superstition. (Many astrologers are practicing Christians.) 4. Astrology is old-fashioned and irrelevant. (It is widespread and popular.) 5. Few accurate world predictions are made. (Many are successful.) This is meaningless, because no allowance is made for chance hits. 42 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 6. People born at the same moment do not lead similar lives. (Some do.) Ditto. Astrology's Complete Book of Self- Defence. By Robert Parry. Quantum 7. Tropical signs ignore preces (an imprint of Foulsham), Slough. sion. (Precession is not important.) UK. 1990. 224 pages. Paper, £7.95. Eastern astrologers would disagree. 8. Astrology should be based on The Case for Astrology. By John the moment of conception. (But the Anthony West. Viking Penguin. 1991. 527 pages. Cloth. £20.00. Paper birth moment works.) (1992). £8.99. This is contradicted by controlled studies; see later. 9. Earth-centered views are out of claims of astrologers. If there really date. (They are merely a convenience.) was a connection, then we would 10. Astrologers ignore new expect planets to have added to our planets. (They do not.) understanding of living organisms in 11. Gauquelin says induction ruins the same way that, say, genes have. astrology. (Most astrologers disagree.) But they have not. 12. Planets cannot affect us. Parry then cites alleged direct (Extraterrestrial influences exist.) evidence, mainly Nelson (forecasting See below. shortwave radio propagation), Gau Part 3 (41 pages) offers advice to quelin (planetary links with occupa astrologers for assuring astrology's tion and heredity), and matching tests future: They should avoid weirdness, of astrologers (as in "pick the mur extremism, testimonies, ego-tripping, derer's birth chart"). This evidence is and reductionist statistics. And they seriously out of date, and Parry seems should always be lawful, informed, unaware that much of it has been and humble. This admirable message overturned by recent studies. Furth is then negated by Parry's closing ermore, Gauquelin's negative results advice, namely, that they should never (no support for signs, aspects, and doubt the worth of astrology and transits) are ignored, and the support should walk in pride. The book ends from his positive results is overstated: with references, a glossary, addresses, Astrology does not predict that only a reading list, and an index. half the planets work for eminent What of the empirical evidence for people and none for ordinary people; astrological claims? Parry first cites it predicts weakness not strength for indirect evidence, such as the Piccardi the favored positions, and the effect effect and alleged lunar effects on sizes are trivial. In short, Parry's oysters. (Lunar effects on oysters may evidence for astrology is no evidence be illusory. See Paul Quincey's article at all. in SI, Winter 1993, and J. T. Enright's Worse still, having promised "a letter in SI, Summer 1993. Both carefully argued defence against all strongly dispute the alleged effect.) possible attack," Parry's book ignores Parry argues that such supposed two problems that effectively pull the extraterrestrial influences prove that plug on any defense. First, astrological astrology is credible, which is like claims (albeit not the Gauquelin effect) arguing that money exists, therefore are readily explained by the percep everyone is rich. As pointed out by tual, inferential, and small-sample Kelly et al. (1989) in their response biases to which people in general, and to pro-astrology arguments, it is a astrologers in particular, are abun huge jump from such influences to the dantly prone (see Dean et al. 1992). Fall 1993 43 astrology to be plausible, what is needed is not tiny effect sizes but Big Stuff that nobody can ignore, like guessing sun signs with perfect accu racy all the time. There is a further problem with Parry's book. An adequate defense of astrology must first recognize that astrology can be broadly viewed as either art, religion, or science. Con sequently it means different things to different people. As art, the symbol ism of astrology can greatly enrich poetry, paintings, and plays. As reli gion it can meet the spiritual needs of believers. As science it can be viewed as a source of presumed benefit, for example, by providing a focus for conversation, or by meeting our need to conform and yet feel unique; and as a source of presumed knowledge, for example, "Moon-Saturn indicates For example, knowing that Scorpios early problems in childhood with your are supposed to be secretive, our mother." The point is that only the observations will invariably confirm it, last qualifies for the kind of defense simply because everyone is secretive involved here. Let me explain. at times and we are disinclined to test If I am freaked out by this painting non-Scorpios. Second, even if the first of Taurus at bay, or by Shakespeare's is disregarded, the effect sizes and use of astrological symbolism, or by reliabilities of astrologers' judgments zodiacal iconography inside a church, are still trivial (see Dean 1987). So or if I am spiritually uplifted by the even if we grant that astrology is not writings of Dane Rudhyar, or if I gain an illusion, it still behaves like one. insight into my behavior by studying Direct comparisons of effect size show horoscopes, or if I find a special that orthodox techniques for predict closeness to women with Ophiucus ing personality, intelligence, and work rising, or if I find it more rewarding performance are far superior to to circulate at cocktail parties saying astrology (see Dean 1992). "What's your sign?" rather than "Hi," To put it another way, as pointed then these things would be generally out for parapsychology by Glymour uncontroversial and hardly deserving (1987), no sensible person will opt for of a defense, if only because they a paranormal explanation of tiny involve my personal values. An attack effect sizes. Tiny changes in experi on scientific grounds, say, by quoting mental outcomes can be due to a huge controlled studies, would be useless, number of ordinary causes, most of because to me it would not address them impractical to control even if anything that matters. But quite the known. So a sensible person will say reverse applies if I claim that astrology that, as long as the effect is tiny, it is a source of knowledge and that the is more probably due to some com sky when you were born will indicate bination of ordinary causes. For your destiny, because scientifically 44 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 there seems to be no way it could work Jerome's Objections to Astrology. Here to the required extent. (Of course we crooked thinking has a field day. For cannot deny the possibility of a finite example, West (p. 160) takes Culver effect, just as we cannot deny the and Ianna's statement that science "is possibility that surfing in Hawaii fair and objective, even if scientists are affects the waves in Australia, but my not" and says it "may well be among claim here is for an effect that is the silliest statements ever made by usefully large.) Such a claim requires human beings. It is like saying justice a rigorous defense. is impartial, even though judges are To be sure, my values are not corrupt" (p. 161). It is also like saying immune from criticism, any more than astrology works even if astrologers art is immune from literary and perform no better than chance, which artistic criticism, but the criticism is is West's rationale for his entire book. of a different kind from that appro So, by his own argument, his book priate to astrology as knowledge—the could not be sillier. Why did he bother? first involves values, the second Similar shootings-in-the-foot fol validity. It is one thing to prefer apples low. "When astrology is at issue, to oranges and quite another to say ... or any other subject that challenges they fall upwards. In Parry's book the spiritually flat inner world of the these distinctions are not made. This rationalist, the scientific method is did not stop a reviewer in the U.K. drafted into service as a means of Astrological Journal (1991:208) from preserving dogma, not as a means for calling it "a real godsend." discovering truth" (p. 161). Apart The same defects apply to the from being wrong, this point is second book, The Case for Astrology, conveniently forgotten when the by John Anthony West, which is a scientific method is later recruited in rewrite of the original 1970 edition support of the Gauquelin results, coauthored with the late Jan Toonder. The original edition is historically «£ important, because back in 1970, based on the then-emerging research, one could reasonably believe that some parts of astrology might have substance. In the new edition, West claims that the case has been streng thened, albeit with a new twist—this time he is arguing the case for astrology, not the case for astrologers, on the grounds that astrologers rarely perform better than chance, whereas the evidence for astrological effects (extraterrestrial influences, Gauque- lin effects) is substantial. More on this later. The first of six parts (128 pages) looks at the origins of astrology and is largely irrelevant. Part 2 (86 pages) replies to 12 popular objections and includes long rebuttals of Culver and Ianna's Gemini Syndrome and Bok and Fall 1993 45 5. Tests of horoscope factors are negative. (This does not deny that "No sensible person will opt for better tests may be positive.) a paranormal explanation of Like what? Speculation in lieu of evidence is tiny effect sizes. Tiny changes not the only problem in this section. in experimental outcomes can be The text is frequently unbelievable, for example (p. 215), "Science cannot due to a huge number of prove a difference between Spaniards ordinary causes." and Swedes." (Try giving them a test in Swedish.) And having assured us that "there is no major objection to these being "the single body of evi the astrological premise or practice dence that stands as scientific confir that goes unanswered or unad- mation of astrology's most basic dressed" (p. 11), West ignores the premise" (p. 313). Again, when scien same crucial issues and distinctions tists investigate astrology, the results that were ignored by Parry. The result are worthless because "only those data is the same needless confusion that are carefully examined which enforce can only perpetuate the shouting the preconceived position" (p. 161). No match between astrologers and critics. matter that this is precisely West's Surely the case for astrology deserves own approach. More on this later. better than this. Of West's 12 popular objections to Part 3 (168 pages) looks at the astrology, 7 are also in Parry's book, evidence for astrology. Just over half being the final 7 listed by me earlier. is devoted to the Gauquelin work, The other 5, with West's replies in including an account of the CSICOP parentheses and my occasional com involvement (with embarrassing ment in italics, are as follows. examples of scientists refusing to 1. The sun is merely an incandes recognize unwelcome results), of early cence, with no direct effect on our work by Suitbert Ertel, and of the consciousness. (Maybe, but it is more harmonic studies by the late John scientific to assume that conscious Addey. Unfortunately there are more ness is universal and is thus possessed antiscience polemics that are just so by the sun.) daft that one wonders how they got This begs the question. past Penguin's editors. For example, 2. Fraternal and identical twins on page 271, scientists "are not should be alike, but they are not. (This interested in the truth at all. .. . They is a legitimate problem, but science are interested in being right. Their itself is not without anomalies; also egos are entirely bound up in their it applies only to the interpretation Tightness and can brook no opposition. and becomes serious only if interpre . . . Thus science is probably the only tation is a science, which it is not.) major profession in the twentieth This evades the issue. century that is hypocritical at its core." 3. Astrology cannot predict mass West then looks briefly at a handful deaths. (But this does not deny that of other positive studies, such as sun- an individual astrologer can.) sign guessing and matching tests (but Like who? not at the subsequent studies that 4. Births at high latitudes have negated their results), at extraterres distorted houses. (Houses are not trial influences like sun spots and the essential.) Piccardi effect, and at physical expla- 46 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 nations, notably that of the astron omer Percy Seymour. Of interest here is a reprint of Nigel Henbest's critique "West's approach is like that of from New Scientist (May 12,1988) and a Flat Earther who says 'Never Seymour's lengthy reply. Briefly, Seymour suggests that the planets mind the negative evidence for a exert a tidal force on the magnetos- flat earth, just look at the phere, which modulates geomagnetic activity, which induces currents in the positive evidence.' Which of neural network by resonance. Hen- course is a recipe best points out that, due to planet for disaster." retrogradation, the diurnal planetary frequencies overlap; so they cannot be distinguished by resonance. Sey the basic astrological premise is not mour's answer is that the phases will even established, let alone beyond differ; so once the fetus locks onto the doubt. right planet it will stay locked on. West On the validity of astrological fails to ask how it locks onto the right practice, West concludes that the planet in the first place. There is also evidence is uncertain but favorable on the problem that diurnal planetary 5 balance. And to make sure we agree frequencies (around lO Hz) are some he deliberately suppresses the nega six octaves below the known lower tive evidence: "Since the aim of this limit for a reasonable biological book is to present the positive evi response. dence, intimate details of the bulk of West concludes that the two basic the negative evidence do not really astrological premises are established concern us" (p. 234). Thus most of the beyond doubt. These are: (1) Celestial recent tests cited by me in SI (Dean events correlate with terrestrial events, 1987) are not even mentioned. West which is uncontroversial but not so argues that the negative evidence does its implication: What has people's not deny that positive evidence may waking at sunrise to do with astrol yet be found, so "these negative ogy? If astrology is reasonably defined results are effectively irrelevant to our as anything requiring a birth chart, case" (p. 353). But nowhere does he the answer is nothing at all. (2) Plan spell out the areas wherein such etary positions at birth correlate with uncompromising verisimilitude might human personality. This is based on the be found. Given that a recent meeting Gauquelin results, which West de of U.K. research astrologers could scribes as "unsinkable" (p. 191). But think of no new areas to test, con such a conclusion is premature, be cluding that "if anything major was cause Ertel (1992) has shown at least possible then it would have been some of them to be sinkable. It is also suggested already" (Anon. 1992), dead wrong for 99.995 percent of the West's argument is unconvincing. population, namely, those who are not West's approach is thus like that eminent. Moreover, other work cited of a Flat Earther who says "Never by Ertel suggests that the correlation mind the negative evidence for a flat with personality (but not with occu earth, just look at the positive evi pation) is a methodological artifact. dence." Which of course is a recipe for This also casts doubt on Addey's disaster. Reasonable judgments can be results, because he used the same made only by considering all the database. So, contrary to West's claim evidence, not just the bits that happen Fall 1993 47 to support a particular case. Other astrology" (p. 349), so watch out for wise we are in danger of pulling my sham objectivity. tomato out of the pizza and declaring In summary, both books perpetu it to be tomato pie. When selection ate a needless confusion. To be sure, bias is removed, the evidence for the anything as popular as astrology validity of astrological practice be deserves serious consideration. But comes distinctly unfavorable; see the anyone familiar with the results of review by Kelly et al. (1990). For the controlled tests, and with the pitfalls record, West was sent a copy of this of human judgment, must inevitably review by Kelly, but no reference to be suspicious of astrologers' claims. it appears in the book. Unfortunately, astrologers have mis Parts 4 through 6 (98 pages) are taken this sensible indifference for largely irrelevant, being a diatribe dogmatic hostility. In both books there against skepticism, the press, and was an opportunity to explore this rationalism, with comments on coun confusion and set the record straight. seling, interpretation, and free will. But it was missed, and neither book The book ends with a useful 10-page contributes toward a balanced assess summary, an appendix listing the 186 ment of astrology—in fact, quite the scientists signing the 1975 statement reverse. If nothing else, you could against astrology, a bibliography of always give copies to astrologers to more than 120 books (but no articles), set them up for later slaughter. a subject index, and a name index. Altogether this is a big book (527 References pages) with big faults. Negative evidence is dismissed as irrelevant, Anon. 1992. Towards improving astrology: Ideas from an AIR think tank. Astrological crucial issues are ignored, and the text Journal, 34(3): 136-138. is frequently unbelievable. As shown Dean, G. 1987. Does astrology need to be by my quotations, West's style is one true? SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, 11:166-184 of sustained ridicule, as if violent and 257-273. 120 references. Reprinted language can somehow bludgeon a with an update and a further 16 refer ences in The Hundredth Monkey and Other way through. When this polemic tone Paradigms of the Paranormal, 279-319, ed. was criticized by the pro-astrology by K. Frazier (Buffalo: Prometheus reviewer Derek Parker (1991), West Books, 1991). The answer to the title (1991) replied: "My aim is not to question is no. convert skeptics . . . [but] to present . 1992. "The Bottom Line: Effect Size." In The Write Stuff: Evaluations of Graph that large, literate audience of closet ology, 269-341, ed. by B. L. Beyerstein and believers with irrefutable evidence D. F. Beyerstein (Buffalo: Prometheus that says there's something to astrol Books). Many comparisons including ogy after all, and to provide astrol astrology. 250 references. ogers with ammunition to devastate Dean, G. A., I. W. Kelly, D. H. Saklofske, and A. Furnham. 1992. "Graphology and their critics. To that end it is essential Human Judgment." In The Write Stuff: to discredit the opposition by exposing Evaluations of Graphology, 342-396, ed. by its 'objectivity' for the sham it is. I like B. L. Beyerstein and D. F. Beyerstein to think my combination of scholar (Buffalo: Prometheus Books). The argu ship and ridicule an appropriate tack." ments apply also to astrology. 175 references. Not everyone will agree. To me at Ertel, S. 1992. Update on the "Mars Effect." least, West's book exhibits all the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, 16:150-160. 42 faults he condemns in others. At references. which point I should warn that West Glymour, C. 1987. ESP and the big stuff. identifies me as "a bitter opponent of Behavioural and Brain Sciences, 10:590. Kelly, I. W., R. Culver, and P. J. Loptson. 48 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 1989. Astrology and science: An exam Ertel 1992), spiritual astrology, and the ination of the evidence. In Cosmic Pers future of astrology. No overlap with pectives, 205-229, ed. by S. K. Biswas, D. Dean (1987). 78 references. C. V. Malik, and C. V. Vishveshwara Parker, D. 1991. Book review. Astrological (New York: Cambridge University Press). Journal, 33:264-265. Their responses to pro-astrology argu West, J. A. 1991. Letter. Astrological Journal, ments are summarized in Dean (1987). 33:381-382. 48 references. Kelly, I. W., G. A Dean, and D. H. Saklofske. Geoffrey Dean is a technical editor in 1990. "Astrology: A Critical Review." In Perth, Western Australia (P. O. Box 466, Philosophy of Science and the Occult, 51- 81, ed. by P. Grim (Albany: SUNY Press). Subiaco 6008, Western Australia). He Covers validity, effect size, the work of has been investigating astrological claims Gauquelin and Ertel (now updated by since 1974. Gordon Stein Named Director of Center for Inquiry Libraries Gordon Stein, a longtime CSICOP Stein says that eventually the Scientific Consultant, has been holdings of the Library of Skepti appointed director of the Center cism, Science, and the Paranormal for Inquiry Libraries. He has also will be listed on the Online Com been named Visiting Fellow of the puter Library Center (OCLC) data Institute for Inquiry, co-sponsored base so that the collection may be by CSICOP. Dr. Stein is on the made available through interlibrary faculty of the University of Rhode loan nationwide. Island Library. He has a doctorate "This specialized collection of in physiology and a master's degree books and journals relating to in library science. pseudoscience and the paranormal CSICOP's Library of Skep is one of the most valuable services ticism, Science, and the Paranormal CSICOP can provide," says Stein. at the Center for Inquiry will be The library will be located at the the largest and most complete CSICOP headquarters at the Cen collection of books and journals on ter for Inquiry in Buffalo. the scientific evaluation of the "While the library has the paranormal. Scholarly works of any nucleus of a good collection, includ sort, as long as they are concerned ing, of course, all of the CSICOP with the paranormal or pseudo- and pertinent Prometheus publica science, will be included in the tions," Stein says, "it now lacks collection," Stein told SI. "The many relevant books and journals. library will be open to researchers, Donations of appropriate literature scholars, journalists, and the to the library, or cash grants to the general public. Online access to our Library of Skepticism, Science, and catalogue of the contents of the the Paranormal Endowment Fund, library is planned, so that it can be will be greatly appreciated." searched by interested parties hav All literature donations, grants, ing a computer and modem." The and inquiries should be sent to the Center for Inquiry Libraries will Library of Skepticism, Science, and also include the Library of Free- th,e Paranormal, 3965 Rensch Road, thought and Humanism." Amherst, NY 14226. Fall 1993 49 Diagnoses of Alien Kidnappings That Result From Conjunction Effects In Memory ROBYN M. DAWES and MATTHEW MULFORD vents and feelings may be better recalled when they occur in combination than E singly, to the point that a conjunction of two alleged events or feelings may be judged to have occurred with greater frequency in one's life than one of them alone. One part of a conjunction can facilitate recall of the conjunc tion, and hence of another part of the expe Because recalling one rience—and combinations of events can be alleged event (e.g., judged to be more probable than their compo waking up paralyzed) nents (Tversky and Kahneman 1983). The can enhance recall of observer to whom it is reported, however, another combined knows that such a conjunction is necessarily less probable than any one of its components. Thus, with it (e.g., thinking the observer may attach special significance to someone is in the such a conjunction. bedroom), For example, in supporting a conclusion that remembering such an post-traumatic stress from kidnapping by aliens objectively improbable is a major mental-health problem in this country combination is not (allegedly affecting at least 2 percent of the population), Hopkins and Jacobs (1992) cite the diagnostic of anything rate of affirmative responses to a recent Roper (e.g., being kidnapped Poll question: "How often has this happened to by aliens). you: Waking up paralyzed with a sense of a strange person or presence or something else in the room?" Their rationale for considering affirmative responses particularly diagnostic of alien kidnapping involves the conjunction of the two components in the question: "A fleeting sensation of paralysis is not unusual in either hypnogogic or hypnopompic states, but adding the phrase 'with a sense of a strange person or presence in the room' forcefully narrows the 50 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 Table 1: Response Frequencies How often has this happened to you: Waking up paralyzed with a sense of a strange person or presence or something else in the room?1 Has not Has happened Has happened happened once or twice more than twice (N) (N) (N) 87 36 21 How often has this happened to you: Waking up paralyzed? Has not Has happened Has happened happened once or twice more than twice (N) (N) (N) 124 12 8 1 Exact wording from the Roper Poll. scope of the question" (p. 56). narrowing it. Hopkins and Jacobs are, As part of a (much) larger study, of course, correct in maintaining we asked that same Roper Poll ques that the additional phrase should tion of 144 subjects (mainly University "narrow the scope." It's just that the of Oregon students and some towns phrase doesn't. What they have dis people interested in the $20 pay for covered, therefore, is not evidence of two hours). Forty percent answered alien kidnappings, but of a common that this had happened to them at least irrationality in the way we recall our once. A randomly selected control lives. group of 144 subjects in the same study were asked simply how often References they remembered waking up para lyzed. Only 14 percent answered that Hopkins, B., and D. M. Jacobs. 1992. "How this had happened to them at least This Survey Was Designed." In Bigelow once, (chi-square = 24.26; p< .001, Holding Company, An Analysis of the Data from Three Major Surveys Conducted phi = .29). (See Table 1.) The contin by the Roper Organization, pp. 55-58. gency was stronger for women Tversky, A., and D. Kahneman. 1983. (phi = .44) than for men (phi = .17), Extensional versus intuitive reasoning: significantly so according to a The conjunction fallacy in probability Goodman-Plackett chi-square value of judgments. Psychological Review, 90: 293- 315. 4.74. Nevertheless it was significant for both sexes (with chi-squares of Robyn M. Dawes is University Professor 25.38 and 4.43, respectively). in the Department of Social and Decision Thus, due to a conjunction effect Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, in memory, the added phrase "with Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890. Matthew a sense of a strange person or presence Mulford is in the Department of Political .. . in the room" actually "broadens the Science, University of Oregon, Eugene scope" of the question, rather than 97403. Fall 1993 51 Mathematical Magic For Skeptics ARTHUR BENJAMIN and MICHAEL SHERMER keptics and regular readers of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER are always looking for Sways to "wow" people with seemingly amazing feats of "psychic" power, only to then explain it was only magic and we must beware of those who are not so honest about their techniques. In this article, adapted from our book titled Mathemagics: How to Look Like a Genius Without Really Trying, we will demon You too Acan xxwow" strate how to do just that with mathematical magic, "psychic" math tricks, and lightning-fast people with mental calculations, exactly the way I do them mathematical in my mathemagics act performed at the Magic Castle and elsewhere.* In essence, this is a crash magic, "psychic" course in how to look like a mathematical math tricks, and savant—a "Rainman," if you will—but it lightning-fast requires no special mathematical talents. There is nothing that I do that cannot be taught to mental someone else, even someone with no special calculations. aptitude for math beyond basic arithmetic. In short, it is my firmest belief that anyone can learn this mathemagics program if they are willing to invest some effort and practice.—A.B. The Art of Rapid Mental Calculation The first thing to learn about this program is that we will do the majority of the mental computations from left to right. This is a superior method because, for one thing, you do not have to reverse the numbers (as you do, for example, when adding from right to left). And if you want to estimate your answer, then computing only the leading digits will get you pretty close. If you are used to working from *First-person refers to Arthur Benjamin, whose mental calculation program is outlined in this article. 52 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 Arthur Benjamin, "lightning calculator," performing at the Magic Castle. (Photo by Conard) right to left on paper, it may seem before you have finished the calcula unnatural to compute from left to tion. That way you seem to be calcu right. But with practice you will find lating even faster than you are. For that it is the most natural and efficient example, let's begin with the simple way to do mental calculations. 2-by-l multiplication problem of 42 x 7. Treat 42 as (40 + 2), then, 2-by-l Multiplication computing from left to right, multiply 40 x 7 = 280. Next multiply 2x7 = 14. Another advantage to mentally com Add 14 to 280 left to right, puting from left to right is that you 280 + 14 = 294, the correct answer. can start to say your answer aloud We illustrate this procedure below. Fall 1993 53 The Amazing Benjamin rthur Benjamin, a mathematiccs waits patiently while the volun- A, professor from Harvey MudId teers finish inputting the numbers, College in Claremont, Californiaa,, As each participant indicates his takes the stage to a round o:>ff calculator reads 1,311, the audience applause at the Magic Castle, a lets out a collective gasp. The celebrated magic club in Hollyf- amazing Art has beaten the calcu- wood, where he is about to perform lators at their own game! mathemagics, or what he calls "thle Art next informs the audience art of rapid mental calculation." Arrtt that he will square four 2-digit appears nothing like a mathematiccs numbers faster than his stage professor from a prestigious unii- button-pushers can square them on versity. Astonishingly quick*.- their calculators. Art instructs four witted, he looks at home with th>ee members of the audience to each rest of the young magicians playinig call out a different 2-digit number, at the Castle—which he is. Art hais and then assigns his four calculator the unique distinction of being bot:h holders the task of squaring one an accomplished mathematician number each. Looking at his stage who has been published in scholarlly helpers he declares: "I will try to journals and a "lightning calculai- race you to the answer." tor/' a recognized mathemagiciain The audience members call out performing at professional venuess. the numbers "24, 38, 67, 97," and This particular night at thle Art jots the answers down on the Magic Castle, Art begins by askinig blackboard on the stage as quickly if anyone in the audience has a as they call them out. In large, bold calculator. A group of engineerrs letters for everyone to see, the raise their hands and join Art omn sequence reads 576, 1444, 4489, stage. Having offered to test theiir 9409. Art turns to his aides who calculators to make sure they workk, are just now finishing their calcu- Art asks a member of the audienc:e lations and asks them to call out to call out a 2-digit number. "Fiftyf-- their answers. Their response seven," shouts one. Art points t:o triggers the audience to gasp and another, who calls out "23." then applaud: "576, 1444, 4489, Directing his attention to thosse 9409." The girl next to me sits with on stage, Art tells them: "Multiplly her mouth open in amazement, 57 times 23 on the calculators, anid Art now declares that he will at- if you don't get 1,311 the calculai- tempt a 4-digit number. A woman tors aren't working correctly." Arrt calls out "1036" and Art instantly 42 (40 + 2) into smaller multiplication tasks that x_7 you can perform mentally with ease. 40 x 7 =280 Since 48 = 40 + 8, multiply 40 « 4 = + 2 x 7 = + 14 160, then add 8 x 4 = 32. Adding left 294 to right, the answer is 192. Essentially, all 2-by-l multiplica Similarly, to multiply 48 x 4 your tion problems operate in this manner, first step is to break down the problem by finding the easiest method of 54 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 responds, "That's 1,073,296." The mad with his classroom antics, audience laughs and Art explains, which included correcting the "No, no, that's much too easy a mathematical mistakes they occa number. I'm not supposed to beat sionally made. the calculators on these. Let's try I first encountered Art on a another one." A man offers a television special in which James challenging, 2,843. Pausing briefly Randi was offering a $100,000 between digits, Art responds: "Let's reward for anyone who could prove see, 2,843 gives you 8 million . . . psychic ability under the rigors of 82 thousand . . . 649." He is right, the scientific method. After none of course, and the audience roars of the individuals claiming to have their approval as loudly as they did special powers was able to perform for the previous magician, who his or her particular skill under sawed a woman in half and made controlled conditions, Art Ben a dog disappear. jamin was brought on stage to It is the same everywhere Art demonstrate how apparently amaz Benjamin goes, whether it is a high ing and inexplicable feats of mind school auditorium, a college class can often be performed by the room, a faculty lounge, the Magic simplest of tricks and with just a Castle, or a television studio. modicum of knowledge and prac Benjamin has performed his special tice. After astonishing the televi brand of magic live all over the sion audience (and presumably the country and on numerous televi home audience as well) with such sion talkshows. He has been the feats as squaring 2-, 3-, and 4-digit subject of investigation by a cog numbers, and multiplying a 4-digit nitive psychologist at Carnegie- number by a different 4-digit Mellon University and is the only number (all checked by a calculator living American featured in a in the corner of the television scholarly book by Steven Smith screen), the host explained that Art called The Great Mental Calculators: is not a psychic, nor does he claim The Psychology, Methods, and Lives secret power "from beyond." of Calculating Prodigies. Art was Rather, he is just an ordinary born in Cleveland on March 19, college math professor with a 1961 (which he calculates was a rather extraordinary skill at doing Sunday). He began talking when he mental calculations that anyone can was six months old and reading learn. when he was only two. A hyper active child, Art drove his teachers —Michael Shermer simplifying the problem. You can 3-by-l Multiplication see that all we have done is reduce the 2-by-l problem into two 1-by-l Once you've mastered 2-by-l mul problems, followed by a rela tiplication, 3-by-l multiplication is tively simple addition problem, all not much harder. For example, to computed from left to right. For 3- multiply 326 x 7 you just reduce it by-1 problems the principle is the to three 1-by-l problems as illustrated same. below: Fall 1993 326 (300 + 20 + 6) before, the distance these products x 7 were from 169 was I2, 22, 32, 42. . . . 300 x 7 = 2100 Then I realized this pattern could 20 x 7 = +140 help me square numbers more easily. 2240 Suppose I wanted to square the 6x 7 = +42 number 13, I said to myself. Instead 2282 of multiplying 13 x 13, why not get an approximate answer by using two Even when adding involves "carry numbers that are easier to multiply ing," the left-to-right process still goes but also add up to 26? I chose 10 x smoothly: 16 = 160. To get an exact answer, I just added 32 (since 10 and 16 are each 578 (500 + 70 + 8) 3 away from 13). Since 32 = 9, 132 = x_9 160 + 9 = 169. 500 x 9 = 4500 This method, the one I use for all 70 x 9 = +630 squares, is diagrammed as follows: 5130 8 x 9 = +72 5202 Be There or B2: Squaring 2-Digit Numbers -A 132: 13 160 Squaring numbers in your head is one -3 \ / +9 = 32 of the easiest yet most impressive \ /~169 feats of mental calculation you can do. 10 I can still recall where I was when I discovered how to do it. I was 14, Now let's see how this works for sitting on a bus on the way to visit another square: my father at work in downtown 42 Cleveland. It was a trip I had made often, so my mind began to wander. I began thinking about the numbers that add up to 20. How large could 2 v\ the product of two such numbers get? 41 : 41 1680 I started in the middle with 10 x =i2 10 (or 102), the product of which is A /— 100. Next I multiplied 9 x n = 99, \ / 1681 8 x 12 = 96, 7 x 13 = 91, 6 x 14 = 40 84, 5 x 15 = 75, 4 x 14 = 56, and so To square 41, subtract 1 to obtain on. I noticed that the products were 40 and add 1 to obtain 42. Next getting smaller, and their difference multiply 40 x 42. Don't panic! This is from 100 was 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36—or 2 2 2 2 2 2 simply a 2-by-l multiplication problem l , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , and so on. (specifically, 4 x 42) in disguise. Since I found this pattern astonishing. 4 x 42 = 168, 40 x 42 = 1680. Almost Next I tried numbers that add to 26 done! All you have to add is the square and got similar results. First I worked of 1 (the number by which you went 2 out 13 = 169, then computed 12 x up and down from 41), giving you 14 = 168, 11 x 15 = 165, 10 x 16 = 1680 + 1 = 1681. 160, 9x17 = 153, and so on. Just as The method is based on the simple 56 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 relation A2 = (A + d)(A - d) + d2, 46 although my algebra was not strong x 42 (40 + 2) enough at the time to prove it. 40 x 46 = 1840 If the 2-digit number ends in 5, 2 x 46 = +92 both the multiplication and addition 1932 are trivial. For example: Here you break up 42 into 40 and 2, two numbers that are easy to multiply by. Then you multiply 40 x 46, which is just 4 x 46 with a 0 tacked on the end, or 1840. Then you multiply 2 x 46 = 92. Finally, you add 1840 + 92 = 1932, as diagrammed above. Here's another way to do the same problem: 46 (40 + 6) x 42 Or: 40 x 42 = 1680 6 x 42 = +252 1932 The catch here is that multiplying 2 42 x 6 is harder than multiplying 46 35 : 35 1200- x 2, as in the first problem. Moreover, adding 1680 + 252 is more difficult +25 = 52 than adding 1840 + 92. So how do you decide which number to break up? I try to choose the number that will produce the easiest addition problem. 2-by-2 Multiplication In most cases—but not all—you will want to break up the number with the In squaring 2-digit numbers the smallest last digit because it usually method is always the same. In multi produces a smaller second number for plying two different 2-digit numbers, you to add. however, you can use lots of different The Subtraction Method. The sub methods to arrive at the same answer. traction method really comes in handy For me, this is where the fun begins. when one of the numbers ends in 8 The first method you will learn is the or 9. The following problem illustrates addition method, which can be used to what I mean: solve all 2-by-2 multiplication problems. 59 (60 1) The Addition Method. To use the x 17 addition method to multiply any two 60 x 17 = 1020 2-digit numbers, all you need to do -1 x 17 = -17 is perform two 2-by-l multiplication 1003 problems and add the results to gether. The Factoring Method. The factoriin g For example: method, my favorite way to multiplmulti y Fall 1993 57 2-digit numbers, involves no addition 2 problem by factoring 63 into 9x7 or subtraction at all. You use it when and then multiplying 75 times these one of the numbers in a 2-digit factors. multiplication problem can be factored No doubt you may think of other into 1-digit numbers. variations on how to solve these To see how factoring makes mul and other problems. Space limita tiplication easier, consider the follow tions prevent us from demonstrating ing problem, repeated from the the numerous variations of mental section on the addition method above: problem-solving that we are able to 46 x 42. Previously we solved this elaborate on in greater detail in our problem by multiplying 46 x 40 and book. We also show you how to 46 x 2 and adding the products multiply and square any numbers up together. To use the factoring through 5-by-5 multiplication, as well method, treat 42 as 7 x 6 and begin as rapid left-to-right techniques for by multiplying 46 x 7, which is 322. mental division, addition, and sub Then multiply 322 x 6, which is 1932, traction. We even include a paper- for the final answer. You already know and-pencil method of doing any 10- how to do 2-by-l and 3-by-l multi by-10 multiplication problem, where plication problems, so this should be you can write the entire answer easy: down on one line with no intermediate steps! 46 x 42 = 46 x (7 x 6) = (46 x 7) x 6 = We shall end this article with a few 322 x 6 =1932 mathematical magic tricks that are simple and fun to do. Of course this problem could also have been solved by reversing the How to Look Like a Genius factors: Without Really Trying 46 x 42 = 46 x (6 x 7) = (46 x 6) x 7 = Here we present some mathematical 276 x 7 = 1932 magic tricks that do not require any calculating skill. But, as you can see, it is easier to 1. Think of a 3-digit number in multiply 322 x 6 than it is to multiply which the first digit is larger than the 276 x 7. In most cases I like to use last digit. the larger factor in solving the initial 2. Reverse that number and sub 2-by-l problem and to reserve the tract it from the first number. If the smaller factor for the 3-by-l compo result is a 2-digit number, tell them nent of the problem. to put a 0 in front of it. Factoring allows you to do what 3. Take that answer and add it to you need to do: simplify from larger the reverse of itself. to smaller numbers, and from harder At the end of this sequence the to easier problems. The advantage of answer 1089 will magically appear, no the factoring method in mental cal matter what number you originally culation is that you do not have to chose. For example: hold much in memory. Let's look at another problem by way of example: 851 685 -158 -586 75 x 63 = 75 x 9 x 7 = 675 x 7 = 4725 693 099 +396 +990 As before, you simplify this 2-by- 1089 1089 58 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 Oxymorons and Idiot Savants' mong the more popular terms man who memorized the popula Ai of popular culture of late is tion figures for every town in oxymoron, or a combination of America, the number of rooms at contradictory words,, applied more than two thousand hotels, humorously ("jumbo shrimp"), and information on more than sarcastically ("military intelli three thousand mountains and two gence") and sometimes curiously, thousand inventions. Among the as in in the strange case of idiot most common skills is calendar savants. This term, most commonly calculating, where the idiot savant used throughout the twentieth can give past and future days and century to describe mentally han dates in almost any combination of dicapped individuals with a gift for challenges, such as the years on a particular skill, comes from the which September 14 falls on a time when "idiot" was an actual Wednesday. designation on an I.Q. test (quite How are these individuals able low). "Savant" is French for "wise." to perform such mental feats? It is the term literally translates as the clear that many calculating skills, "wise idiot," and thus is an such as those described in the oxymoron. accompanying article—can be per Many idiot savants have a formed by anyone. But there are remarkable talent for lightning plenty that cannot be duplicated. calculations, art, music, and One theory is that the retardation memory, among other things. of most other"skills makes available There is the case for example, of more brain power to concentrate the Minnesota woman with an I.Q. on a single problem that can be of a two-year-old who could play focused on intensely and for great brilliant piano without reading a lengths of time.. Since "normal" single note of music. Or those who stimulation is lacking, the idiot can memorize telephone director savant makes up for it by intense ies, railway timetables, sports concentration on specific problems. scores, and biographical informa tion. There is the mentally retarded —A.B. and M.S. Why This Trick Works. No matter Upon subtracting abc - cba, you get: what 3-digit number you or anyone else chooses in this game, the final 100a + 100b + c result will always be 1089. Why? Let -(100c + 10b + a) abc denote the unknown 3-digit 100(a-c) + (c-a) = 99 (a-c) number. Algebraically, this is equal to: Hence after subtracting in step 2, 100a + 10b + c we must have one of the fol lowing multiples of 99: 099, 198, When you reverse the number and 297, 396, 495, 594, 693, 792, or 891, subtract it from the original number all of which produce 1089 after you get the number cba, algebraically adding it to the reverse of itself in equal to: 100c + 10b + a step 3. Fall 1993 59 Missing Digit Tricks at least 90 percent of the time (if the 1-digit numbers included a 9 or two Using the number 1089 from the last 3s or two 6s, or a 3 and a 6). I often effect, hand a volunteer a calculator use this method in front of mathe and ask her to multiply 1089 by any matically advanced audiences who 3-digit number she likes, but not to might see through the other methods. tell you the 3-digit number. (Say she There is one problem to watch out secretly multiplies 1089 x 256, which for. Suppose the numbers called out is 278, 784.) Ask her how many digits added to a multiple of 9 (say 36). Then are in her answer. Shell reply 6. you have no way to determine if the Next you say: "Call out 5 of your missing digit is 0 or 9. How do you 6 digits to me in any order you like. remedy that? Simple, you cheat! You I shall try to determine the missing merely say: "You didn't leave out a 0, digit." did you?" If he did leave out a 0, you Suppose she calls out "2 ... 4 have completed the trick successfully. . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 8." You correctly If he did not leave out the 0, you say: tell her that she left out the number "Oh, it seemed like you were thinking 7. of nothing! Nor did you leave out a The secret is based on the fact that 1, 2, 3, or 4, did you?" Hell nod or the digits of any multiple of 9 must say "yes." Then you follow with: "Nor add up to a multiple of 9. Since 1089 did you leave out a 5, 6, 7, or 8 either. is a multiple of 9, so will be 1089 times You left out the number 9, didn't any whole number. Since the digits you?" He'll respond in the affirmative called out add to 29, and the multiple and you will receive your due of 9 is 36, our volunteer must have applause. left out a 7. There are more subtle ways to Quick Cube Roots force the volunteer to end up with a multiple of 9. Here are some of my Ask someone to secretly select a 2- favorites. digit number, then have that person 1. Have the volunteer randomly cube the number, i.e., multiply it by choose a 6-digit number, scramble its itself twice (using a calculator). For digits, then subtract the smaller 6- instance, if the original number was digit number from the larger one. 68 the calculator would display 68 x Since we're subtracting two numbers 68 x 68 = 314,432. Then ask the person whose digits add up to the same to tell you the answer. Once he or number, the difference will be a she tells you the cube, you can multiple of 9. instantly reveal the original number 2. Have the volunteer secretly (the cube root), of 68! How? To choose a 4-digit number, reverse the calculate cube roots, you need to learn digits, then subtract the larger the cubes from 1 to 10: number from the smaller. (The dif ference will be a multiple of 9.) Then l3 = 1 63 = 216 3 multiply this by any 3-digit number. 23 = 8 7 = 343 The product will be a multiple of 9. 33 = 27 83 = 512 3. Ask the volunteer to randomly 43 = 64 93 = 729 multiply 1-digit numbers until the 53 = 125 103 = 1000 product is seven digits long. This is not "guaranteed" to produce a mul Once you have learned these, calcu tiple of 9, but in practice it will be so lating cube roots is as easy as n. For 60 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 Learned Men and Great Fools: Thomas Fuller e are strangely compelled by challenge the best lightning calcu Wstories of ordinary men doing lators. For example, they asked: feats so far beyond expectation that "Suppose a farmer has six sows, they invoke awe and wonder. Such and each sow has six female pigs is the case of Thomas Fuller (1710- the first year, and they all continue 1790), a black man who not only to increase at the same rate. At the was illiterate but was forced to end of eight years, how many sows work in the fields of Virginia as a will the farmer have?" The problem 8 slave and never received a single can be written as 7 x 6, that is, day of education. The "property" (7x7x7x7x7x7x7x7) of Elizabeth Cox, Thomas Fuller x 6. Within ten minutes Fuller gave taught himself to count to 100 after his response of 34,588,806, the which he increased his numerical correct answer. powers by counting such items at The Columbian Centinel, upon hand as the grains in a bushel of Fuller's death in 1790, reported that wheat, seeds in a bushel of flax, and "he could give the number of poles, the number of hairs in a cow's tail yards, feet, inches and barley-corns (2,872). in any given distance, say the Extrapolating from mere count diameter of the earth's orbit; and ing, Fuller learned to compute the in every calculation he would number of shingles a house would produce the true answer, in less need to cover its roof, the number time than 99 men in 100 would take of posts and rails to enclose it, and with their pens." When Fuller was other construction problems. His asked if he regretted having never prodigious skills grew, and with gained a traditional education, he them his reputation, to such an responded: "No, Massa. It is best extent that in old age he was I got no learning: for many learned challenged by two Pennsylvanians men be great fools." to mentally compute the solutions to a number of problems that would —A.B. and M.S. example: What's the cube root of Hence the first digit of the cube is 6. 314,432? 3. To determine the last digit of the Seems like a pretty tough one to cube root note that only the number begin with, but don't panic. It's 8 has a cube that ends in 2 (83 = 512), actually quite simple. As usual, well so the last digit must be 8. take it one step at a time: Therefore, the cube root of 314,432 1. Look at the magnitude of the is 68. Three simple steps and you're thousands number (the numbers to there. (Notice that every digit 0, 1, the left of the comma), or 314 in this ... 9 appears once among the last digits example. of cubes. In fact, the last digit of the 2. Since 314 lies between 63 = 216 cube root is equal to the last digit of and 73 = 343, according to our list of the cube of the last digit of the cube! cubes, the cube root lies in the 60s. Go figure that one out!) Now you try Fall 1993 61 one for practice: What's the cube root be a great way to promote skepticism of 19,683? and rational thinking, because it 1. 19 lies between 8 and 27 (23 and demonstrates just how powerful the 33). mind can be in its normal functioning. 2. Therefore the cube root is 20- It only requires a few basic skills and something. practice. Good luck! 3. The last digit of the problem is 3, which corresponds to 343 = 73, so 7 is the last digit. The answer is 27. Arthur Benjamin teaches mathematics at Notice that our derivation of the Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, last digit absolutely depends on the California, and regularly performs his original number being the cube of a mathemagics show for audiences across whole number. For instance, the cube America. Michael Shermer is an adjunct root of 19,684 is 27.0004572 . . . , assistant professor of the history of science definitely not 24. at Occidental College in Pasadena, I know this all probably seems like California. a lot to learn and that it can only be done by math whizzes. I can assure you that I've taught this program to many people and that, with practice, almost anyone can become a lightning calculator, or at least you can become proficient enough to both improve your math skills and wow your friends. I have found the system to iSS^ 62 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 The Blind Girl Who Saw the Flash of the First Nuclear Weapon Test ROLF SINCLAIR here is a well-known story about a blind girl sitting by a window in Albuquerque, TNew Mexico, who suddenly said, "What was that flash of light?" The time was shortly before dawn on July 16, 1945—the event she was supposed to have seen was the first explosion of a nuclear bomb, 120 miles to the south. I first heard the story in 1947 or 1948 in Atlanta. It seemed at that time to be well established in the current conventional wisdom, even if it made no sense scientifically. I heard it again occasionally over the decades, and then There is less than it was told to me—unchanged—in 1989 in meets the eye in Albuquerque. At that time I had just finished reading The Woman at Otowi Crossing (Waters this oft-repeated 1987), a novel in which this story figured story. anecdotally in a cameo appearance, and I decided to pursue it to its source. The truth was surprisingly easy to find. I had only to check newspaper files and make a few phone calls. I found a stranger story than the one I had been hearing, but one that had been pushed aside in favor of a neat, well- defined myth that mixed fact with an appealing element of fantasy. The United States had been pursuing the highly secret development of a nuclear weapon since 1940—at first slowly, and then after 1942 at an ever-accelerated pace as the Manhattan Project, under the direction of General Leslie R. Groves. The scale of the work was matched only by General Groves's insistence on total secrecy concerning an enterprise that was using a measurable fraction of the industrial capacity of this country. It was remarkable how effective Fall 1993 Day of Trinity: The first atomic explosion (here at 0.053 seconds after time zero) lights up the predawn skies of south-central New Mexico on July 16, 1945. But was the light really so unusual it could be seen by a blind girl? (Photo courtesy of National Atomic Museum, U.S. Department of Energy.) he was in keeping the very existence of this handicap. She studied music at of the project a secret. But even the local college in Socorro for two though the plans for testing the first years and then moved to Albuquerque nuclear bomb in a desolate corner of and attended the University of New New Mexico were kept from the Mexico. public, the fact of the test itself was She had come home to Socorro immediately obvious. The explosion during a summer vacation in 1945, and gave off more light than anyone then, before dawn on July 16, was expected (Groves 1983: 438). This being driven back to her classes in brilliant flash, which was visible up to Albuquerque by her family. At 5:29:45 200 miles away, could not be hidden. A.M. Mountain War Time, when their Georgia Green was born and raised car had reached Lemitar, about six in Socorro, a small town 75 miles miles north of Socorro, the sky to the south of Albuquerque. She had vision east suddenly lit up "like daylight." in only one eye as a young child. Then, The world's first nuclear device had at age seven, she damaged that eye just been detonated at the Trinity Site when she hit it on an open refrigerator about 50 miles away. They stopped the door and essentially lost its use. She car and watched this strange light flare was a talented and resourceful person up and then fade away. who bravely shaped her life in spite Anticipating that the test would 64 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 draw some attention, General Groves a reporter after arriving in Albu had prepared a series of mock news querque, or after returning later that releases describing various levels of a day to Socorro. Either way, the purported accidental explosion in a Associated Press picked up that story munitions dump at the Alamogordo and those of other observers, reduced Air Base (the nearest military camp each to a sentence or two, and made to the Trinity Site). Although press a composite story available to major censorship could not stop some word newspapers. getting into the local papers, it was Once a nuclear bomb had been used possible to channel the stories in such against Japan on August 6, the Army a manner that news of the unusual released long accounts of the new event did not achieve wide distribution weapon, its development, and its first (Groves 1983: 435). The Albuquerque trial in New Mexico in July. These Journal on Tuesday, July 17, ran such details were featured in the newspap a story: "Explosives Blast Jolts Wide ers. The account of the "blind girl" was Area." It quoted several eyewitnesses picked up again and repeated. And so from various parts of New Mexico and the story grew. One paper ran a included a brief reference to Georgia banner headline: "Blind Girl Saw Test Green: Explosion 120 Miles Away." (This is from a newspaper clipping on display So brilliant was the flash from the in the Los Alamos Historical Society explosion that Miss Georgia Green Museum: Associated Press story, no of Socorro, blind University of New date, no newspaper name.) Georgia Mexico student, said "What's that?" Green became simply the "blind girl," and her location at the time of the A longer version of this account explosion was shifted from near (which presumably had the same Socorro to Albuquerque itself. origin as the quote in the Journal) In October 1989 in Socorro I visited appeared in the weekly Socorro Chief Georgia's sister Elizabeth and Eliza tain on Thursday, July 19: beth's husband, who had been in the car with Georgia that morning, and An explosives magazine at the Alamogordo air base blew up Mon I learned many of these details. They day morning, and the flash, sound told me how Georgia had gone on to and shock were seen, heard and felt study and then teach at the University in Socorro, more than 100 miles of New Mexico, how she had been the away. . . . The flash was intensely organist at the Methodist church in white and seemed to fill the entire Socorro, how she learned to sew, and world. It was followed by a large how she had been babysitter to her crimson glow. The flash lasted only nieces and nephews. Georgia often a second or so. It was so bright that told the story of how she had "seen" Miss Georgia Green of Socorro, the first nuclear test. She lived a long, blind student at the University of New Mexico, being driven to Albu productive life and died a few years querque by her brother-in-law. before my visit. Elizabeth and her Lieutenant Joe Wills, asked, "What's husband agreed that Georgia was that?" "blind," in that she had no useful vision. But apparently she could This reads like a shortened version distinguish light and dark. Elizabeth of an interview with someone in the made the telling statement that on car with Georgia Green that morn that morning in 1945, when the flash of light appeared suddenly in the east, ing—as though that person spoke to Fall 1993 65 they stopped the car and helped story of Georgia Green seeing the Georgia out "to let her look at the flash of light. Then it became an flash." element in fictional accounts. In one I could only conclude that Georgia novel we find, "At this instant a blind could detect a strong light in a limited girl seated at her window in Albu way, and that this was known to her querque, 120 miles away, spoke family. quickly to a companion. 'What is that General Groves had the eye for bright flash in the sky?' " (Waters detail that was essential in many ways 1987). In another novel we have, "Old to his supervision of the weapon Grandma told him ... 'as I walked project. He personally orchestrated back from the kitchen to my bed there the press response to the Trinity test was a flash of light through the so as to minimize the inferences that window. So big, so bright even my old could be drawn from the published clouded-up eyes could see it. It must reports. He noted the various have filled the whole south-east sky. accounts of eyewitnesses that were I thought I was seeing the sun rise surfacing and wrote, "One of these again. . . .' " (Silko 1977: 245). was a blind woman who saw the light" And so the story persists. Light is (Groves 1983: 435). light, even that from a nuclear test, The official history of the Manhat but the legend has it that there is a tan Project quoted the same news special quality to the light from a paper accounts: "A significant aspect, nuclear bomb so that it can be "seen" recorded by the press, was the expe by a blind person. rience of a blind girl near Albuquerque This story qualifies as a "new urban many miles from the scene, who, legend" (Brunvand 1986). People who when the flash of the test lighted the pass it on "know" it to be true. It made sky before the explosion could be some kind of sense in 1945 when it heard, exclaimed, 'What was that?' " started: that the light from such a new (Smyth 1945: 250-251). and terrible weapon, so far removed One writer, Lansing Lamont, did from normal experience, would be so verify the story and interviewed the unusual that it could be sensed by occupants of the car. He wrote: someone blind to ordinary light. And "Georgia Green felt the flash and a the story appeared (with few or no sudden loss of breath. 'What's that?' direct references) in the many news she gasped and clutched the arm of paper accounts of the explosion. Few her brother-in-law. The car shook and people seemed to have checked on the swerved off onto the shoulder of the origin of the story; most were content road" (Lamont 1985: 235). So even if to simply repeat it. From there the Georgia herself did not see the flash, story grew until it settled into its perhaps she sensed its heat; at any rate present stable form and became a standard literary device. the driver saw it and swerved, and Georgia made the now-famous remark. Another account of the test References supplied stories of a number of unintended eyewitnesses to the explo Brunvand, Jan. H. 1986. The Choking sion, and (quoting the Albuquerque Doberman and Other 'New' Urban Legends. Journal) said that a blind woman had New York: W. W. Norton. I am grateful to Sean Curry for calling my attention somehow noticed the blast (Szasz to this important book. 1984: 85). Groves, Leslie R. 1983. Nolo It Can Be Told: There was now a firm basis for the The Story of the Manhattan Project. New 66 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 York: Da Capo Press. elements of fantasy as the FBI's solemnly Lamont, Lansing. 1985. Day of Trinity. New recording 24 cases of people who antic York: Atheneum Press. ipated the first nuclear explosion in Silko, Leslie Marmon. 1977. Ceremony. New visions (p. 210) and the corruption of the York: Viking Press. story, quoted above, of Georgia Green Smyth, Henry D. 1945. Atomic Energy for (p. 201). (For a factual account of the life Military Purposes. Princeton, N.J.: Prince of Edith Warner, see Peggy Pond Church, ton University Press. The House at Otowi Bridge (Albuquerque: Szasz, Ferenc M. 1984. The Day the Sun Rose University of New Mexico Press, 1959). Twice. Albuquerque: University of New Again, truth is more interesting than Mexico Press. fiction.) Waters, Frank. 1987. The Woman at Otowi Crossing. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, rev. ed. This unfortunate novel is Rolf M. Sinclair is with the Physics loosely based on the life of a real person, Edith Warner. Although presented as a Division of the National Science Foun piece of realistic fiction, it contains such dation, Washington, DC 20550. _ AVAILABL_'jmmE NOW! ORDE R TODAY!_ ^Explorations in the Paranormal Starring STEVE SHAW 40-minute video explores famous cases in skepticism 8 the paranormal Is Firewalking Miraculous? Does Astrology Work? Were the Gulf Breeze UFOs for Real? including never-before-released Gulf Breeze historical footage Produced (or CSICOP by INQUIRY MEDIA PRODUCTIONS • featuring Andrew FRAKNOI • Kendrick FRAZIER • Ray HYMAN • Ivan KELLY • Philip J. KLASS Paul KURTZ • Bernard LEIKIND • Robert SHEAFFER • many morel Written 6 Directed by Tom FLYNN • executive Producer Paul KURTZ • Producers Mary Rose HAYS 6 Barry KARR Ideal for SKEPTICS' GROUP MEETINGS • PUBLIC LECTURES • SPEAKER SUPPORT $69.95 1_Q?M^0J/VF0R_H0ME DEUyERY_-_$69.9_5 Complete this order form or call TOLL FREE 1-800-634-1610 YES, send me copies of Beyond Belief: Explorations in the Paranormal on VHS Hi-Fi Stereo @ $69.95 each. Price includes shipping and handling. NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP DAYTIME PHONE • Check enc. • Bill D MC • Visa No Exp Signature (required for credit card orders) : I CSICOP •Jp.qjiqiJQL: Bn«S!9 Wt_-J422B-0703 , Fall 1993 67 Science: The Feminists' Scapegoat? BARBARA G. WALKER e in the feminist movement have become justly critical of the exploita W tion and waste of natural resources that characterize our technological civilization. We want the earth treated with more respect. We want nature to be recognized as a sacred, living power instead of a soulless object of conquest. We want less of the arrogance of Big Science and Big Business, and more of the fittingly humble appreciation of the gifts of life. New Age notions We are sick of a traditional philosophical dualism that divides lordly male intellectual "mind" from infiltrating the ignoble female emotional "matter." We want to feminist replace that dualism with a new idea of wholeness. movement create This is all very well and laudable from a unwarranted philosophical viewpoint. But we must observe certain caveats. We [feminists] are in danger of barriers between going too far into our own brand of dualism, women and when we label patriarchal and bad everything science. that is modern/scientific, while declaring matriarchal (or natural) and good everything that is primitive/magical. At the same time, we accept with off-handed ingratitude the gifts of technology that are made available to us every day: electric light, radio, television, telephones, trains, airplanes, cars, computers, central heating, hot water, dishwashers, stoves, grocery stores, and the multitude of consumer goods that we consider essential—plus the real miracles of modern medicine and the vastly increased knowledge of Nature that only the scientific method has been able to provide. Personally, I am willing to grant a due portion of respect and appreciation to the scientific method. Like our ancestors, I am intensely curious about the nature of nature; but unlike them, I do not have to depend so heavily on 68 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 my own crude guesses. Thanks to certainly would not have saved us. modern science, I can know how many Only science, with its objective, light-years distant a certain star is; "linear" approach, could have dis why springtime sap rises to the top covered bacteria, viruses, antibiotics, of the tree; what elements form the chromosomes, genes, molecules, composition of my favorite crystal; atoms, elements, hormones, leuco what the function of my pancreas is; cytes, microorganisms, chlorophyll, and how animals and plants exchange ozone, the human ovum, or details of atmospheric gases. No such things the solar system—not to mention the could have been discovered without mind-boggling extent of our galaxy, the scientific method. Guessing, let alone the existence of other imagining, or meditation-revelation galaxies and the vastness and age of never managed to resolve any such the universe. Almost everything that questions in a trustworthy manner. we can claim to know with any Medicine, especially, has come a certainty about our world has been long way since primitive healers were learned through science and not by treating wounds with mud packs and subjectivity, instinct, or insight. In sympathy, or beating drums to cast fact, the primary characteristic of out the "evil spirit" of appendicitis. human subjectivity is not certainty at Were it not for techniques developed all, but diversity. only in the present century, both my Of course the subjective has its son and I would have died years ago, place. It is an essence of the deepest and my husband would have lost his self, the inner working of archetypal leg, and perhaps also his life. Magic patterns. Without it, we are dead at Fall 1993 09 tic thought, labeling the former "masculine" and the latter "feminine" "We [feminists] are in danger (or "left-brain" and "right-brain"). of going too far into our own They claim a separate-but-equal sta tus for the "feminine" mode, but this brand of dualism, when we is not materially different from the label patriarchal and bad more tolerant varieties of traditional sexism. For women to imply that everything that is modern/ women generally cannot, need not, or scientific, while declaring should not be scientifically aware is to put down their very real reasoning matriarchal (or natural) and powers and to cause difficulties for good everything that is those women who do pursue scientific careers, and who must contend with primitive/magical." the same residual negative attitudes from their male colleagues every day. heart, without creativity, without Women, especially those trained in spirit, without hope. But we must scientific methods, are perfectly cap avoid the trap that lurks within the able of objective reasoning. Many do attractive holistic idea: the trap of it brilliantly and deserve more credit allowing subjectivity to substitute for for analytical keenness than some hard knowledge, the kind of knowl male associates are usually prepared edge that can be consistently verified to give them. by all investigators. We need hard Furthermore, it is important for knowledge. And I suspect that too women to analyze and criticize all the many people reject it for no better patriarchal myths with the clear-eyed reason than that it is hard to learn, objectivity that can uncover their requiring more time, concentration, untenable premises and secret mental focus, and reasoning ability motives. This is best done in a logical than they are able or inclined to exert. manner, without recourse to It is quite possible to live a success unfounded hypotheses, baseless ful life without scientific literacy. Still, claims, or lunatic fringeism. The those who cannot comprehend science feminist cause is not helped by those are effectively locked out of the who, lacking scientific knowledge, intellectual seats of power in a tech may make foolish or false statements nological age. For centuries, women about matters of fact. It is all too easy have been locked out of various seats to prove them wrong, and thus cast of power partly on the ground of their doubt on their whole theme. Women alleged nonrationality. It has been are not well served by scientific claimed that women lack logic, objec naivete. tivity, and reasoning ability and that It would be a pity to reject any therefore they cannot learn scientific branch of learning for no better procedures and must be restricted to reason than that it is too complicated the realms of emotion and the func or difficult. It would be a tragedy to tions of service. This has been a major plunge the civilized world into a new prop for the myth of female intellec Dark Age of Ignorance for no better tual inferiority. cause than our own laziness. We all Some feminists fall back into the have the unfortunate inclination to same old myth by drawing new think our own mental processes distinctions between linear and holis somehow right and superior to the 70 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 mental processes of others; but people must beware of the tendency to put down the scientific attitude just "For women to imply that because their own minds don't happen women generally cannot, need to work that way. The scientific not, or should not be attitude is the best tool that humanity has managed to develop, so far, for scientifically aware is to put finding out what nature really is and down their very real reasoning what it is not. To reject such a tool would be like powers and to cause difficulties deliberately blinding our newly for those women who do pursue opened eyes. When science is just scientific careers." beginning to show us the astonishing diversity, complexity, and richness of the world, of which our species is a have no answers. How high is the sky, tiny component, should people deny and why does it look blue? What is that mighty vision simply because air and why do we need to breathe they find scientific study too demand it? Why does the sun give off heat? ing for their taste? Why do the seasons change? What Certainly, scientific investigations makes a seed sprout? What makes a of nature arose within a system heart beat? Why does wood burn, dominated by men and with under while stone does not? What causes lying patriarchal attitudes. Neverthe lightning, thunder, earthquakes, less, it must be remembered that the wind, ocean tides? How is it that water whole point of the scientific method falls from the sky, while smoke rises is to exclude the personal attitudes of up to it? Why is our blood red? How the investigator, no matter what they can a woman's body grow a baby? And are, and to concentrate on the subject so on, through all the questions you matter alone. In fact, patriarchal could think of if you thought nothing religion often has been bitterly else, day and night, for a blue moon's opposed to the progress of science, time. whose objective investigations have It's all too easy to produce imagin continually revealed the untenability ative answers to such questions. Yet of traditional Bible-based concepts the truly inquisitive mind is not about the world. Ever since the satisfied with imagined or metaphor Church forced Galileo to renounce his ical answers. The truly inquisitive proofs of the earth's orbit around the mind wants to know. Imagination is sun, some theological authorities have fine for art, music, drama, dance, been resisting scientific knowledge poetry, and fiction. But how intelli that might interfere with their world- gent would we be if we persisted in view. Were it not for scientific studies believing literally, as our forebears of both nature and human culture, we believed, that the earth is flat, that might be still struggling in the iron the sunset reflects the fires of the grip of a rigidly sexist theocracy, underworld, or that a spirit of disease compelled to accept fables as God- can be frightened out of the body by given truths. For this, too, we should a scary mask? be grateful. Literal information should not Throughout the long ages, human depend on fantasy. The valid premise beings have been asking themselves of science is that, once information has millions of questions for which they been established and verified accord- Fall 1993 71 ing to logical experimentation, that by a vision of nuclear doomsday that piece of information can be trusted. could leave our once-fertile Earth as Women must continue to secure sterile as Mars. But if we spread a access to the best scientific knowledge whole blanket of blame over every of their time, for themselves and their thing "scientific" because of these children, because knowledge repre justifiable fears, surely we are obscur sents their freedom as well as their ing our proper target. It isn't scientific power to deny stereotypes. People do knowledge that is our enemy; it is the not have to be scientists themselves application of scientific knowledge in in order to be scientifically literate. the bottom-line sort of morality that They have only to tear themselves permits anything as long as it can away from the entertainment indus make money. try long enough to read, study, take Let us not make a scapegoat of the notes, and interest themselves in best means of comprehending nature literature that truthfully describes the that humanity has been able to devise natural world. after three million years of trying. To What many feminists rightly mis do so is to allow ourselves to be trust is not scientific information per diverted from the real issue, which is se, but the moral and ethical turpitude the development of a new feminist of those who misapply such informa morality that can make better use of tion in destructive ways. We fear the both nature's gifts and human under misuse of technology, which can standing. Indiscriminate trashing of all result in an exhausted Earth, with scientific disciplines will take us poisoned soil, air, and water. We nowhere but backward. We need denounce the destruction of whole better assimilation and use of what populations of plants and animals has been learned, not renunciation of through the technology that renders learning. their natural defenses useless. We are horrified by Earth's growing burden of man-made toxic substances. We Barbara G. Walker is the author of 19 fear for the lives of our descendants books, including The Skeptical Femi in an increasingly inhospitable envir nist, The Woman's Encyclopedia of onment. Most of all, we are terrified Myths and Secrets, and Amazon. The Importance of Doubt The importance of doubt as the first step to knowledge was one of the principles our father taught us both. It was due to his love and appreciation of nature that we both became scientists. -Joan Feynman (sister of the late Richard Feynman), Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a letter in the May 1993 Physics Today, responding to a comment by Freeman Dyson in a book review 72 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 Book Reviews America's Longest and Costliest Criminal Trial The Abuse of Innocence: The McMartin Preschool Trial. By Paul Eberle and Shirley Eberle. Prometheus Books, Buffalo, N.Y. 1993. 420 pp. Hardcover, $24.95. LLOYD K. STIRES hild sexual abuse is a crime the pursue the matter any further. very nature of which invites Investigative journalists Paul and C abuses of due process. It often Shirley Eberle, authors of The Politics involves claims of recovery of of Child Abuse, have written a detailed repressed memories by children, some account of the McMartin Preschool of whom were quite young at the time trials. After reading their book, I find of the alleged offenses. Given the it hard to escape the conclusions that heinous nature of the crimes, judges, the defendants were innocent of all legislators, and the public have been charges; that the prosecutors per willing to suspend some of the rights sisted in spite of the knowledge that of defendants in the interest of protecting victims from emotional distress. To be falsely accused of such a crime must surely be a nightmare. In 1983, Peggy McMartin Buckey, director of the McMartin Preschool in Manhattan Beach, California, and her son Raymond were accused of hundreds of instances of child sexual abuse, including rape, oral and anal intercourse, taking pornographic pictures, satanic rituals, abuse of sees* animals, and threatening the children. From 1988 to 1990, they were tried in the longest and costliest trial in American history. Peggy Buckey was acquitted on all counts. Ray Buckey was acquitted on most of the charges. The jury deadlocked on others. His retrial resulted in a second hung jury, at which point the state declined to Fall 1993 73 their case was extremely weak; and biased interview procedure than that that the judge, the news media, and used in the McMartin case. The public opinion were all strongly biased interviewers were strongly commit against the defendants. ted to the defendants' guilt. They This case raises some of the most placed conformity pressure on the controversial issues in contemporary children by telling them that their psychology. To what extent can chil classmates had reported abuse and had dren accurately report events that named them as victims. They used took place during their preschool anatomically correct dolls and hypo years? Can false memories be im thetical questions that encouraged the planted by suggestion? Why would children to confuse fact and fantasy. therapists suggest false memories to They praised the children for answers children? What are jurors' reactions implicating the defendants. As a to claims of child sexual abuse in which result, the few child witnesses who it is essentially a child's word against were called to testify may have that of an adult defendant? believed they had been abused, Laypeople sometimes think of although their recollections were memory as if one were scanning a vague, inconsistent, and in some cases videotape of the event. Psychological contrary to known facts. research shows that eyewitness iden Expectancy effects may have also tification and testimony is much less played a role in the willingness of some accurate than this analogy suggests. medical doctors to testify that sexual [See "Eyewitness Testimony: Imper abuse can be detected from physical fect Interface Between Stimuli and examinations many years after the Story," SI, Summer 1993.] The fact. The McMartin jurors were memory of adults can be manipulated shown dozens of enlarged slides of relatively easily by leading questions— vaginas and anuses in which small questions that contain hints of the imperfections were interpreted as expected answer, such as, "Was the signs of abuse. Even undamaged attacker wearing a mustache?" Chil anuses were said to be "consistent dren are even more susceptible to with the possibility of abuse." suggestive questions. Retelling their The behavior of the prosecutors story commits witnesses to their seemed to be the result of a premature recollections, whether they are correct commitment to the theory that the or not. Inaccurate eyewitnesses tend Buckeys were guilty. By the time they to be just as confident as accurate realized how weak their case was, they ones. Since jurors use confidence as literally had too much invested to quit. a criterion, they believe most eyewit As a result, they resorted to (and the ness testimony, whether it is accurate judge permitted) sleazy courtroom or not (see Doris 1991; Loftus 1979, tactics intended to create dislike for 1993). Ray Buckey, including lengthy but One of the enduring lessons irrelevant testimony claiming that he of psychological research concerns didn't wear underwear, that he read the experimenter-expectancy effect Playboy, and that he believed in the (Rosenthal 1966). Researchers can healing power of pyramids. unintentionally communicate their The Eberles report conferences expectations to their subjects, and outside the presence of the jury in subjects often respond by telling them which the judge ruled on what testi exactly what they want or expect to mony he would allow. His decisions hear. It is hard to imagine a more seemed one-sided. The defense was 74 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 penalized for the fact that it presented obvious questions unanswered. its case last. The judge refused to hear On the positive side, this lengthy crucial defense witnesses on the confrontation with the obvious weak grounds that the trial was taking too nesses of the prosecution's case is long. In their summation, the prose persuasive. If the Eberles had sum cutors noted that they had produced marized the trial in their own words, seven doctors supporting allegations they might have been perceived as of child abuse, while the defense had biased in favor of the defendants. only presented one in rebuttal. Of course, some of the jurors heard Unknown to the jurors, the judge had all the evidence and still voted to limited the defense to one doctor to convict Ray Buckey. The Eberles speed up the trial. quote an unidentified psychologist as We are familiar with the idea of saying, "The problem is how do you political bias in the news media. Maybe maintain a democracy, when there are we should think more seriously about so many millions of people who are the pro-prosecution bias of crime stupid enough to believe anything?" reporting, especially in sensational (p. 343). Are we paying the price of cases. A defense study showed that years of neglect of our educational before the McMartin trial news stor system? Do we have a population of ies favored the prosecution by a ratio citizens who are unable or unwilling of 14 to 1, which may explain why to think critically? 97.5 percent of local residents believed Meanwhile, the story continues. the Buckeys were guilty. The Eberles The case of the Little Rascals Day Care report their conversations with people Center in Edenton, North Carolina, who were strongly convinced of the is similar to the McMartin case— defendants' guilt in spite of their lack hundreds of allegations of child sexual of knowledge of the case and had no abuse, psychologists with anatomi interest in discussing facts that might cally correct dolls, etc.—but with one have challenged their opinion. major exception: As of this writing, This book is not, strictly speaking, owner Robert Kelly has been con about the McMartin case; it is about victed and sentenced to 12 life terms. the trials. It contains four chapters, the His wife and several employees are longest of which is a 286-page account awaiting trial. These are scary times. of the first trial. The testimony of many redundant witnesses is quoted References at length from the transcript. The testimony is presented in the order Doris J., ed. 1991. The Suggestibility of that it was given at the trial rather Children's Recollections. Washington, than according to the chronological D.C.: American Psychological Associa tion. order of events and alleged events. Loftus, E. F. 1979. Eyewitness Testimony. The reader must put all this informa Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University tion together. I have mixed feelings Press. about this approach. . 1993. The reality of repressed memo ries. American Psychologist, 48: 518-537. On the negative side, the Eberles Rosenthal, R. 1966. Experimenter Effects in don't do some of the work we ordi Behavioral Research. New York: Appleton- narily expect of journalists. They don't Century-Crofts. summarize all the facts. They don't provide all the relevant background Lloyd Stires is a professor of psychology information. Their book is twice as at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, long as needed, but still leaves some Indiana, PA 15705-1068. Fall 1993 75 The Secret Life of Things The Nature of Things: The Secret Life of Inanimate Objects. By Lyall Watson. 1992. Destiny Books, One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767. 255 pp. Paper $12.95. ROBERT A. BAKER yall Watson's latest exploration of Most of us with a grain of common the farther reaches of the human sense and a smidgen of an education L imagination outdoes all of his know perfectly well what's happening: previous efforts by a wide margin. In nothing! Watson, however, knows this newest effort the reader is asked better. He suggests that what we are to accept as credible the idea that witnessing is the development of "a inanimate objects in the world around new life form," and he insists that we us have always had a "mind" or "life- are investing objects with "a life- force" of their own and, moreover, it force" through the attention we give has come from and is due to our own to them. Just how does this come creative and emotional nature. As about? Well, according to him, we are John Steele notes, "Both life and mind surrounded by subtle forces, such as are emergent properties of sufficiently "memory fields," and all matter has complex matter." And Man, both as the "capacity to absorb emotional homo faber (the maker) and homo ludens 'fingerprints'—the mental fossils that (the player), has certainly created and channel echoes from the past." played with some very complex forms Through stories of sacred stones that of materials. sing, lost wedding rings that reappear, Recognizing the inherent absurdity and statues of the Virgin Mary that of Watson's basic proposition, the weep, Watson demonstrates the com publisher as well as Watson himself plexity of inanimate life and offers took steps at the outset to head off possible proof of our sensitivity to its criticism. On the cover the publisher minute, natural patterns of energy. quotes Desmond Morris: ". . . There's Our observations bring things into nothing worse than a closed mind. existence. Lyall Watson has a first-rate scientific Recognizing that all of this is much brain. His strength lies in his readiness too much for even the most credulous to find and study strange phenomena reader to swallow, Watson coyly without the fears that other scientists remarks in his conclusions: "The have!" Other cover blurbs tell us that anecdotal nature of much of the "Watson logically investigates illogical evidence for all this has made it events," and, further, "We have all necessary for me to trip lightly over experienced those strange moments the detail, but I am very serious about when things seem to take on lives of the thrust of the argument. ... I their own. Valued possessions return believe that it is our destiny to lift, to their owners, houses greet us with nudge, urge and cajole inanimate a welcome or unfriendly demeanor, matter into life. This is our job. The lost items turn up in the most unlikely bright man's burden" (p. 228). places, and computers misbehave. Watson launches his attack on the What's going on?" reader's credulity from the very be- 76 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 ginning. In his Introduction he urges of Things," Watson pays a debt of us to recognize that "things, even gratitude to one obscure seer with the those that are totally inorganic and unlikely name of Ion Will. According undeniably inanimate, sometimes to this esteemed guru, "Metaphors are behave as though they were alive, on living things" that soon turn into occasion even sentient" (p. 11). He Metaphorms, that is, ideas that take on insists that we see our relationship an existence in the real world. Since with devices and machines as a sort psychologists (according to Watson of "suburban shamanism" and our and Will) can't tell you what percep selves as "apprentice sorcerers." Is it tion and seeing are or mean, there are therefore any wonder that he glee other similar things we (Watson and fully confesses that he used the Will) don't understand. Watson cites National Enquirer and other weeklies the violins crafted by Stradivarius as as his sources of information. In his an example. Watson finds it absolutely own words, "Few scientists and no incredible that every one of the violins learned journalists take the subject Stradivarius made has excellent tone seriously. I do. Despite the shortcom and timbre. Watson cannot believe ings of this database I remain that Stradivarius "got it right 600 impressed with the consistency I find times—it couldn't be due to chance." there." After this revelation it should Watson is correct, it wasn't due to come as no surprise that Watson also chance; it was due to skill and craft- tells us that he depended heavily on manship. Watson's major point is that the work of Charles Fort; he even the violin itself is alive and it "influ dedicated the book to Fort. ences the way you play." Watson next In Chapter 1, "The Nature of turns to dowsing as further proof of Things," Watson regales us with the life that resides in metal and wood primitive stories of magical rocks and and that is sensitive to concentrations stones, sacred altars, runes, and of water, metals, and so on. The most legends of singing rocks. Watson asks convincing work of all, as far as us to believe in the truth of these Watson is concerned, was that carried things. He insists they are not merely out by the notorious Rhodes Bucha legends and folktales. He cites stories nan around the turn of the century. of the magical power of Ayres Rock Called "psychometry," this pseudo- in Australia and takes the Aborigine scientific bit of flim-flam argues that tales of stone-power as the gospel material objects give off some sort of truth. As further evidence Watson subtle emanation that certain sensi tells us about "homing things," that tives are able to feel and interpret. is, things that people lose that, in Psychometry also forms the basis for believe-it-or-not fashion, return to the belief that psychics can divine the the loser. Watson is astounded by the history of, or events connected with, fact that several weeks after a woman material objects with which they come dropped her wedding ring into the in close contact. Modern ghost theory lake, she found it in the stomach of also rests upon the assumption that a fish she caught in the same lake. material objects in the environment Such things boggle Watson's mind soak up or absorb human emotional and, for him, prove the existence of energy and when psychics, at a later "thing" power. So do quartz crystals, time, enter this environment they can which Watson is convinced have pick up and interpret these emotions minds of their own. and energies. In his second chapter, "The Origin Nowadays it is hard to believe that Fall 1993 77 anyone takes this seriously. Houdini, that machines have it in for us and around the turn of the century, that we can and do interact with them routinely would confound and embar as if they were living things! Watson's rass such psychics by giving them evidence: Ted Serios's ability to artifacts of living females and telling impress his thoughts on film inside a them they were objects of dead males. camera; reports of house lights that Those who remember James Randi's go on and off by themselves; TV show of a few years back will also telephone-line mixups and phone calls recall that the psychometrist failed from dead people, as argued by Scott miserably to correctly connect the Rogo and Raymond Bayless. We also watches, rings, keys, and so on, with have heard that tea kettles in England their proper owners. Watson, how send mystic messages to cleaning ever, cites as convincing evidence, for ladies and that chain saws have been him, the story of an engineer in known to sing while church organs London before World War II who was occasionally broadcast shipping fore correct 34 percent of the time in casts. Moreover, many psychics connecting objects with their owners. claimed to capture the voices of the Watson also notes that the engineer, dead on audio tape. Many people seem amazingly, "scored best with things to send forth electric signals and belonging to people he knew"! Watson emanations that mess up various next calls upon "Earth Magic," which electrical and electronic devices. is the theory that there are "good" Robert Jahn's work at Princeton also places and there are "bad" places. In shows that people can influence the latter category are haunted houses energy radiations at very low or weak peopled by ghosts. Watson tells us that levels of output. All of these things "we make the world up as we go are accepted unquestionably by Wat along." Information, it seems, is son and prove to him that material trapped not only in crystals but in things are alive and have minds of water as well. their own. His piece de resistance is that in 1981 Kenji Urada, a Japanese In another chapter we learn that factory worker at Kawasaki Heavy since the beginning of time people Industries in Akashi, was beaten to have made statues and idols, have death by a robot's arm, and artificial endowed them with lifelike qualities, intelligence and berserk computers a and worshipped them. Now we have few years ago almost brought about statues that bleed, shed tears, and World War III. glow with a holy light. Doors and paintings—particularly of religious Watson has been writing such figures—also weep and shed blood. things for well over two decades, In another chapter Watson gets beginning with Supernature (Double- into the world of machines. He says day, 1973), Lifetide (Simon and Schus that many machines seem to be jinxed ter, 1979), and Beyond Supernature or evil and actually strike back at their (Bantam Books, 1988). He has surpris makers and owners. As evidence he ingly overlooked the "powder of cites the large number of automotive sympathy," an idea promulgated by recalls and James Dean's fatal crash, Sir Kenelm Digby (1603-1665), who which apparently, Watson says, was enjoined the medical fraternity of his more the fault of the car than of its time to employ "weapons salve" to driver. heal battlefield injuries. A soldier's In his seventh and final chapter, wound was cleaned and covered with "The Ghost in the Machine," we learn a bandage, then a salve was applied 78 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 not to the wound but to the weapon business and suffer from all the that had caused it. If the weapon was distortions of the marketplace. I am unavailable, a piece of bloody clothing ruefully aware of having helped to was dipped in the salve. Strangely create this situation and accept my enough it worked. The wounds did share of responsibility for fueling indeed heal more quickly when the enthusiasms which have, in some ointment was applied to the weapon cases, got out of hand. Our culture, than when it was applied to the however, is prone to such excesses" wound. Why? Because the bacteria- (p. 2). Watson is, obviously, incorrig infected salves and powders caused ible, and when he "rues" he doesn't infection; treating the weapons overdo. This latest work is medieval didn't! in attitude, concept, and execution. In Beyond Supernature, Watson argued: "Given wide public interest in Robert A. Baker is emeritus professor of the supernatural, it was probably psychology at the University of Kentucky, inevitable that it should become big Lexington. Science, Myth, and Cosmos Conversing with the Planets: How Science and Myth Invented the Cosmos. By Anthony Aveni. Times Books, New York, 1992. 255 pp. (30 photos). Hardcover, $21.00. L. STEPHEN COLES learly I have mixed feelings eyes. Obviously, the methods of about this book. The more I science were being used to understand C got into it, the more I became the minds of the ancient "naked-eye" enchanted, not only by the material astronomers in a way that allowed itself but by the author's lucid writing crosscultural comparisons and, as an style. Anthony Aveni, a professor of added insight, more clearly revealed astronomy at Colgate University, has the hidden agenda of the ruling classes pioneered a new discipline that is of those times. usually called "archaeoastronomy" but Over the past couple of years, as might be called "astronomical anthro I myself have walked along the thor pology." There are extended discus oughfares of the ruins of Chichen Itza sions of calendrical systems (Mayan, and Tulum, I felt the same sort of Babylonian, Chinese, Julian, etc.) and warm, positive feelings that I usually even an exposition of the logical basis experience while walking on a modern for astrology. The deciphering of college campus. Of course I tried to Mayan hieroglyphics and Babylonian imagine the collegial atmosphere of cuneiform writing with respect to the these ruins as they might have been planet Venus was brilliant, like a when they were newly built struc detective story laid out before one's tures and not crumbling ruins. In the Fall 1993 79 struggle to understand how these an understanding of how their per civilizations achieved such extraordi ceptions must have influenced their nary heights and then fell into decline own model of the world. Certainly, (a period of drought, maybe, that led for them, the inanimate world was a to famine and/or an invasion by much more lively, dynamic sort of barbarians from a rival city state), one place, impacting humans more by tries to empathize with the historical "intent" (teleology) than by "cause- inhabitants. What were they doing? and-effect" (ontology). Indeed, the What were they thinking? Why didn't main premise of the book is that truth they explore their surroundings is relative, defined by who we are and more? Or if they did, why didn't they what we already believe. By bringing record their discoveries in the form our own cultural prejudices to bear on of maps (in Europe cartography was an interpretation of the artifacts that as popular as astronomy)? There remain of ancient civilizations, we can doesn't seem to be any evidence that easily miss the point or overlook the these civilizations, after building a value of their accomplishments. Our complex infrastructure of roads assumptions regarding the inevit through the jungle for trade between ability of our own progress, which cities, ever knew anything about the openly discredits the past for lacking geography of their Caribbean area. our modern perspective, can give us Was it the lack of appropriate domes a false sense of superiority over ticated animals? Was it the lack of ancient "primitive" peoples. When we sailing vessel technology? In other come to realize that our own time is words, if they were so smart, why merely a snapshot in the long eye of didn't they discover us, instead of us history, we regain some perspective (Europeans) discovering them? Most (humility). puzzling of all, if they were so knowl The breadth of Aveni's exposition edgeable and "civilized," judging by certainly rewarded me with an appre their mathematical calendar-making ciation for ancient peoples. I fully skills, how come they indulged in sympathized with the author's out ritual human sacrifice (regularly rage over the burning of ancient cutting out victims' hearts with a manuscripts by the Spanish conquis stone knife)? Today, we would con tadors on the ground that such sider such a practice barbaric and superstitious work was inspired by the highly uncivilized. Devil and would interfere with the How can we build an accurate conversion of the natives to Roman model of these peoples to explain their Catholic Christianity. I also felt a rise and subsequent decline? strong sympathy for the plight of Moreover, what will be the "epistem- Galileo at the time of his inquisi ological adequacy" of such models? tion. How can we be sure that the models Then, suddenly, when I hit page we construct of the Mayans will not 212, something bizarre happened. be flawed in some fundamental way? From pages 212 to 224 the author Conversing with the Planets clearly appears to go into an alien time warp. provides an excellent start at answer He literally advocates abandoning the ing some of these intriguing myster scientific method as a way to understand ies. Through reading these chapters, the world in our own times, on the one achieves a feeling of intimacy with grounds that it has outlived its use these ancient peoples, looking at fulness! To quote directly from Con things from their point of view, and versing with the Planets: 80 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 Magellan [the radar images of the planetary mission, not the explorer] has carried us beyond the veil of the love goddess [Venus]. We have depersonalized Mother Nature, convincing ourselves that the mate rial world exists and behaves strictly in its own self-interest [like a mechanical clock] .But we are begin ning to pay the price of living in a motherless world. We have become the outsiders, onlookers who can only helplessly watch the interac tions among forces and entities that have neither care nor cause for us. We have become bewildered by a universe that we still want to regard as nurturing, yet one we see filled with so much violence, unpredicta bility, and chaos—a universe as fickle and uncaring as Ishtar the morning after [another allusion to Venus]. We struggle in our new covenant to control nature, and, although we find containment at the local level manageable, the big picture throws up overwhelming since it seems to be arrived at after prospects we know we never can an extensive and wonderful use of the contend with. Cosmologists may scientific method. The practice of think they can read God's palm, but astrology was respectable for the they cannot keep the sun from ancient Mayans because it was con evolving nor the universe from sistent with their world model. Fright expanding [Big Bang]. ening omens (eclipses) or the locations of Venus were signs to clarify their Aveni then rationalizes that ordi relation to the awesome powers of nary citizens are then justified in nature, to create order out of uncer- clinging to newspaper astrology, UFO tainy. Rainbows were created not by interpretations of uncertain visual chance weather conditions but by the observations, and reincarnation. He gods as a means to declare their power. goes on to embrace a sort of New Age The destiny that controlled them was ideology that "shatters the arrow of obviously the result of complex influ time and its cause-and-effect physical ences created by celestial spirits. These explanations. All Nature becomes a gods allegedly intervened whenever conscious being. We must reject a they were "unhappy" about some mechanistic interpretation of Voyag thing, thereby explaining all sorts of er's data about Jupiter, Saturn, Ura earthly adversity (famines, droughts, nus, and Neptune." Gasp! floods, hurricanes, etc.). As a conse Well, this reviewer flatly rejects quence, this justified the requirement such absurdities. And it would make for divine appeasement through col this book especially dangerous if, as lective animal or even human sacrifice, a result, the nonscientific public were performed outside so the gods could to perceive such propaganda as the "watch." reasoned conclusion of science itself, If the planets don't flicker like the Fall 1993 81 stars, do they give off their own light? not "throw out the baby with the Or is it reflected? Does Atlas or do bathwater," but let's get on with real elephants and tortoises really hold up science. There's still a lot more to learn the Earth? My personal response to about the universe, such as why we the complaints expressed by the age and how the brain works. author at the end of this book is that "if science winds up teaching us that the universe is a clock [a mechanism] L. Stephen Coles is group chief technol in which god [the creator] left us ogist, Institutional Data Systems, Jet 'home alone,' then, so be it!" It's time Propulsion Laboratory, California Insti for us to grow up, anyway. And let's tute of Technology, Pasadena. Chronicles of Credulity UFO Chronicles of the Soviet Union: A Cosmic Samizdat. By Jacques Vallee. Ballantine Books, New York, 1992. 212 pp. Hardcover, $18.00. ERIK VAUGHN ien the reports of UFO land of the present state of UFO research ings in Voronezh broke in in the Soviet Union and the innova Wthe Western press in 1989, tions UFOlogists have introduced to Jacques Vallee was perturbed with the the discipline. media's handling of the story. In his Vallee discovers that, as Soviet view, they did not investigate the society experiences the freedoms of matter before ridiculing it, and they glasnost and the empire verges on "garbled" what he considered the disintegration, UFOs are part of this "real" story. By printing "bilocation" "enormously vital change." Vallee instead of "biolocation," the media thinks the UFO phenomenon even missed the fact that Soviet investiga may have contributed to the fall of tors had used dowsing to verify the the Berlin Wall. landings. To Vallee, this was a most In his view, Soviet UFOlogists were significant development. fortunate that, after years of official The media's scandalous treatment opprobrium and censorship, the wave of the event, the remarks of flippant of UFO activity coincided with their "shoot from the hip" debunkers, and freedom to make their findings public. the curious appearance of the UMMO Sheltered from the "pointless rights" hoax insignia provoked Vallee's deter between abductionist and conspiracy mination to go to Moscow and see "gurus," they were prepared to ana things for himself. Based on inter lyze events with open minds, which views with UFO investigators, Vallee finds refreshing after the experts, scientists, journalists, cosmo dogmatism of their counterparts in nauts, writers, New Age healers, and the West. Vallee appears to believe one skeptic, Vallee sketches his view that Soviet investigators have taken 82 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 a "scientific approach" to the UFO problem. There were several landings in "The Soviet UFO Voronezh, but Vallee devotes most experience is not an attention to the episode in South Park on September 27,1989, where reports independent part of a said children watched a "red sphere . . . forty-five feet by nineteen feet worldwide phenomenon; it [sic]" land and a being "nearly ten feet has been greatly influenced tall" emerge with a robot. The alien "froze" one boy; then the alien, the by decades-old Western robot, and the ship disappeared. When literature." they reappeared, the being caused another boy to disappear, then re entered the craft and flew away, the to be a hoax by many, and the insignia boy reappearing at the same moment. caused Vallee's French colleagues to Vallee believes the children's tes reject the Voronezh affair out of timony is best corroborated by the hand. adult witnesses, many of whom saw Vallee notes that a report contain red spheres during that period. For ing the insignia was available in him, the "idea of a few teenagers Voronezh before the landings, and he fantasizing about giants in the park asserts the symbol was added to the had to be eliminated," but no adult drawing in a "misplaced effort to witnesses to the landing are named, increase its credibility," a "spurious only the children. addition, the result of unfortunate Even UFOlogists admit that over contamination." Despite Vallee's 90 percent of sightings reported by attempt to salvage the situation, it is children, particularly teenagers, are hard to escape the conclusion that the hoaxes. The adults Vallee is able to children had prior knowledge of UFOs cite describe what sounds very much and that it helped inspire their prank. like a weather balloon, not something The use of "biolocation" to inves that has "no current scientific expla tigate and validate the landings nation." Their sightings do not prove puzzled Vallee. Magnetometers were the landings occurred, but instead used and radiation counts taken, but point to the possibility that weather these were then corroborated by balloons, in conjunction with the UFO "biolocation." For investigators it was hysteria sweeping the country, caused "as obvious as measuring electrical some excitement, which imaginative tension with a voltmeter," but Vallee children then elaborated into a full "failed to see any calibration, any blown landing. reliable baseline to their measure Perhaps the most damaging evi ments. Obviously, 1 was missing dence that the Voronezh landings are something. . . ." a fabrication is the appearance of the Professor Alexis Zolotov, of the UMMO "Hi" insignia in a drawing of Geophysical Institute in Kalinin, an the craft. UMMO is said to be the "expert in magnetism" and an expo home planet of a group of aliens, now nent of the spaceship-explosion-over- residing in Spain, who flew saucers Tunguska theory, explains that it is suspended from strings and issued "impossible to deny the existence of documents that gave rise to a veritable certain fields around living beings," cult. The UMMO story is considered that "every living entity generates a Fall 1993 83 biological field," and that it is an "energy fields" have been captured on "independent physical field, not yet film and constitute the most objective recognized." The field is positive in evidence Vallee has brought back. some areas but negative in others, and Vallee is assured that precautions can be "detected by people trained in were taken to prevent freezing biolocation" or sensed as "discomfort" temperatures from affecting the in negative zones and "euphoria" in emulsion, so he concludes the lights positive ones. The field can affect the are an as-yet-unexplained pheno mechanism of a watch, can enable a menon. The "energy fields," on the blind "sensitive" to diagnose illness other hand, are readily identifiable as with a sugar cube, or, with a diploma the aurora borealis, with the Big from the Institute, it can be used in Dipper clearly visible in the sky. Vallee mineral exploration. UFOs affect the can't understand how the UFOlogists biological field in a "pattern we have could mistake a familiar sight for learned to recognize." In Voronezh, "unexplained energy fields," but says, "bioenergy" levels dropped to zero "Perhaps we were being tested." where the UFO had been on the Nowhere does Vallee suggest he ground. passed this "test" or challenged the Vallee tacitly accepts the reality of "evidence." This "mistake" calls into biological fields since they could question the light-globe photographs, explain paranormal phenomena and which do appear to be the result of might provide a means of commun film artifacts or the frozen breath of ication with extraterrestrials. He the investigators. writes that dowsing is "supported by Clearly the competence or motiva .... tantalizing laboratory research," tion of these investigators and other but he is at a loss to understand the "experts" is in serious doubt. Vallee reliability researchers ascribe to it and admits that much "Soviet UFO data concludes he has "much to learn in is poorly documented" and "sur this area." rounded by irrelevant facts" and that Zolotov offers no evidence to "their whole methodology . . . has yet support a theory based on folklore. to be independently tested," but that Controlled scientific experiments does not alter his view that their have demonstrated that dowsing is research and conclusions are reliable little more than the subjective and sound. response of the diviner. Zolotov's How can Vallee express confidence "biological field" is a melange of geo- in what is either extremely flawed or mancy, water witching, and psychic outright counterfeit science? Vallee like trickery. He remarks that "ten considers free inquiry constrained by years ago . . . people would have said science and skepticism a barrier, and we were dealing with mystical non says at one point that "genuine UFO sense!" Ten years later it is still data are buried within hoaxes, undoc mystical nonsense. umented tales, and an enormous mass Turning to the Perm region, an of wishful thinking." If real informa area a thousand miles east of Moscow tion can be extracted from fake facts, in the Urals, Vallee observes that it hearsay, and fantasy, then no data is is a hot spot where "UFOs, globes of so corrupt, no methodology so con light and weird electrical phenomena trived, that it cannot produce desired have been reported for decades." results. This is pseudoscience evaluat Expeditions have "brought back no ing its kin and pronouncing it proof," but "globes of light" and legitimate. 84 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 Bogus science aside, UFO Chron copied and "circulated among trusted icles makes it evident that the Soviet friends." Far from being isolated, the UFO experience is not an independent Soviets have been exposed to an part of a worldwide phenomenon; it untold number of Western works. has been greatly influenced by Finally, instead of showing Soviet decades-old Western literature, from UFOlogists to be "serious, thorough, sightings of airships and flying cylind and diligent" in their efforts, Vallee ers right down to their own contactee reveals them to be as inept and cults, things not popular in the West credulous as their Western colleagues. since the 1950s. Vallee actually stum For that Vallee has performed an bles upon one probable source of this inestimable, if unintended, service. Western influence in the Soviet Union—the samizdat, a text of govern Erik Vaughn is a writer living in Los ment suppressed literature secretly Angeles, California. Here's Your Chance To preserve your copies of to Ask Marilyn Skeptical About False Memories Marilyn vos Savant, author of the Inquirer highly popular "Ask Marilyn" column in Parade magazine, has Order handsome and asked us for help. She wants to durable library binders do an "Ask Marilyn" column Each binder holds 6 issues about the problem of false memo One binder $7.95; three for $21.00; six for $40.00 (plus $1.50 for one, 50c foreac h additional binder. ries. She has been in communi for postage and handling.) cation with Martin Gardner, Please send me Skeptical Inquirer Binders. author of our Summer 1993 Total $ article on the subject, and with the Visa and MasterCard customers call Toll-free False Memory Syndrome Founda tion. Now she needs to hear from 800-634-1610 those most directly affected by the a Check or money order enclosed issue asking questions specific to Charge my a MasterCard o Visa the issue. If you have a question # Exp about the problem of false memo Sig ries, especially if you know the people involved, address it to: Name (PLEASE PRINT) Marilyn vos Savant Address Parade Magazine 750 Third Avenue City State Zip New York, N.Y. 10017 Or mail to: SKEPTICAL INQUIRER — Kendrick Frazier, Editor Box 703. Buffalo. New York 14226-0703 Fall 1993 85 Fill in the gaps in your SKEPTICAL INQUIRER collection 15% discount on orders of $100 or more ($6.25 for each copy. To order, use reply card insert.) SUMMER 1993 (vol. 17, no. 4): The right hemisphere: A dissenting note on Ertel's 'Update/ Kurtz. Magic An esoteric closet ? Saravi. Improving science teaching: The Melanin: Spreading scientific illiteracy among minorities, textbook problem, Padian. The eyewitness: Imperfect Part 2, de Montellano. Adventures in science and cyclosophy, interface between stimuli and story, Reich. Pathological de Jager. Searching for security in the mystical, Grimmer. science: An update, Cromer. Jack Horkheimer, "Star FALL 1991 (vol. 16, no. 1): Near-death experiences, Hustler," interview by Gabriel Seabrook. The false memory Blackmore. Multicultural pseudoscience: Spreading scien syndrome, Gardner. tific illiteracy, Part 1, de Montellano. Science and common- SPRING 1993 (vol. 17, no. 3): Anguished silence and sense skepticism, Aach. Spook Hill, Wilder. Lucian and helping hands: Autism and Facilitated Communication, Alexander, Rowe. 1991 CSICOP conference. Shore and Mulik, Jacobson, and Kobe. Faciliated Communication, Frazier. Autism, and Ouija, Dillon. Treading on the edge: Practicing SUMMER 1991 (vol. 15, no. 4): Lucid dreams, Blackmore safe science with SETI, Tarter. Education for science. Gore. Nature faking in the humanities, Gallo. Carrying the war A threat to science, Schatzman. Charles Honorton's legacy into the never-never land of psi: Part 2, Gill. Coincidences, to parapsychology, Blackmore. 1993 CSICOP Conference Paulos. Locating invisible buildings, Plummer. True proceedings. believers. Bower. WINTER 1993 (vol. 17, no. 2): Special report: 3.7 million SPRING 1991 (vol. 15, no. 3): Special report: Hi-fi Americans kidnapped by aliens? Stires and Klass. Psychics: pseudoscience, Davis. Searching for extraterrestrial Do police departments really use them? Sweat and Durm. intelligence: An interview with Thomas R. McDonough Psychic detectives: A critical examination, Walter Rowe. Getting smart about getting smarts, Faulkes. Carrying the Therapeutic Touch, Bullough and Bullough. Improving war into the never-never land of psi: Part 1, Gill. Satanic science teaching in the U.S., Marek and Wayne Rowe. The cult 'survivor' stories, Victor. 'Old-solved mysteries': The Big Sur 'UFO,' George. The strange case of the New Haven Kecksburg incident, Young. Penn & Teller, the magical oysters, Quincey. iconoclasts, Gordon. Magic, medicine, and metaphysics in FALL 1992 (vol. 17, no. 1): A celebration of Isaac Asimov: Nigeria, Roder. What's wrong with science education? A man for the universe, Kendrick Frazier, Arthur C. Clarke, Look at the family, Eve. Frederik Pohl, Harlan Ellison, L. Sprague de Camp, Carl Sagan, WINTER 1991 (vol. 15, no. 2): Special report / Gallup Stephen jay Gould, Martin Gardner, Paul Kurtz, Donald Goldsmith,poll : Belief in paranormal phenomena, Gallup and Newport. James Randi, and E. C. Krupp. Gaia without mysticism, Science and self-government, Piel. West Bank collective Shannon. Gaia's scientific coming of age, Frazier. The curse hysteria episode, Stewart. Acceptance of personality test of the runestone: Deathless hoaxes, Whittaker. Night results, Thiriart. Belief in astrology: A test of the Barnum terrors, sleep paralysis, and devil-stricken telephone cords effect, French, Fowler, McCarthy, and Peers. A test of from hell, Huston. Scientific creationism: The social agenda clairvoyance using signal-detection, McKelvie and Gagne of a pseudoscience. Shore. Observing stars in the daytime: Intercessory prayer as medical treatment? Wittmer and The chimney myth, Sanderson. Does an ancient Jewish Zimmerman. amulet commemorate the conjunction of 2 B.C. ? Rubincam. FALL 1990 (vol. 15, no. 1): Neural Organization SUMMER 1992 (vol. 16, no. 4): Freedom of scientific Technique: Treatment or torture, Worrall. The spooks inquiry under siege, Kurtz. Psychic experiences: Psychic of quantum mechanics, Stenger. Science and Sir William illusions, Blackmore. The scientist's skepticism, Bunge. The Crookes, Hoffmaster. The 'N' machine, Gumming. Biological persistent popularity of the paranormal, Lett. Self-help cycles and rhythms vs. biorhythms, Wheeler. 1990 CSICOP books: Pseudoscience in the guise of science? Gambrill. Conference. Ghost lights in Texas, Lindee. SUMMER 1990 (vol. 14, no. 4): Ghosts make news: How SPRING 1992 (vol. 16, no. 3): Special Report: The four newspapers report psychic phenomena, Klare. Maharishi caper: JAMA hoodwinked, Skolnick. Myths of Thinking critically and creatively. Wade and Tavris. Police subliminal persuasion: The cargo-cult science of sublim pursuit of satanic crime. Part 2, Hicks. Order out of chaos inal persuasion, Pratkanis; Subliminal perception: Facts and in survival research, Berger. Piltdown, paradigms, and the fallacies, Moore; Subliminal tapes, Phelps and Exum. The Avro paranormal, Feder. Auras: Searching for the light, Loftin. VZ-9 'flying saucer,' Blake. Two 19th-century skeptics: Biorhythms and the timing of death, Lester. Augustus de Morgan and John Fiske, Rothman. SPRING 1990 (vol. 14, no. 3): Why we need to understand WINTER 1992 (vol. 16, no. 2): On being sued: The chilliing science, Sagan. The crisis in pre-college science and math of freedom of expression, Kurtz. The crop-circle phenom education, Seaborg. Police pursuit of satanic crime. Part enon, Nickell and Fischer. Update on the 'Mars effect,' Ertel. 1, Hicks. The spread of satanic-cult rumors, Victor, (continued on next page) Lying about polygraph tests, Shneour. Worldwide disasters creationism, Gould. and moon phase, Kelly, Saklofske, and Culver. FALL 1987 (vol. 12, no. 1): The burden of skepticism, WINTER 1990 (vol. 14, no. 2): The new catastrophism, Sagan. Is there intelligent life on Earth? Kurtz. Medical Morrison and Chapman. A field guide to critical thinking, Controversies: Chiropractic, Jarvis; Homeopathy, Barrett, Lett. Cold fusion: A case history in 'wishful science'? M.D.; Alternative therapies, Jones; Quackery, Pepper. Rothman. The airship hysteria of 1896-97,Bartholomew. Catching Geller in the act, Emery. Special Report: Newspaper editors and the creation-evolution contro CSICOP's 1987 conference. versy, Zimmerman. Special report: New evidence of SUMMER 1987 (vol. 11, no. 4): Incredible cremations: MJ-12 hoax, Klass. Investigating combustion deaths, Nickell and Fischer. FALL 1989 (vol. 14, no. 1): Myths about science, Rothman. Subliminal deception, Creed. Past tongues remembered? The relativity of wrong, Asimov. Richard Feynman on Thomason. Is the universe improbable? Shotwell. Psychics, fringe science. Luis Alvarez and the explorer's quest, computers, and psychic computers, Easton. Pseudoscience Muller. The two cultures, Jones. The 'top-secret UFO and children's fantasies, Evans. Thoughts on science and papers' NSA won't release, Klass. The metaphysics of superstrings, Gardner. Special Reports: JAL pilot's UFO Murphy's Law, Price. report, Klass; Unmasking psychic Jason Michaels, Busch. SUMMER 1989 (vol. 13, no. 4): The New Age—An SPRING 1987 (vol. 11, no. 3): The elusive open mind: Examination: The New Age in perspective, Kurtz. A New Ten years of negative research in parapsychology, Age reflection in the magic mirror of science, O'Hara. Blackmore. Does astrology need to be true? Part 2: The The New Age: The need for myth in an age of science, answer is no. Dean. Magic, science, and metascience: Some Schultz. Channeling, Alcock. The psychology of channeling, notes on perception, D. Sagan. Velikovsky's interpretation Reed, 'Entities' in the linguistic minefield, Thomason. of the evidence offered by China, ho. Crystals, Lawrence. Consumer culture and the New Age, WINTER 1986-87 (vol. 11, no. 2): Case study of West Rosen. The Shirley MacLaine phenomenon, Gordon. Special Pittston 'haunted' house, Kurtz. Science, creationism and report: California court jails psychic surgeon, Brenneman. the Supreme Court, Seckel, with statements by Ayala, SPRING 1989 (vol. 13, no. 3): High school biology Gould, and Gell-Mann. The great East Coast UFO of August teachers and pseudoscientific belief, Eve and Dunn. Evidence 1986, Oherg. Does astrology need to be true? Part 1, Dean. for Bigfoot? Dennett. Alleged pore structure in Sasquatch Homing abilities of bees, cats, and people, Randi. footprints, Freeland and Rowe. The lore of levitation. Stein, FALL 1986 (vol. 11, no. 1): The path ahead: Opportunities, Levitation 'miracles' in India, Premanand. Science, pseudo- challenges, and an expanded view, Frazier. Exposing the science, and the cloth of Turin, Nickell. Rather than just faith-healers, Steiner. Was Antarctica mapped by the debunking, encourage people to think, Seckel. MJ-12 papers ancients? Jolly. Folk remedies and human belief-systems, 'authenticated'? Klass. A patently false patent myth, Sass. Reuter. Dentistry and pseudoscience, Dodes. Atmospheric WINTER 1989 (vol. 13, no. 2): Special report: The electricity, ions, and pseudoscience, Dolezalek. Noah's ark 'remembering water' controversy, Gardner and Randi; and ancient astronauts, Harrold and Eve. The Woodbridge Bibliographic guide to the 'dilution controversy.' UFO incident, Ridpath. How to bust a ghost. Baker. Pathologies of science, precognition, and modern SUMMER 1986 (vol. 10, no. 4): Occam's razor, Shneour. psychophysics, Jensen. A reaction-time test of ESP and Clever Hans redivivus, Sebeok. Parapsychology miracles, precognition, Hines and Dennison. Chinese psychic's pill- and repeatability. Flew. The Condon UFO study, Klass. bottle demonstration, Wu Xiaoping. The Kirlian technique, Four decades of fringe literature, Dutch. Some remote- Watkins and Bickel. Certainty and proof in creationist viewing recollections, Weinberg. thought, Leferriere. SPRING 1986 (vol. 10, no. 3): The perennial fringe, FALL 1988 (vol. 13, no. 1): Special report: Astrology and Asimov. The uses of credulity, de Camp. Night walkers and the presidency, Kurtz and Bob. Improving Human mystery mongers, Sagan. CSICOP after ten years, Kurtz. Performance: What about parapsychology? Frazier. The Crash of the crashed-saucers claim, Klass. A study of the China syndrome: Further reflections on the paranormal Kirlian effect, Watkins and Bickel. Ancient tales and space- in China, Kurtz. Backward masking, Mclver. The validity age myths of creationist evangelism, Mclver. of graphological analysis, Furnham. The intellectual revolt WINTER 1985-86 (vol. 10, no. 2): The moon was full against science. Grove. and nothing happened, Kelly, Rotton, and Culver. Psychic SUMMER 1988 (vol. 12, no. 4): Testing psi claims studies: The Soviet dilemma. Ebon. The psychopathology in China, Kurtz, Alcock, Frazier, Karr, Klass, and Randi. The of fringe medicine, Sabbagh. Computers and rational appeal of the occult: Some thoughts on history, religion, thought, Spangenburg and Moser. and science, Stevens. Hypnosis and reincarnation, Venn. FALL 1985 (vol. 10, no. 1): Investigations of firewalking, Pitfalls of perception, Wheeler. Wegener and pseudos- Leikind -.and McCarthy. Firewalking: reality or illusion, cience: Some misconceptions, Edelman. An investigation .Dennett. Myth of alpha consciousness, Beyerstein. Spirit- of psychic crime-busting, Emery. High-flying health quackery, rapping unmasked, V. Bullough. The Saguaro incident, Hines. The bar-code beast, Keith. Taylor and Dennett. SPRING 1988 (vol. 12, no. 3): Neuropathology and the SUMMER 1985 (vol. 9, no. 4): Guardian astrology study. legacy of spiritual possession, Beyerstein.Varietie s of alien Dean, Kelly, Rotton, and Saklofske. Astrology and the commod experience, Ellis. Alien-abduction claims and standards of ity market, Rotton. The hundredth monkey phenomenon, inquiry (excerpts from Milton Rosenberg's radio talk- Amundson. Responsibilities of the media, Kurtz. 'Lucy' out show with guests Charles Gruder, Martin Orne, and of context, Albert. Budd Hopkins). The MJ-12 Papers: Part 2, Klass. Dooms SPRING 1985 (vol. 9, no. 3): Columbus poltergeist: I, day: The May 2000 prediction, Meeus. My visit to the Randi. Moon and murder in Cleveland, Sanduleak. Image Nevada Clinic, Barrett. Morphic resonance in silicon chips, of Guadalupe, Nickell and Fischer. Radar UFOs, Klass. Phren Varela and Letelier. Abigail's anomalous apparition, Dunn. ology, McCoy. Deception by patients, Pankratz. Commun The riddle of the Colorado ghost lights. Bunch and White. ication in nature, Orstan. WINTER 1987-88 (vol. 12, no. 2): The MJ-12 papers: Part WINTER 1984-85 (vol. 9, no. 2): The muddled 'Mind Race,' I, Philip J. Klass. The aliens among us: Hypnotic regression Hyman. Searches for the Loch Ness monster, Razdan and revisited. Baker. The brain and consciousness: Implications Kielar. Final interview with Milbourne Christopher, for psi, Beyerstein. Past-life hypnotic regression, Spanos. Dennett. Retest of astrologer John McCall, lanna and Tol- Fantasizing under hypnosis, Reveen. The verdict on bert. FALL 1984 (vol. 9, no. 1): Quantum theory and the mare, Wells. A Maltese cross in the Aegean? Loftin. paranormal, Shore. What is pseudoscience? Bunge. The new SPRING 1981 (vol. 5, no. 3): Hypnosis and UFO philosophy of science and the 'paranormal,' Toulmin. An abductions, Klass. Hypnosis not a truth serum, Hilgard eye-opening double encounter, Martin. Similarities H. Schmidt's PK experiments. Hansel. Further comments between identical twins and between unrelated people, on Schmidt's experiments, Hyman. Atlantean road, Randi Wyatt et al. Effectiveness of a reading program on Deciphering ancient America, McKusick. A sense of the paranormal belief, Woods, Pseudoscientific beliefs of 6th- ridiculous, Lord. graders, A. S. and S. ]. Adelman. WINTER 1980-81 (vol. 5, no. 2): Fooling some people SUMMER 1984 (vol. 8, no. 4): Parapsychology's past eight all the time, Singer and Benassi. Recent perpetual motion years, Alcock. The evidence for ESP, C. £. M. Hansel. developments, Schadewald. National Enquirer astrology $110,000 dowsing challenge, Randi. Sir Oliver Lodge and study, Mechler, McDaniel, and Mulloy. Science and the the spiritualists, Hoffmaster. Misperception, folk belief, and mountain peak, Asimov. the occult, Connor. Psychology and UFOs, Simon. FALL 1980 (vol. 5, no. 1): The Velikovsky affair — articles SPRING 1984 (vol. 8, no. 3): Belief in the paranormal by Oberg, Bauer, Frazier. Academia and the occult. Green- worldwide: Mexico, Mendez-Acosta; Netherlands, Hoebens; well. Belief in ESP among psychologists, Padgett, Benassi, U.K., Hutchinson; Australia, Smith; Canada, Gordon; France, and Singer. Bigfoot on the loose, Kurtz. Parental expec Rouze. Debunking, neutrality, and skepticism in sci tations of miracles, Steiner. Downfall of a would-be psychic, ence, Kurtz. University course reduces paranormal belief. McBurney and Greenberg.Parapsycholog y research, Mishlove. Gray. The Gribbin effect, Roder. Proving negatives, Pas- SUMMER 1980 (vol. 4, no. 4): Superstitions, Bainbridge quarello. and Stark. Psychic archaeology, Feder. Voice stress analysis, WINTER 1983-84 (vol. 8, no. 2): Sense and nonsense Klass. Follow-up on the 'Mars effect/ Evolution vs in parapsychology, Hoebens. Magicians, scientists, and psy creationism, and the Cottrell tests. chics, Ganoe and Kirwan. New dowsing experiment, Martin. SPRING 1980 (vol. 4, no. 3): Belief in ESP, Morris. UFO The effect of TM on weather, Trumpy. The haunting of hoax, Simpson. Don Juan vs. Piltdown man, de Mille. the Ivan Vassilli, Sheaffer. Venus and Velikovsky, Forrest. Tiptoeing beyond Darwin, Greenwell. Conjurors and the FALL 1983 (vol. 8, no. 1): Creationist pseudoscience, psi scene, Randi. Follow-up on the Cottrell tests. Schadewald. Project Alpha: Part 2, Randi. Forecasting radio WINTER 1979-80 (vol. 4, no. 2): The 'Mars effect' — quality by the planets. Dean. Reduction in paranormal articles by Kurtz, Zelen, and Abell; Rawlins; Michel and Francoise belief in college course, Tobacyk. Humanistic astrology, Gauquelin. How I was debunked, Hoebens. The metal Kelly and Krutzen. bending of Professor Taylor, Gardner. Science, intuition, SUMMER 1983 (vol. 7, no. 4): Project Alpha: Part 1, Randi. and ESP, Bauslaugh. Goodman's 'American Genesis/ Feder. Battling on the air FALL 1979 {vol. 4, no. 1): A test of dowsing, Randi. Science waves, Slavsky. Rhode Island UFO film, Emery. and evolution, Godfrey. Television pseudodocumentaries, SPRING 1983 (vol. 7, no. 3): Iridology, Worrall. The Nazca Bainbridge. New disciples of the paranormal, Kurtz. UFO drawings revisited, Nickell. People's Almanac predictions, or UAA, Standen. The lost panda, van Kampen. Edgar Cayce, Donnelly. Test of numerology, Dlhopolsky. Pseudoscience Randi. in the name of the university, Lederer and Singer. SUMMER 1979 (vol. 3, no. 4): The moon and the WINTER 1982-83 (vol. 7, no. 2): Palmistry, Park. The birthrate, Abell and Greenspan. Biorhythms, Hines. 'Cold great SRI die mystery, Gardner. The 'monster' tree-trunk reading/ Randi. Teacher, student, and the paranormal, of Loch Ness, Campbell. UFOs and the not-so-friendly Krai. Encounter with a sorcerer, Sack. skies, Klass. In defense of skepticism, Reber. SPRING 1979 (vol. 3, no. 3): Near-death experiences, FALL 1982 (vol. 7, no. 1): The prophecies of Nostradamus, Alcock. Television tests of Musuaki Kiyota, Scott and Hutchin Cazeau. Prophet of all seasons, James Randi. Revival of son. The conversion of J. Allen Hynek, Klass. Asimov's Nostradamitis, Hoebens. Unsolved mysteries and extra corollary, Asimov. ordinary phenomena, Gill. Clearing the air about psi, WINTER 1978-79 (vol. 3, no. 2): Is parapsychology a Randi. A skotography scam, Randi. science? Kurtz. Chariots of the gullible, Bainbridge. The SUMMER 1982 (vol. 6, no. 4): Remote-viewing, Marks. Tunguska event, Oberg. Space travel in Bronze Age China, Radio disturbances and planetary positions, Meeus. Divin Keightley. ing in Australia, Smith. "Great Lakes Triangle," Cena. FALL 1978 (vol. 3, no. 1): An empirical test of astrol Skepticism, closed-mindedness, and science fiction, Beyer- ogy, Bastedo. Astronauts and UFOs, Oberg. Sleight of stein. Followup on ESP logic, Hardin and Morris and Gendin. tongue, Schwartz. The Sirius "mystery," Ridpath. SPRING 1982 (vol. 6, no. 3): The Shroud of Turin, Mueller. SPRING/SUMMER 1978 (vol. 2, no. 2): Tests of three Shroud image, McCrone. Science, the public, and the psychics, Randi. Biorhythms, Bainbridge. Plant perception, Shroud, Schafersman. Zodiac and personality, Gauquelin. Kmetz. Anthropology beyond the fringe. Cole. NASA and Followup on quantum PK, Hansel. UFOs, Klass. A second Einstein ESP letter, Gardner. WINTER 1981-82 (vol. 6, no. 2): On coincidences, Ruma FALL/WINTER 1977 (vol. 2, no. 1): Von Daniken, Story, Falk. Croiset: Part 2, Hoebens. Scientific creationism, Schade The Bermuda Triangle, Kusche. Pseudoscience at Science wald. Follow-up on 'Mars effect,' Rawlins, responses by Digest, Oberg and Sheaffer. Einstein and ESP, Gardner. N- CS1COP Council and Abell and Kurtz. rays and UFOs, Klass. Secrets of the psychics, Rawlins. FALL 1981 (vol. 6, no. 1): Gerard Croiset: Part 1, Hoebens. SPRING/SUMMER 1977 (vol. 1, no. 2): Uri Geller, Marks Test of perceived horoscope accuracy. Lackey. Planetary and Kammann. Cold reading, Hyman. Transcendental Medi positions and radio propagation, lanna and Margolin. tation, Woodrum. A statistical test of astrology, McGervey. Bermuda Triangle, 1981, Dennett. Observation of a psychic, Cattle mutilations, Stewart. Mclntyre. FALL/WINTER 1976 (vol. 1, no. 1): Dianetics, Wallis. SUMMER 1981 (vol. 5, no. 4): Investigation of 'psychics/ Psychics and clairvoyance, Fine. "Objections to Astrology," Randi. ESP: A conceptual analysis, Gendin. The extrover Westrum. Astronomers and astrophysicists as astrology sion-introversion astrological effect, Kelly and Saklofske. Art, critics, Kurtz and Nisbet. Biorhythms and sports. Fix. Von science, and paranormalism, Habercom. Profitable night Daniken's chariots, Omohundro. New y^ Books A /? The Port Orford, Oregon Meteorite Science Under Siege: Balancing Tech Mystery. Roy S. Clarke Jr., editor. nology and the Environment. Michael (Smithsonian Contributions to the Fumento. William Morrow and Co., Earth Sciences Number 31.) Smith New York, 1993. 448 pp. $27.50, sonian Institution, Washington, D.C., hardcover. Well-researched critical 1993. In 1858, John Evans, an explorer examination of numerous claims of under government contract, revealed environmental hazards and disasters. fragments he claimed to have removed Focuses on the major "micro" environ from a ten-ton meteorite in the mental issues—things that may occur mountains of Oregon. For a hundred all over the country or even all over years people have searched for this the planet, but are still localized in missing pallasite. The authors of the their effect. Detailed, critical case two papers in this book argue that it studies of the Alar alarm, the politics was a hoax, and demonstrate how of cancer testing, pitfalls of epidemi Evans probably acquired the frag ology, dioxin, Agent Orange, food- ments.—Robert Lopresti irradiation scares, and misinformation about electromagnetic radiation and Satanic Panic: The Creation of a video display terminals. More general Contemporary Legend. Jeffrey S. chapters examine the issue of risk- Victor. Open Court Publishing Co., taking and how to spot smelly argu P.O. Box 599, Peru, IL 61354. 1993. ments. Fumento says his goals include 408 pp. $38.95, hardcover; $16.95, helping us to see which claims are paperback. SUNY sociology professor, based upon scientific evidence and who wrote one of the articles in our which aren't, which are real and which series on this subject (51, 14:287, exaggerated, and to make judgments Spring 1990), presents a sociological on the people—including environ and psychological investigation not mental activists, politicians, bureau into Satanism itself but into rumors, crats, and journalists—who direct the claims, and allegations about satanic debate and make decisions that affect cult crime and widely held beliefs us all.. about dangerous satanic influences in society. Places the evolution of the Uncommon Sense: The Heretical satanic-cult legend into the context of Nature of Science. Alan Cromer. our understanding of emotional dis Oxford University Press, 200 Madison turbances, the creation of modern Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016, 1993. legends and folklore, the dynamics of 240 pp. $22.00. Physicist and educator rumor-panics, the search for argues that science is not the natural scapegoat-deviants, the social con unfolding of human potential but the struction of imaginary deviance, and invention of a particular culture, the organization and politics of moral ancient Greece, and that it goes so crusades. much against the grain of conven- Fall 1993 89 tional thought that it may well have aspects of science, mind and magic, otherwise not been invented. Science prophets and poets, theorems and and objective thinking are unnatural planets, sages and scholars, science human activities and must continually and nonsense, and education for an struggle against our innate egocentric, age of science. subjective selves. Includes chapters on —Kendrick Frazier Articles of Note Ayala, Francisco J., and Bert Black. Blakeslee, Sandra. "Scanner Pinpoints "Science and the Courts." American Sites of Thought as People See or Scientist, May-June 1993, pp. 230-239. Speak." New York Times, June 1,1993, A major review by a prominent C1. Major Science Times report on the geneticist-philosopher and an attor insights being achieved by neuro- ney of the debate over how courts scientists using improved brain- should handle expert testimony. They imaging machines to observe visible say judges should probe the reasoning changes during specific cognitive behind scientists' testimony and not processes. "This is the wonder tech take it at face value. The issue is now nique we have been waiting for," says before the U.S. Supreme Court. one scientist. "At last we can see inside the human brain." Begg, Ian Maynard, Douglas R. Need- ham, and Marc Bookbinder. "Do Brown, Malcolm. "In New Spielberg Backward Messages Unconsciously Film, a Dim View of Science." New Affect Listeners? No." Canadian York Times, May 11, 1993, C1, ClO. Journal of Experimental Psychology, Explores whether the blockbuster 47:1-14, 1993. Title gives the conclu movie Jurassic Park has an antiscience sion of this study in which subjects bias (biotechnology is dangerous; listened to digitized statements played amoral scientists are out of control). backwards and then were tested for recognition memory. Bynum, Joyce. "Kidnapped by an Alien: Tales of UFO Abductions." Etc. Bennetts, Leslie. "Nightmares on 50(1): 86-95, Spring 1993. A folklorist Main Street." Vanity Fair, June 1993, examines UFO abduction tales, look pp. 42-62. Lengthy, generally balanced ing for elements common to the report on the startling number of stories and to earlier legends. women coming forward claiming repressed childhood memories of "Criteria for Science in the Courts." satanic cults and horrifying ritual Nature, April 8, 1993, p. 481. Edi abuse. Much testimony here from torial supports recommendation by a such persons, but article also explores Carnegie Commission study that the debate over whether the reports the Supreme Court adopt a new are credible and the problems of false standard of evidence. It would require memories. judges not to resolve scientific con- 90 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 troversy but to ask three pertinent ness of the producers' research. questions in weighing admissibility of Carbon-14 dating would have shown evidence: Is the claim testable? Has it the piece to be modern, but creation been tested? And is the methodology ists don't believe in carbon dating and sound? it was accepted as an ancient relic. (See Jaroff article below for more on this.) Fernie, J. Donald. "The Great Moon Hoax." American Scientist, March- Frost, Frank J. "Voyages of the Imag April 1993, pp. 120-122. Astronomer ination." Archaeology, 46(2): 45-51, reviews the "marvelous" hoax perpe March/April 1993. Assorted rivals for trated by journalist Richard Adams Columbus have been put forth as Locke of the New York Sun in August discoverers of the new world, includ 1835 in his series claiming Sir John ing the Chinese, the Japanese, and the Herschel had observed people, oceans, Irish. Leif Eriksson's claim is one of buildings, and large winged creatures the few that appears to hold merit. on the moon. Frost demonstrates how bizarre phe nomena—like sixteenth-century Fox, Richard A. "The Incredible Ming pottery found in American Discovery of Noah's Ark': An Indian garbage dumps—can have Archaeological Quest?" Free Inquiry, simple explanations. Summer 1993, pp. 43-48. An archae ologist's devastating critique of an Goleman, Daniel. "Studies Reveal independently produced two-hour Suggestibility of Very Young as special about Noah's ark purchased by Witnesses." New York Times, June 11, the CBS television network and 1993, p. 1. Reports new scientific broadcast February 20, 1993. The evidence that "persistent questioning program followed the creationist can lead young children to describe religious agenda throughout. "The elaborate accounts of events that claims made in 'Incredible' flatly never occurred, even when at first contradicted the theory and hard- they denied them." Very relevant to earned knowledge of a dozen or so trials of child-abuse cases when the disciplines. . . ," writes Fox. "The child's word is the only evidence and program abused my profession and to other recent problems of therapist- insulted its practitioners. CBS is re induced "pseudomemories." sponsible." Free Inquiry also publishes a one-page statement by the Commit Hanley, James A. "Jumping to Coin tee for the Scientific Examination of cidences: Defying the Odds in the Religion (CSER) calling CBS "irre Realm of the Preposterous." American sponsible" for airing a "so-called docu Statistician, August 1992, pp. 197-202. mentary that was actually a propa Biostatistician explores problems ganda vehicle for creationists opposed caused by trying to assess probability to the theory of evolution" and de of seemingly rare events after the fact. manding that CBS ask its news divi People, even statistics students, sion to investigate the program. The employ selective vision and ignore CSER statement also reveals that a similar events in the sample space that piece of wood presented in the show as a fragment of Noah's ark was actu should be included in the calculated ally a forgery, prepared by a California probability. He uses public reactions actor from a piece of fresh pine-wood to four unusual lottery events to for purposes of testing the thorough argue that they are all variants of a common "probability blind spot" we Fall 1993 91 all share. He calls on teachers to ple of how parapsychology "has emphasize proper after-the-fact prob steadily changed in response to crit ability calculations a lot more. icism." Quotes Robert Morris, Susan Blackmore, Ray Hyman. Jaroff, Leon. "Phony Arkaeology." Time. July 5, 1993, p. 51. Shows how Monaghan, Peter. "Cryptozoologists the CBS pseudodocumentary about Defy Other Scientists' Skepticism Noah's ark (see Fox, above) fell victim . . ." Chronicle of Higher Education, to a hoaxer. Skeptical of the producers 39(23): A7-A9, February 10, 1993. A (Sun International Pictures) and report on scientists who seek undoc determined to expose their shoddy umented species, including Bigfoot, as research methods, Gerald Larue, USC well as surviving members of species professor emeritus of biblical history believed recently extinct. and archaeology, coached an actor to present them a piece of modern pine- Oberg, James. "Space Myths and wood from California as a specimen Misconceptions." Omni, May 1993, from Noah's ark. They presented him pp. 39ff. While the public now knows as a Noah's ark "eyewitness" and the a lot more about space flight, notes piece as a real relic. The show was Oberg, "much of what it knows is misleading throughout. "Sun filled the wrong." Four of the examples of two hours with a mixture of fact, misconceptions he cites involve grav conjecture, fantasy, and arrant non ity, e.g., the myth that satellites sense," Jaroff writes, and he quotes remain in orbit because they have legitimate scholars outraged by the "escaped earth's gravity" (perpetuated program. CBS defends the program by the physically nonsensical phrase as entertainment, not a documentary. "zero gravity"). In fact, they stay in orbit because of their tremendous Kurtz, Howard. "Why the Press Is horizontal speed; they're falling at the Always Right." Columbia Journalism same rate as the earth curves away Review, May-June 1993, pp. 33-35. A beneath them. Others include the idea Washington Post reporter and media that reentering spaceships turn into critic explores some recent prominent blazing fireballs because of "the heat media mistakes (by NBC, USA Today, of friction" (it's actually the heat of Time, and the New York Post) and notes compression). that media executives can be just as thin-skinned and stonewalling in the Oblath, Michael. "Creationism and face of criticism as any others. He Appearance of Age—Is Anybody quotes Steven Brill, chairman of Really Anywhere?" Creation/Evolu American Lawyer Media: "The press tion, 12(1): 5-10, Winter 1992. Some has a great double standard. We spend creationists attempt to explain the most of the day holding everyone else apparent age of the earth by claiming accountable, and when it comes to it was created "already old," but this holding ourselves accountable, we say, leads to absurdities, such as light com 'This is bad for morale.' " ing from supernovas that exploded before the universe was created. McCrone, John. "Roll Up for the Telepathy Test." New Scientist, May Ofshe, Richard J. "Inadvertant Hyp 15, 1993, pp. 29-33. Good, balanced nosis During Interrogation: False report on the ganzfeld experiments of Confession Due To Dissociative the late Charles Honorton, an exam State; Misidentified Multiple Person- 92 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 ality and the Satanic Cult Hypothe Stites, Janet. "Running the Numbers: sis." International journal of Clinical and The Ruminations of John Allen Experimental Hypnosis, 40(3): 125-156, Paulos. Omni, April 1993, pp. 34ff. July 1992. Paul Ingram pled guilty to The author of Innumeracy and Beyond charges of rape and involvement in Innumeracy wants everyone to enjoy Satanic cults brought by his daugh thinking numerically. There's no ters. Ofshe argues that the confession reason they can't. was based on suggestibility and pseudo-memories misdiagnosed as Swan, Neil. "Experts Divided on multiple personality. (See Lawrence Effectiveness of Acupuncture as a Wright article below.) Drug Abuse Treatment." NlDA Notes, 7 (5): 8-11, September/October Rowland, F. Sherwood. "President's 1992. Three brief articles, all by Swan, Lecture: The Need for Scientific on the controversy concerning acu Communication with the Public." puncture as a treatment for alcohol Science, June 11, 1993, pp. 1571-1576. ism and drug addictioh. Some studies Thoughtful article by the chairman of indicate positive results but other the American Association for the scientists consider them flawed. Advancement of Science about the serious problems being caused by Taubes, Gary. "The Ozone Backlash." faulty communication about science Science, June 11, 1993, pp. 1580-1583. among various segments of society, Excellent News & Comment investi including science itself. One detailed gation into the vocal criticisms of and example he gives from his own ex debate over the scientific evidence for perience involves his years of re ozone depletion caused by chloroflu search trying to understand the orocarbons. A good critical look at the depletion of stratospheric ozone reliability of both the evidence for caused by chlorofluorocarbons. Row man-made ozone depletion and the land reviews in some detail the under increasingly vocal criticisms being lying science that guides his con made against it by some writers and clusions before confronting directly scientists and talk-show host Rush what he calls misinformation, mis Limbaugh. Portrays the latter group statements, and massive errors® by as exploiting and distorting the scien vocal critics of the consensus ozone- tific arguments. In the same issue depletion theory. (See also Taubes chemist F. Sherwood Rowland (see below.) listing above) also discusses this issue and presents the scientific evidence Safran, Claire. "Dangerous Obses relating to it. sion: The Truth About Repressed Memories." McCall's, June 1993, pp. Wilson, Philip K. " 'Dear Price . . . 98ff. Excellent article on the difficulty Yours Sincerely, A. Conan Doyle': of telling whether "repressed memo Letters from Conan Doyle in the ries" of childhood abuse, especially Harry Price Collection." ACD—The those that come out in therapy, are Journal of the Arthur Conan Doyle true or are wild fantasies. Includes five Society, 3.153-195, 1992. Historian of ways to test them (including asking, science preparing a work on Doyle's "Does my therapist seem overeager to spiritualist crusade came across a believe incest occurred?") and good series of letters in which Doyle information on the nature and falli discussed a wide range of his spir bility of memory. itualist beliefs and activities. All are Fall 1993 93 from the last eight years of his life. Unfortunately, the same thing is They are here printed in full, so future happening elsewhere. Accusations researchers worldwide may benefit. based on recovered memories abound. "Perhaps some of the memories are Wright, Lawrence. "Remembering real; certainly many are false," says Satan—Part I" and "Remembering Wright. "Whatever the value of Satan—Part II." New Yorker, May 17, repression as a scientific concept or 1993, pp. 60-81, and May 24, 1993, a therapeutic tool, unquestioning pp. 54-76. A significant, troubling, belief in it has become as dangerous well-researched two-article series on as the belief in witches. One idea is the serious problems and abuses of so- modern and the other an artifact of called "recovered memories." This is what we like to think of as a credulous an intimate look at how bizarre age, but the consequences, depress- allegations of sexual abuse and satanic ingly, are the same." rites shattered the Ingram family of Olympia, Washington, and escalated Wyatt, Petronella. "Signs of the into a landmark case in the national Times." The Spectator, 270 (8591): 9- obsession with cults and recovered 11, March 6, 1993. Astrology has memory. (This case is mentioned in become fashionable among the trend- Martin Gardner's "The False Memory conscious in England. Syndrome" in our Summer issue.) An important figure in Wright's articles Yam, Philip. "'Daisy, Daisy.'" Sci is social psychologist Richard Ofshe, entific American (Science and the who helped reveal how serious the Citizen section). May 1993, pp. 32-33. problem of "false memories" is. Do computers have near-death ex Wright concludes that what took place periences? A look at the analogy. in Olympia was a "witch-hunt" and that it was only by happenstance that —Kendrick Frazier and many other lives weren't destroyed. Robert Lopresti The "Feeding Frenzy" of Tabloid TV In the rush to put more and more magazines on the air, . . . taste and integrity and all the intangibles that made CBS News, NBC News, and ABC News respected the world over could get lost. . . . Right now, there is a feeding frenzy, and with it there seems to be an effort, in some quarters, to load up America's television sets with the same garbage that weighs down America's supermarket checkout counters. . . . There's a line that separates the news biz from show biz, and I think the trick is to go up and touch it with your toe, but don't cross it. I think it's being crossed all the time now. —60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt, giving the first William S. Paley annual lecture, Museum of Television and Radio, New York 94 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 Forum Science and Truth and Us D RALPH ESTLING Milton writes somewhere in through, with a solidity and resonance the Areopagilica to the effect they don't have outside of science, out M that Truth, crushed to earth, in the general arena where the course will rise again. For, as he goes on to of human events wends its way. A contend, in so many words, whoever scientist can lie and cheat, but only heard of a case of Truth, put to a fair for a while, and he can be honest, and test, being bested by Falsehood. plain wrong, and declare that he's Milton neglected to continue this line discovered N-rays, polywater, cold of argument to its natural conclusion, fusion, or that molecules in solution however, and confess that Truth— can be diluted to nothing and still be which is to say, objective truth and effective, but if other scientists are not just Milton's concept of it—is only unable to duplicate his experiments very rarely, and then generally inad and findings, his claims go under. For vertently, put to a fair test, with the the proofs of science don't exist in natural consequence that Falsehood is belief, even in belief stained with the continually besting it. The besting of blood of martyrs, but only in testa Truth by Falsehood is what is other bility. Nor is scientific truth demo wise known as the history of mankind. cratic, a common construct of majority Milton didn't seem to understand opinion, painstakingly assayed. For history all that well, and the natural thousands, hundreds of thousands of consequence of that is that he was years, everyone believed the sky and overly optimistic about the chances of all things in it revolved around the Truth in the ring, continually posting earth once a day. But everyone is not the most absurd odds in its favor, enough. Objective reality, external grossly underestimating the pummel- and indifferent to our absolute con ing power and quick footwork of victions, determines what is true. Falsehood when Truth has both of its How could it be otherwise? So we arms and both of its legs tied, as it (some of us) have come at long last almost invariably has had them tied to insist on the Autonomy of things, throughout the long, sad, bloody, quite apart from their being known punchdrunk rounds of history. of by minds. The thing is, though, Milton's This is a new and radical idea, so argument applies to science. He wasn't new and radical that a number of thinking of science when he wrote scientists, including some of the about the truth, fair tests, and false greatest physicists alive, like John hood going down for the count, but Archibald Wheeler, have refused to science is where his words ring accept it. It is the minds of conscious, Fall 1993 95 sense of the fitness of things or feelings for what is proper, decent, "That's what I like about pleasurable, just, and wholesome. science: it tells all of us, Indeed, the truth is not concerned with people at all. After a few million including its adepts, its years we should have become at least practitioners, its high priests vaguely conscious of this fact. Science, often against the will and and cockalorums, to go take intent of scientists, makes us very a flying leap." conscious of this fact. That's what I like about science: it tells all of us, including its adepts, its practitioners, intelligent beings that determine what its high priests and cockalorums, to is, they say. The Universe exists in go take a flying leap. It can be a cruel a palpable, physical state because it is master, a harsh, merciless dictator. observed by such illustrious and But it does not lie to us, it does not indispensable entities as ourselves, delude us, it does not deal in deceits. they say, and perhaps actually believe. If we wish to lie to ourselves, that is Not all scientists, in other words, our affair, not science's. If we wish have yet grasped what science is and to believe that the universe is an what it demands from us. Many adjunct of our noble minds, we are scientists, perhaps a majority, become free to believe it, but we are not free nervous when the word truth is to demand that the universe take us brought to their attention, declaring seriously. that the uncovering of truths about A lot of philosophers, and not a few the universe is not the job of science; people calling themselves, and actually truth, they affirm, is a religious believing themselves to be, scientists, preoccupation, at most a philosophical are unhappy with science, its liking for one, and at any rate it has nothing objective, rather than man-made, to do with science. They say, and truths, its insistence that the exper perhaps believe. iments work, that the data hold, that As for the bulk of the human race, the results repeat, and that our likes it still dwells in a mental Paleolithic, and dislikes in the case don't matter where inscrutable supernatural Forces a hill of neutrinos. and Beings—possessing what can only And that is science's glory, its hor be described as an inordinate fondness ror, its grandeur, and its despair. It for us—design, construct, and main is a big thing. And if we're ever really tain Existence for our personal amuse to come to grips with it, wrestle with ment, comfort, and edification. Some it as Jacob wrestled with, and was scientists think this too. They also lamed by, the angel of the Lord, we think they can think this and still had better become big too, grow up, remain scientists in spirit, in heart, and come to see things for what they are in mind. and not for what we would have them The truth, said somebody who be. clearly hadn't considered the matter, But in the long run, and it will have shall make you free. That is the last a nice, long run, truth couldn't care thing the truth is likely to do. It is a diddly what we do. far more likely to make you utterly miserable. In any case, truth is not Ralph Estling writes from Ilminster, concerned with a person's freedom or Somerset, England. 96 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 American Indians and the New Age: Subtle Racism at Work RICK ROMANCITO he quest for spiritual enlighten significant. Then there is the peyote ment and knowledge is a worthy religion, which spread from Mexico T pursuit and should be encour and was adopted among some Plains aged. But something is happening Indian tribes during the nineteenth within the New Age movement that century. It, too, has undergone a wide has many American Indian people variety of changes and was subject to very concerned. It has to do with a a number of influences from native misconception that their native reli and non-Indian sources during its gions are openly accessible to non- nearly 200 years of existence among Indians. the Plains and even older life among To begin, the beliefs held by the the Huichol and others in Mexico. widely varied group of indigenous Yet these differences and their tribes throughout North America are state of evolution never appear to be not part of a single religion. The part of advertisements for "Native concept of spiritual entities .called American ceremonialism" workshops Kachinas is not part of the same or seminars. To the uninitiated, it religion as the belief in a spirit, road would seem as though the same belief as pursued by followers of the Native is shared by all Indians, but to Indians, American Church, nor is the Plains the distinctions are all-important. Indian Sun Dance ritual part of the When so-called New Age practi cycle of ceremonies related to the deer, tioners begin selectively picking and buffalo, and turtle dances as practiced choosing spiritual concepts from by the Tiwa Indians of Taos Pueblo. several different Indian religions, as Each tribe, through centuries of if they're products for sale in a cosmic change and often independent of one supermarket, the integrity of native another, developed different beliefs to beliefs is threatened. On a more try to understand their place in the subversive level, they exhibit con universe. Some may have grown out tempt by assigning Indians to a racist of reaction to their environments, or stereotype. as the result of significant incidents, The image of Indians as the re or as a way to protect their tribes from positories of "indigenous spiritual becoming dissolved into the social and knowledge" should share the same cultural network of surrounding garbage heap as that of the drunken peoples—just like most of the world's Indian and the romantic "end of the religions. But each has always been trail" warrior. However, it is this in a state of active evolution. image so many New Age non-Indian The native religion seen in the believers possess about Indians that fifteenth century by Fray Marcos de does more damage to the people they Niza at Hawikuh, one of the Zuni celebrate than they'll ever know. villages in New Mexico, was likely not For example, native religion among the same as he would have seen had Pueblo Indians is closely guarded for he visited some 200 years before. a reason. It was practiced for centuries Today the differences are even more before being forced underground by Fall 1993 97 Christian missionaries accompanying native religion, and persistent discrim Spanish colonists who began arriving ination and prejudices, all apparently here [in New Mexico] in the seven are a little too inconvenient to deal teenth century. It exists today as with when a seeker is filled with the totally nonproselytizing: Pueblo fantasy of meeting a "real Native Indian religion seeks no converts. American shaman." Tribal membership is the only way in It's time for New Age seekers to and requires a lifelong commitment to get real: the annual performance of rituals that • Those who are genuinely pursu maintain harmony in the spiritual and ing their native religions don't let non- physical worlds. Each part is important Indians in on it for pay. to the whole and cannot be separated • The authentic practitioners of without losing its meaning. native religion only deal with Indians. This belief system and their native • You cannot learn anything about languages are some of the few intan Indian religion from a workshop or a gible aspects of native culture that seminar. clearly define the identity of tribal • The only way to participate in an members. Despite whatever physical Indian ceremony is to be Indian. appearance of assimilation, these The quest for enlightenment invisible elements held within their should be encouraged, but not at the hearts are their pillars of strength. expense of robbing a culture because But, because New Age seekers fail of some fantasy about how Indians to recognize insurmountable barriers, worship. Instead, maybe seekers the unwanted interest in ferreting out ought to look to their own culture to "the secrets of Indian religion" con find those things that are truer to their tinues, and the real concerns of Indian own natures. people are overlooked and trivialized as a result. Rick Romancito is a Taos and Zuni High unemployment, HIV-AIDS, Indian. Among his many pursuits is "La substandard education, the violation Historia," a weekly column he writes for of First Amendment rights to practice the Taos News, Taos, New Mexico. A Higher Vision The notion that science and objective thinking are unnatural human activities seems quite radical at first. But when you think about it, monogamy, honesty, and democratic government are unnatural human behaviors as well. We are truly a species that has invented itself out of rather unpromising material. Our only claim to greatness is that we have at times gone against the grain of our own egocentrism to forge a higher vision of the world. -Alan Cromer, Uncommon Sense: The Heretical Nature of Science (Oxford University Press, 1993) 98 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 THE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE HOLIDAYS THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER No rush ! No wrapping ! No postage ! $25.00 for first one-year gift subscription NAME please print aw ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP only $18.75 for second one-year gift subscription (save $6.25) 2. NAME please print ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP only $17.50 for each additional gift (save $13.75 or more) 3. NAME please print ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP A gift card will be sent in your name NAME please print ADDRESS CITY STATE Include my own subscription for: • New Q Renewal Q 1 year ($25.00) • 2 years ($43.00) Q 3 years ($59.00) Charge my • Visa • MasterCard # Exp. Signature • Check enclosed • Bill Me Total $ Outside the U.S., please pay in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. If you live outside North America and would like airmail, add S6.00 a year. Mail to: SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Box 703 • Buffalo, New York 14226-0703 Order toll-free 1-800-634-1610 Letters to the Editor Facilitated Communication with the autistic. The article describes Arthur: at age The two articles on Facilitated Com five he was diagnosed as retarded by a munication (Spring 1993) struck home. psychiatrist, but was found to be quite As a student intern in the Syracuse intelligent at the age of 29 by a woman public school system during the 1989- trained in FC. Of course, such an 90 school year, I was on permanent extraordinary claim should have alerted substitution duty. My major was science me to look for extraordinary proof. But education, but I was assigned for 30 days it did not. Instead I read on uncritically. to the autistic unit. The Ouija-ness of the following com I worked with one of Douglas Biklen's pletely eluded me: students, an 18-year-old suffering from severe autism, with little communica The young woman [Carol Lewis tion skill. (In New York State autistic Crane] grasped Arthur's right arm students can remain in the public school and, bracing it against hers, held it system until the age of 21.) While on over the keyboard. assignment to "teach" this student, my Crane explained: "Facilitated com work included watching him hit a sheet munication generally requires some physical support. . . . You need to of paper with a crayon continually for support Arthur's arm, providing a hours (this was art class) and keeping constant, backward resistance to give him from biting power cords. him the control he needs to move When I read in the Syracuse News that toward the letters he wants to type." this same student had been "freed" Often, Phoebe [Arthur's mother] through the use of Facilitated Commun would forget to provide enough ication and read what he had "written," support for a constant resistance for it was obvious that FC was a serious Arthur to work against, and he would mistakenly hit keys that resulted in hoax. Ouija boards jumped around in my misspelled words. head. She [Phoebe] grasped his hand, and I was glad to see your article on this slowly, he spilled out the words onto subject. Unfortunately, the hoax the screen: . . . [Here follows part of continues. the 23rd Psalm.) Keep up the good work. It is sad if not frightening to think of E. M. Kinsman what may happen to the Arthurs of the Kinsman Physics Publishing world if they become nothing more than Rochester, N.Y. the planchettes of electronic Ouija boards. Having been a reader of the SKEPTICAL Cliff Sandel INQUIRER since the day when it started Edmond, Okla. with a "Z," and having worked with autistic children, I am most ashamed to admit having been taken in by an article I hope Kathleen Dillon's article gets to in the March 1993 Reader's Digest titled decisionmakers who can mitigate the "The Secret Life of Arthur Wold." I was potential harm done in the name of so moved by the report that I insisted Facilitated Communication. It's a com my wife read it. She has also worked plex subject, but nonskeptics are cer- 100 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 tainly being misled by the standard party 1. Because a decent appreciation of line. I think she was very generous in science's awe-inspiring properties her view of the motivation of all requires some study, thought, and facilitators. skepticism. Not so with religion and the From my experience, many parents paranormal. Their basic precepts can be are being given false hopes, and it is very grasped easily, making the sense of hurtful to see them and their children wonder more quickly accessible. let down. 2. In both religion and the paranor FrankJ.Mandriota,V.P. mal, the "awe" factor is really not the Life Science Associates main attraction. Their most seductive Bayport, N.Y. offerings are ones that most likely science will never match. The paranormal's principal appeal is Reading the two articles about autism its offer of personal power over phe I was astonished not to see any reference nomena that science says are uncontrol to the publications of Bruno Bettelheim, lable, such as gravity and time. considered by all workers in the field Religion's main draw is that it offers to be the foremost authority in this answers to life's "big" metaphysical regard. He was the first to make a questions, and it provides comfort and distinction between autism and juvenile reassurance with the promise of justice schizophrenia and the first to prove that and eternal life after death. That is why autism is not necessarily definitive and religion has produced very few of what incurable as was written in most hand Dawkins calls "results." Religion's books of psychiatrics before his time. results are to be experienced in the Apart from that, congratulations for the afterlife, not in the here and now. Or excellent standard of the articles about so they say. FC. I love your magazine and have been Frans Kok a subscriber for over 10 years. When Brussels, Belgium my 13-year-old nephew comes to visit, he reads it from cover to cover and has commanded me never to let my sub Science, Religion, and 'Awe' scription expire. There's hope yet! I would like to comment on Richard Jean Patacca Dawkins's remarks ("The 'Awe' Factor") Columbus, Ohio published in your Spring 1993 issue (pp. 242-243). It is true that religion and the Richard Dawkins's impromptu remarks, paranormal have many similarities. although profoundly wise, were also Catholic teachings like that of the Virgin freighted with considerable ambiguity. Birth are unquestionably paranormal It is crucial in my view, when discussing events. But there is one important the relationship between science and difference skeptics should remember. religion, to distinguish between what I Paranormalists insist that many of their should call the natural mystical impulse most cherished beliefs can be proved in and its "corruption in committee." In the physical world, whereas religion has these relatively uncharted waters, it is never officially made such a claim. Hard vitally important that scientists do not proof of God's existence, for example, find themselves unwittingly trapped in is simply not available, thus giving rise the disinformation nets of the agents to the need for faith. provocateurs of institutionalized mysti Although I agree that science's "awe" cism. Any sane student of comparative potential could be better exploited, I religious systems will readily concede maintain, with considerable regret, that the necessity of adopting the method of science still will never lure large science when evaluating the theoretical numbers away from religion and the structure, practical aims, and results of paranormal. Why? religion, sui generis. One should exercise Fall 1993 101 great caution when appraising such Dawkins's statement was very interest symbolic orders of reality. To uncriti ing, on two counts at least. cally swallow the fantastic bait, hook, He urged scientists to match religion line and sinker, of populist creeds and in generating "awe" among Americans. cults, however "established" or "histor That recommendation is more of a loser ically respectable," only dignifies folly than a winner. When you get into the and courts ignorance. . . . awe business, religion will win every Why should there have to be perpet time for most people, because it is an ual warfare between Intuition and emotional response. Reason if our planes of discourse and Most people don't have, and probably action remain lucid and clear? The artist can't appreciate, the awe in sophisticated lives in a world, or worlds, of feeling science. Three salaams to the east, or and imagination, and the religious a chorus of hosannahs for science? temperament is not dissimilar. Indeed, Forget it. But that goes over big in it has been said, with ample justification religion. They can be given more appre perhaps, that true poetry is an exalted ciation of the benefits of pursuing expression of pure mysticism. Art shares science, and the costs of failure, but that essential rapport with what we "awe" is not a proper term for that. perhaps too loosely call the intuitive or unconscious domain. It would indeed be Bruce Stewart a sad day for science were ratio Department of Biology cination—which after all is but the Southern Oregon State purposeful, intellectual manipulation of College referential cyphers and symbols—to Ashland, Ore. displace every other mode of creative dialogue with nature. No doubt Dawkins is justified in I was embarrassed to hear that Richard saying that science, skepticism, and Dawkins had been chided at the Dallas critical thought are under siege—• CSICOP Conference for equating reli nothing particularly new about that! But gion with less popular pseudosciences. it will be, I maintain, a fatal error to I thought it was obvious; religion is the adopt a siege mentality or provoke most pervasive, the most popular, and confrontation with such an evasive and therefore the most damaging "claim of insubstantial foe as "faith"; for it may the paranormal." only serve to quicken its devotees' and I am sick to death of logical and apologists' lust for power and gran scientific people turning a blind eye to deur—or even worse, elicit some fanat the harmful illogic of religion. The ical retaliation in the time-"honored" time is long overdue for scientists to form of propaganda and intimidation. speak the facts and stop placating the This is an exceedingly subtle point. I purveyors of ignorance, no matter how would encourage all true skeptics not popular, wealthy, and powerful they to react, but to maintain an invincible may be. Richard Dawkins is doing his posture of ethical inquiry and intellec part. tual precision. Only by adherence to the scientific and scholarly method shall we Randy Yakey ever realize, as a species, sufficient Houston, Tex. wisdom to make the world a healthier star-centered place; a planet whose inhabitants may freely choose to live by As a longtime reader of SI and an even the light of reason and understanding, longer-time churchmember, I would like not escamotage and chicanery. Such a to address a point made by Richard world .will indeed be an awesome place. Dawkins in "The 'Awe' Factor." Daw kins is appalled that 54 percent of David LI. J. Foster charitable donations go "to religion" and Carsac-Aillac, France suggests that scientific charities could 102 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 increase their giving level by empha As a confirmed scientific atheist I sizing the "romance" of science. I would honestly enjoyed "The 'Awe' Factor." like to point out that many of us who Additionally, there are other, similar do most of our charitable giving through thought-provoking questions. churches have reasons that are not just Has science really shown how to best wooly and emotional, but hard-headed parent children? and practical. If I drop a $100 check in How many scientific charities are the offering plate on Sunday morning around for the people's intimate or and write, say, "Somalia famine relief" immediate material needs? on the "for" line, how much of that Is there an addict in the gutter who money will get to Somalia? Answer: will see the light of science and rational $100. Not one penny will be syphoned ism to pull himself together? off by any local church or any of its Somehow, it doesn't happen this way. national and international offices. None Dawkins is correct in stating that of it will be spent on overhead, admin science has achieved much in recent istration, or telemarketers calling at the times, making our lives easier. Also dinner hour. In fact, the denomination technology brings a host of problems, to which I belong (Church of the too. It's easy to ungratefully take the Nazarene) is so respected for its effi first for granted and complain a lot about ciency and accountability that the the latter. Perhaps the common man governments of several countries have does care more about religion because found the best thing to do with their of the "awe" factor. Till you can own money earmarked for disaster relief compete, it is best not to complain. is to give it to the Nazarene Church to Should the majority of people (quasi- administer. Compare this to the record religious) be distanced by CSICOP? of even very good nonchurch charities Many may like our stated goals but be and you may find that 54 percent more offended by personal viewpoints. understandable. Frankly, if Dawkins is going to set up an alternative to what religion provides, Gloria Wall I'd much like to hear it. Just not in the Mountain View, Calif. SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, please. I've waited 15 years for the SKEPTICAL Tim Holmes INQUIRER to even cursorily come to Fengyan, Taiwan terms with the most damaging hoax in all of human history—those very ques tionable assumptions of organized reli E-Prime and Isness gion. Finally, in your Spring 1993 issue, you allow Richard Dawkins to say what When Shirley Temple, after a magnif I'm sure is on the mind and in the heart icent career as a child star followed by of 99 percent of your subscribers—the a graceful adolescence, married and gave persistent harm done to rational think birth to a daughter, the New York Daily ing by the absurd postulates of religion. News headline read: "Now Shirley Has I take the same liberty as Dawkins a Real Live Dolly All Her Own." From in using the word "religion" to include which I concluded that Shirley Temple all the stuff that you tackle—all the had grown up, but the headline writer UFOs and astrology, spiritualism, levi- hadn't. tation—everything. Until formal reli I got somewhat the same feeling gion is put on the same level with all when I read Martin Gardner's 1952 other paranormal activity, your organ animadversions on general-semantics ization is only swatting gnats while a (g-s), which he injected into his piece on hornet is buzzing around. E-Prime, English without the verb "to be" (SI, Spring 1993). The discipline Fred R. Friplett founded by Alfred Korzybski in 1933 Parkersburg, W. Va. continues to grow and develop, but Fall 1993 103 Gardner seems stuck in the time-track. Sanity, in the back of the book, along I appreciate that Gardner does recog with seven pages of strongly favorable nize clearly that E-Prime is not a neces quotations from 21 other men of great sary practice of general-semanticists, attainment, representing 15 different whose reactions may be enthusiasm, fields. indifference, or to use it just as a training Russell Meyers, chief of neurology device. But those differences are hardly and chairman of the Division of Neuro likely to result in the "bloody reprisals" surgery at the University of Iowa, 1946- feared by Cullen Murphy; general- 1963, once described Science and Sanity semantics finds no virtue in enforcing as "the most profound, insightful, and dogmas. Instead, with its basic notions globally significant book I have ever of consciousness of abstracting, and of read." I would infer from that statement the uncertainty and incompleteness of that Meyers, who also held academic all statements, it encourages good- positions in psychology, neuropsychol humored striving for agreement. Small ogy, and speech pathology, found wonder philosophers who want "The nothing too terribly amiss with Kor Truth" to stand still until they can zybski's extensive discussions of the engrave it in stone find g-s "crankish." nervous system, conditional reactions, G-s had numerous successful off and mental illness. shoots, like Gerard Nierenberg's Art of Gardner reports that Korzybski Negotiation, or Albert Ellis's Rational- said "1 = 1" is false, on page 194 of Emotive Therapy (Ellis even translated his book. Of course, Korzybski said some of his books into E-Prime), or the nothing of the sort, on page 194 or many researches listed in Kenneth anywhere else. We know that he Johnson's compilation Graduate Research accepted mathematical statements of in General Semantics. equality as true, because he described But what might interest Gardner are them as being "always correct in mathe our resolutions of semantical paradoxes matics" (p. 195). that have plagued philosopher- With regard to the symbolic expression mathematicians most of this century. "1 = 1" Korzybski denied absolute James D. French and I have demolished sameness in al[ aspects (identity). He did four famous ones: Frege's "Village not discuss 1 as a number (which was Barber"; Berry's Paradox; Russell's W. V. Quine's mistaken interpretation), "Class of Non-self-including Classes"; but as a symbol. Every symbol 'has its and Grelling's "Heterological Terms." physical aspect. Even internal words are the result of electrochemical reactions Stuart A. Mayper, Editor in the brain. Hence, "not identical in all General Semantics Bulletin aspects." Ridgefield, Conn. James D. French Albany, Calif. As a director of the International Society for General Semantics, I have some comments on Martin Gardner's essay on The dogmatism, name-calling, inaccur Alfred Korzybski. ate quotes, repetition of rumors, insult Gardner quotes Bertrand Russell's ing and misrepresentative cartooning, negative reactions to Korzybski's work; etc., in Gardner's "E-Prime and Isness" but early in the 1930s, Russell sent the hardly serve the skeptical cause. following cable to Korzybski from Gardner's "map" only vaguely resembles London: "Your work is impressive and the "territory" of general-semantics. your erudition extraordinary. Have not While indicating some of the contro had time for thorough reading but think versy within the general-semantics well of parts read. Undoubtedly your community surrounding E-Prime, which theories demand serious consideration." eliminates all forms of the verb "to be," That telegram is cited in Science and Gardner absolutistically rejects any sig- 104 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 nificant usefulness for E-Prime, or for 1. Albert Ellis, the founder/guru of general-semantics for that matter. Rational Emotive Therapy, has written Neither Korzybski nor all general- his books in E-Prime, and considerers semanticists have suggested eliminating E-Prime important in that system of all uses of the verb "to be." However, therapy. Korzybski's applied neurolinguistic 2. An increasing number of teachers focus and denial of identity (defined as of English composition are having their " 'absolute sameness' in 'all' aspects") students write in E-Prime, to help them does lead to, among other things, an develop greater accuracy, clarity, and emphasis on avoiding the " 'is' of readability. identity," which connects a noun to a The SKEPTICAL INQUIRER does a fine noun, and the " 'is' of predication," job challenging and exposing the illog which connects a noun to an adjective. ical, the irrational, and the unreasonable. Someone may say, "General seman But I think you've chosen an inappro tics is a cult" or "General semanticists priate target here. are eccentric." Such statements may reflect an absolutistic and dogmatic way Robert Wanderer of evaluating, which, through neurolin San Francisco, Calif. guistic mechanisms, may tend to rein force such dogmatism in oneself and others. Thank you for Martin Gardner's article If anything, the development of on E-Prime. E-Prime and the debate surrounding it I began teaching in 1961, and— indicate that general-semantics remains together with a colleague, Fred Smith— a growing and healthily diverse disci was told to emphasize critical thinking. pline that has much to contribute to the How to proceed? development of a nonabsolutistic, non- We began by using Chase's Guides to dogmatic skepticism. Straight Thinking (1954). We were careful about generalizations made. We Bruce I. Kodish tried to avoid words like always and Baltimore, Md. never, which allow for no exceptions. We made efforts to complete comparisons ("Bigger than what?") and discussed Martin Gardner's 40-year-long antip impressions given. On writing projects athy for Alfred Korzybski and general students used words in dictionary ways semantics flared up again in his "E- and tried to avoid "self-evident truths." Prime: Getting Rid of Isness." From the We developed an awareness of "Black/ title, one might think the article was White Thinking" and singular causa about E-Prime, the use of English tions. without any form of "to be." But most The focus continues. We emphasize of it consists of a rehash of tired old distinctions between commonly agreed- stories about Korzybski's eccentricities upon "facts" and the values and inter and egotism, and putdowns of him from pretations loaded onto these facts. On various old sources. None of this had term projects each student "focuses on much to do with E-Prime, which others a perceived social injustice" and selects developed long after Korzybski's death. an "expert in the area." Then each: (l) The article devoted only a few para summarizes the expert's facts, (2) sum graphs to a rather thin critique of E- marizes his or her prescriptions, and (3) Prime. judges reliability by analyzing creden As near as I can understand it, tials and logic. Gardner's main (if not only) point is that Gardner says that "translating ordi he feels the benefits of E-Prime are not nary language into E-Prime may well be worth the alleged trouble of using that good training for someone just learning language. the kindergarten level of semantics." In However: high school, we are on the "kindergarten Fall 1993 105 level of semantics"! I don't tell students my second semantics-oriented novel. to get rid of "isness" or to write in "E- The Players of Null-A, I wrote a 22- Prime," but apparently I have been paragraph explanation of GS, and used influenced by Korzybski's ideas. As used one paragraph as the heading of each in the ways described, understandings chapter. The summation took three derived from general semantics have weeks to do. When it was out of the been one of the continuing bright spots way, I had essentially completed my in my teaching career. eight-year study of general semantics." Brant Abrahamson Andrew Dagilis Riverside-Brookfield H.S. Verdun, Quebec Riverside, 111. Canada Martin Gardner says: "I wouldn't be I'd like to point out that there is an entire surprised if someone wrote a novel in language that doesn't use the verb "to E-Prime." And, in fact, someone has, at be": the Klingon tongue created for the least in part. Veteran science-fiction Star Trek movies and television series. readers will be familiar with the name This feature later caused its inventor of Alfred Elton van Vogt, author of such headaches when he was asked to trans novels as The Weapon Shops of Isher and late Hamlet's "To be or not to be" for Slan, and the short story "Black Des Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. troyer," which owed a great debt to John Klingon may be a fictitious tongue, Campbell's "Who Goes There?" but it has its own dictionary and I've In late December 1971, van Vogt met people at science-fiction conven received a phone call from a senior editor tions who speak it for fun. of Saturday Review—The Sciences asking him for an article on general semantics. Zen Faulkes Van Vogt wrote the article, titled "The Department of Biology Semantics of Twenty-First Century University of Victoria Science," but policy changes within the Victoria, B.C., Canada Saturday Review organization made its publication impossible. It eventually appeared in an anthology called The Best Aha! I thought so! It wasn't I. A. Richards of A. E. van Vogt, published in 1976 by who devised Basic English, but C. K. Pocket Books. In the introduction to the Ogden. article, van Vogt wrote: "What does this [general semantics] have to do with John Brunner reality? General semantics is a syste South Petherton matic approach to reality, that's what." Somerset, U.K. In the article's afterword, van Vogt concludes: "But we may certainly deduce from the foregoing arguments that Martin Gardner responds: reality is not yet available in literature except intuitively, and then only in the Bertrand Russell's polite thank-you note was works of a few geniuses." Link this written before he carefully read Science and statement to the article's third para Sanity. The statement 1 quoted was his graph, where van Vogt writes: "Some considered opinion, as well as the opinion years ago I wrote two science-fiction of all other leading philosophers of science. novels, The World of Null-A and The Readers are urged to check the final Players of Null-A, in which, in thousands chapter of Max Black's Language and and thousands of paragraphs, I Philosophy. The Count's missunderstand- employed the various GS recommended ing of Aristotelian logic, Black writes, led usages for rectifying what might be called him into countless absurdities. "Very little the shortcomings of English. . . . For remains of Korzybski's theory of abstractions 106 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 except some hypothetical neurology fortified general public makes little distinction with dogmatic metaphysics." Ernest Nagel, between the two. From a practical point reviewing Black's book, said: "Black's of view, many politician or advocate restrained but nonetheless devastating types have taken advantage of the critique of the basic ideas on which Korzybski confusion and thereby have added to it. rests his pretentious claim is alone worth Naysayers are adept at melding the the price of the book." For Rudolf Carnap's scientific unknowns to destroy the low opinion of the Count, see the index of technological knowns. Al Gore sug Dear Carnap, Dear Van (1990), a gested that if 98 percent of scientists say collection of letters between Carnap and one thing and 2 percent say the other, Quine. then each point of view should get 50 The eminent semiolician Thomas Sebeok percent of the attention during the found my column amusing and accurate. "debate." This, I suppose, has an aura Like me, he attended the Count's lectures of fairness, but is hardly scientific; and in Chicago, finding him "arrogant and it is why minority pseudoscience gets unpleasant." He recalls the enormous ill so much undeserved attention. We will feelings that arose between the Count and lose the benefits of many technologies Hayakawa before the Count's Japanese because of this ascientific approach to disciple founded ETC. public debate on science and technology 1 did not say Richards "invented" Basic issues. English. I said he "developed" it, albeit an Before your readers judge the pro- ambiguous verb easily misinterpreted. science nature of Al Gore, I suggest they Ogden was indeed the inventor, but for 40 read his book. (Borrow it; don't buy it.) years Richards was its chief developer and promoter. Basic's famous list of 850 words Jamie Foster was the collaborated effort of the two friends. Pismo Beach, Calif. Yes, Van Vogt was fascinated by general semantics. He was even more fascinated by Scientology, actually working for years as The real message of science one of its therapists. I didn't know about the Klingon tongue, which proves I'm not I was horrified to see that Paul Friedman a Trekkie. apparently suggested that scientific fraud should be dealt with quietly so that the public's faith in science would not Science, technology, and Gore be shaken (CSICOP Dallas Conference, SI, Spring 1993). The juxtaposed articles by Al Gore "Faith" is surely the last word that ("Education for Science") and Evry should be mentioned in connection with Schatzman ("A Threat to Science") in science. Science should not be seen by the Spring 1993 issue hit me like a ton the public as something administered by of bricks. a priesthood in white coats delivering First, I am very skeptical of Gore's a body of dogma. There is no fixed rhetoric. In addition to the aforemen scientific truth in which to have faith, tioned article, I read his book, Earth in but an approach and attitude of mind the Balance, and got two very different that demand scrupulousness and senses of what he is all about. While honesty. One of the real strengths of espousing a very pro-science position (in science is that results from the most the article), he seems quite incapable for eminent scientists are in principle open applying sciencelike discipline (in his to question. Publicizing the occasional book) when evaluating issues that have case of fraud serves to illustrate the a scientific nature to them, such as global openness of scientific thinking. warming, nuclear power, and pollution. Science is under constant attack from While Schatzman is right when he antirationalists who think that science suggests that science and technology are can be invalidated by the defeat of a different things, the fact is that the particular theory or set of results. Fall 1993 107 Unfortunately some scientists, too, payment or not" (Book Reviews, Spring seem to believe that science is simply 1993) is simply shocking. the sum of its results and that these What Barker is proposing amounts results should be protected at all costs. to governmental licensing of science, Scientists should be doing everything with no methods of scientific (or possible to get across the real message pseudoscientific) study permitted except of science: that it is about skepticism and for those authorized by the govern openness of mind. Building up "faith" ment. Such licensing would amount to in science only serves in the long run blanket intellectual censorship. Aside to undermine science. from any other considerations, how would graphologists provide the studies Diana Brown that Barker finds so lacking if perform Epalinges, Switzerland ing the necessary experiments was illegal? Barker does set specific limits on the A new myth? ban that he proposes, on the basis of how the interpretations are used. But Is a new myth starting to make the this amounts to holding the analyst rounds? responsible for the actions that others On a recent trip to London, I visited take based upon his interpretation. Speakers' Corner at Hyde Park: home Moreover, the inclusion of "personal of free speech on a soapbox. According relations" and "other areas where to a speaker of fundamentalist leanings, honesty, justice, and scientifically deter the late Isaac Asimov had been reluctant mined facts should be the rules" covers to admit his disbelief in religion. virtually everything—most notably In the best tradition of Hyde Park including scientific research. hecklers, I challenged the speaker. He In a free society, rational ideas can had no source for his claim (of course), win out over irrational ones. But the but offered to mail it to me. I suggested attempts to ban pseudoscience only that he instead visit a library and read makes political authority the criterion of what he had probably never seen before: truth and is deadly to the advancement a selection of Asimov's writings. of knowledge. Another well-known myth has a dying Charles Darwin repudiating his Gary D. McGath life's work. At least Asimov is in good Penacook, N.H. company in fundamentalist tall tales. Joseph Aspler UFOs, NDEs, and fantasy Kirkland, Quebec Canada Gordon Stein, in his review of the book Omega Project by Kenneth Ring (SI, Spring 1993), rejects the implications Licensing of science of Ring's research, which suggests that people who report "UFO- I applaud the efforts of CSICOP to abductions" and those who report defend freedom of speech against those "near-death experiences" (NDE) share who would inhibit it with harassing a common personality characteristic: lawsuits or other means. "Fantasy Proneness." At the same time, those who defend Stein fails to offer any alternative their own right to free speech are most hypothesis, prompting me to suspect effective when they grant the same right that he prefers that such reports to others. Bearing this in mind, Elver remain "mysteriously inexplicable." Barker's suggestion that graphologists should not have "the legal right to Philip J. Klass practice their claimed 'science,' for Washington, D.C. 108 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 Why not a dream? Earth and life I would like to question the nature of A small correction, if you please, to the an experience mentioned three times in discussion of the Gaia hypothesis your last two issues. Robert Baker, between Robert Clear and Phil Shannon reviewing Ronald Siegel's Fire in the (Letters, SI, Spring 1993). They are quite Brain (Winter 1993), writes: "Many right that solar irradiation alone cannot people wake from a deep sleep to find account for the mean temperature of an incubus... or some other night terror Earth, nor for its relative stability for sitting on their bed." His point is that billions of years, during which the sun's such "hallucinations" are common. output has increased. However, a "base Similarly, a book on supposed UFO line" temperature cannot be obtained by kidnappings, reviewed in the Fall 1992 simple interpolation between the pres issue, found that 18 percent of inter ent values for Venus and Mars. As both viewees had experienced "waking par gentlemen observe, matters are much alyzed with a sense of a strange person more complicated than that. I don't or presence or something else in the know what they mean by a "gray body." room." Finally, Peter Huston describes In physics, a "black body" is a perfect such an experience in detail, in the same absorber and radiator. If Earth were one, issue. its temperature today would be 255 K, I have experienced the following: or -18°C, whereas the actual value is dreaming that I have awakened to find +15°C. Obviously factors like the green strange people present and/or a choking, house effect are at work, but not this paralyzed sensation. I can often make one exclusively. an effort to wake up. When I do, I'm As for temperature stability, geolo pleased to note that all the unpleasant gist friends tell me that nonbiological ness has faded, though the room is processes—subduction, orogeny, chem sometimes rather warm. ical weathering, etc.—account for at Nowhere in Huston's article is proof least a great deal of it. This requires the given that he was awake. He says he presence of liquid water, which Earth "awoke unable to move and finding that was apparently just enough cooler than the telephone cord somehow became Venus to retain. It is not yet sure how draped over my body and was . . . large a role life plays. That remains for electrocuting me. In time it was over. science to establish. Nobody disputes I was able to move again. ... I was that life is a tremendous geological force. . . . confused to discover that the Whatever the details turn out to be, telephone cord was far on the other side surely the work of Lovelock and Mar- of the room." His point is that such gulis will be a great help in understand experiences are normal. But how did he ing them. know that "it was over" doesn't just describe the process of waking up? Poul Anderson Sometimes his wife was present. Did she Orinda, Calif. see his eyes opening or what? If you are alone, how could you judge that you had been awake, hallucinating, not Women and skepticism asleep, dreaming, unless you wrote on a pad: "I am awake, seeing aliens!" But In your report on the CSICOP Confer if you felt paralyzed, you probably didn't ence session, "Gender Issues in Science do that. Again, Huston cites "hypno- and Pseudoscience" (SI, Spring 1993, pompic hallucinations . . . when one p. 231), psychologist Susan Blackmore awakes but sees imagery." Where's the is quoted as opening her talk with the proof it was no dream? question, "Why are so few members of CSICOP women?" and as adding that, Barbara Friedberg while women in science are rare, "even New York, N.Y. fewer women are skeptics." Fall 1993 109 These generalizations are stated as detonated in the World Trade Center in fact, but without any supporting data. New York, causing extensive damage. As a woman, a skeptic, and an SI An abortionist was murdered in cold reader, I object. I expect to find unsup blood in broad daylight by an anti- ported conclusions in the journals you abortionist in Pensacola, Florida. An criticize, not in the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER attempted raid on a bizarre cult in Waco, itself. Texas, was a standoff and resulted in I realize that your report is just a brief a mass-death tragedy. And a large summary of her talk. Maybe she gave snowstorm set records in the Eastern data on skepticism among women that United States. the reporter left out in the interest of Three of these involved religious brevity. I for one would like to see the groups. (I have not heard that any radical missing figures. group has called the National Weather What, please, is the actual breakdown Service to claim responsibility for the of CSICOP members by gender? snowstorm.) All of them have enough And on what does she base her effect on the people involved that they conclusion that skepticism is rare among should have very strong auras extending women? The surveys she cites do not backwards in time, or whatever causes seem to support that view. predictions. And on what basis does she compare Did any psychic, anywhere, predict the (unquantified) number of women any of these events and publish the who are skeptics to the (not cited) prediction beforehand? (The old "I tried number of women who are scientists, to warn everyone but nobody answered leading her to conclude that skeptics are the White House phone" trick doesn't "even fewer" than scientists among our count.) gender? Mark Lutton Melanie Nickel Maiden, Mass. San Diego, Calif. Correction on Jaegers In answer to one of Melanie Nickel's questions: CSICOP doesn't have "members" We made an editing mistake in Michael as such, hut 4 of CSlCOP's approximately R. Dennett's letter, "Beverly Jaegers," in 60 Fellows (elected for distinguished our Summer 1993 issue (p. 447). In the contributions to science and skepticism) and fourth paragraph, line 5, Dennett had 5 out of its approximately 58 Scientific written, "Her actual involvement in Consultants are women. Susan Blackmore police cases. . . ." The "her" referred to is, by the way, a member of CSlCOP's Karen C. Uchima, not to Beverly Jaegers, Executive Council. Our last random-sample as we improperly assumed in changing survey of SKEPTICAL INQUIRER subscribers the pronoun to "Jaegers" in attempting (April 1986) found that 9 percent were to clarify the antecedent.—Eds. female. We would very much like to increase participation by women in all of these cate gories and welcome suggestions.—The Editor The letters column is a forum for views on matters raised in previous issues. Brief letters Why didn't psychics (less than 250 words) are welcome. They predict these? should be typed double-spaced. Due to the volume of letters, not all can be published. I like to check the accuracy of psychics' Address them to Letters to the Editor, predictions. SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, 3025 Palo Alto In the past month, four extraordinary Dr. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111. things have occurred. A large bomb was 110 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 18 Local, Regional, and National Skeptics Organizations The organizations listed below have aims 02111. similar to those of CSICOP but are indepen MICHIGAN. Great Lakes Skeptics, Carol dent and autonomous. They are not affiliated Lynn, contact, 1264 Bedford Rd., Grosse with CSICOP, and representatives of these Pointe Park, MI 84230-1116. organizations cannot speak on behalf of MINNESOTA. Minnesota Skeptics, Robert W. CSICOP. McCoy, 549 Turnpike Rd., Golden Valley, MN 55416. St. Kloud ESP Teaching UNITED STATES Investigation Committee (SKEPTIC), ALABAMA. Alabama Skeptics, Emory Kim- Jerry Mertens, Coordinator, Psychology brough, 3550 Watermelon Road, Apt. Dept., St. Cloud State Univ., St. Cloud, 28A, Northport, AL 35476 (205-759- MN 56301. 2624). MISSOURI. Kansas City Committee for ARIZONA. Tucson Skeptical Society Skeptical Inquiry, Verle Muhrer, Chair (TUSKS), James McGaha, Chairman, man, 2658 East 7th, Kansas City, MO 5655 E. River Rd., Suite #101-127, 64124. Gateway Skeptics, Chairperson, Tucson, AZ 85715. Phoenix Skeptics, Steve Best, 6943 Amherst Ave., Univer Michael Stackpole, Chairman, P.O. Box sity City, MO 63130. 60333, Phoenix, AZ 85082. CALIFORNIA. Bay Area Skeptics, Wilma NEW MEXICO. New Mexicans for Science & Russell, Secretary, 17723 Buti Park Court, Reason, John Geohegan, Chairman, 450 Castro Valley, CA 94546. East Bay Montclaire SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108; Skeptics Society, Daniel Sabsay, Presi John Smallwood, 320 Artist Road, Santa dent, P.O. Box 20989, Oakland, CA 94620 Fe, NM 87501 (505-988-2800). (510-420-0702). Sacramento Skeptics NEW YORK. New York Area Skeptics Society, Terry Sandbek, 3838 Watt Ave., (NYASk), Wayne Tytell, contact person, Suite C303, Sacramento, CA 95821-2664 159 Melrose Ave., E. Massapequa, NY (916-488-3772). 11758, (516) 798-6902. Western New COLORADO and WYOMING. Rocky Mountain York Skeptics, Tim Madigan, Chairman, Skeptics, Bela Scheiber, President, P.O. 3965 Rensch Rd., Buffalo, NY 14228. Box 7277, Boulder, CO 80306. OHIO. South Shore Skeptics, Page Stephens, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, DELAWARE, MARY 6006 Fir Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44102 LAND, and VIRGINIA. National Capital (216-631-5987). Association for Rational Area Skeptics, c/o D. W. "Chip" Denman, Thinking (Cincinnati area), Joseph F. 8006 Valley Street, Silver Spring, MD Gastright, Contact, 111 Wallace Ave., 20910. Covington, KY 41014, (513) 369-4872 or FLORIDA. Tampa Bay Skeptics, Gary Posner, (606) 581-7315. 1113 Normandy Trace Rd., Tampa, FL PENNSYLVANIA. Paranormal Investigating 33602 (813-221-3533). Committee of Pittsburgh (PICP), Richard GEORGIA. Georgia Skeptics, Becky Long, Busch, Chairman, 5841 Morrowfield President, 2277 Winding Woods Dr., Ave., #302, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 (412- Tucker, GA 30084. 521-2334). ILLINOIS. Midwest Committee for Rational TEXAS. Houston Association for Scientific Inquiry, Danielle Kafka, President, P.O. Thinking (HAST), Darrell Kachilla, P.O. Box 2792, Des Plaines, IL 60017-2792. Box 541314, Houston, TX 77254. North Rational Examination Assoc, of Lincoln Texas Skeptics, Joe Voelkering, President, Land (REALL), David Bloomberg, Chair P.O. Box 111794, Carrollton, TX 75011- man, P.O. Box 20302, Springfield IL 62708 1794. West Texas Society to Advance (217-787-9098). Rational Thought, Co-Chairmen: George INDIANA. Indiana Skeptics, Robert Craig, Robertson, 4700 Polo Pky., Apt. 183, Chairperson, 5401 Hedgerow Drive, Midland, TX 79705-1542. Indianapolis, IN 46226. WASHINGTON. The Society for Sensible KENTUCKY. Kentucky Assn. of Science Explanations, P.O. Box 7121, Seattle, WA Educators and Skeptics (KASES), Chair 98133. man, Prof. Robert A. Baker, 3495 Cas- WISCONSIN. Wisconsin Committee for tleton Way North, Lexington, KY 40502. Rational Inquiry, Mary Beth Emmericks, LOUISIANA. Baton Rouge Proponents of Convenor, 8465 N. 51st St., Brown Deer, Rational Inquiry and Scientific Methods WI 53223. (BR-PRISM), c/o Wayne R. Coskrey, P.O. Box 82060, Baton Rouge, LA 70884-2060. ARGENTINA. CAIRP, Director, Ladislao MASSACHUSETTS. Skeptical Inquirers of Enrique Marquez, Jose Marti, 35 dep C, New England. Contact Laurence Moss, 1406 Buenos Aires. Ho & Moss, 72 Kneeland St., Boston AUSTRALIA. National: Australian Skeptics, (continued on next page) P.O. Box E324 St. James, NSW 2000. Contact, St. Joseph's Hospital, Limerick. Regional: Australian Capital Territory, ITALY. Comitato Italiano per il Controllo P.O. Box 555, Civic Square, 2608. New delle Affermazioni sul Paranormale, castle Skeptics, Chairperson, Colin Keay, Lorenzo Montali, Secretary, Via Ozanam Physics Dept., Newcastle University, 3, 20129 Milano, Italy. NSW 2308. Queensland, P.O. Box 2180, JAPAN. Japan Skeptics, Jun Jugaku, Chair Brisbane, 4001. South Australia, P.O. Box person, 1-31-8-527 Takadanobaba, 91, Magill, 5072. Victoria, P.O. Box 1555P, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo 169. Melbourne, 3001. Western Australia, 25 MALTA. Contact: Vanni Pule', "Kabbalah," Headingly Road, Kalamunda 6076. 48 Sirti St., The Village, St. Julian's. BELGIUM. Committee Para, J. Dommanget, MEXICO. Mexican Association for Skeptical Chairman, Observatoire Royal de Bel- Research (SOMIE), Mario Mendez- gique, Avenue Circulaire 3, B-1180 Acosta, Chairman, Apartado Postal 19- Brussels. SKEPP, W. Betz, Secretary, 546, Mexico 03900, D.F. Laarbeeklaan 103, B1090 Brussels (FAX: NETHERLANDS. Stichting Skepsis, Rob 32-2-4774301). Nanninga, Secretary, Westerkade 20, BRAZIL. Opcao Racional, Luis Gutman, Av. 9718 AS Groningen. Nossa Senhora de Copacabana, 830/904 NEW ZEALAND. New Zealand Skeptics, Rio de Janeiro 22050.000. Vicki Hyde, Chairperson, South Pacific CANADA. Alberta Skeptics, Heidi Lloyd- Publications, Box 19-760, Christchurch 5, Price, Secretary, P.O. Box 5571, Station N.Z., Fax: 64 3 384-5138. A, Calgary, Alberta T2H 1X9. British NORWAY. NIVFO, K. Stenodegard, Boks 9, Columbia Skeptics, Lee Moller, contact, N-7082, Kattem. Skepsis, Terje Ember- 1188 Beaufort Road, Vancouver V7G 1R7. land, Contact, P. B. 2943 Toyen 0608, Manitoba Skeptics. Contact John Toews, Oslo 6. President, Box 92, St. Vital, Winnipeg, RUSSIA. Contact Edward Gevorkian, Ulya- Man. R2M 4A5. Ontario Skeptics, Henry novskaya 43, Kor 4, 109004, Moscow. Gordon, Chairman, 343 Clark Ave West, SOUTH AFRICA. Assn. for the Rational Suite 1009, Thornhill, Ontario L4J 7K5. Investigation of the Paranormal (ARIP), Sceptiques du Quebec: Jean Ouellette, Marian Laserson, Secretary, 4 Wales St., C.P. 202, Succ. Beaubien, Montreal H2G Sandringham 2192. SOCRATES, Leon 3C9. Retief, contact, 3 Hoheizen Crescent, CZECH REPUBLIC. Contact Milos Chvojka, Hoheizen, Bellville 7530. Inst, of Physics, Czech Academy of Sci SPAIN. Alternativa Racional a las Pseudo- ences, Na Slovance 2, 1 80 40 Prague 8. sciencias (ARP). Contact Mercedes Quin- ESTONIA. Contact Indrek Rohtmets, Hori- tana, Apartado de Correos 17.026, E-280 sont, EE 0102 Tallinn, Narva mnt. 5. 80 Madrid. FINLAND. Skepsis, Lauri Grohn, Secretary, SWEDEN. Vetenskap & Folkbildning Ojahaanpolku 8 B17, SF-01600 Vantaa. (Science and People's Education), Sven FRANCE. Comite Francais pour I'Etude des Ove Hansson, Secretary, Box 185, 101 23 Phenomenes Paranormaux, Claude Stockholm. Benski, Secretary-General, Merlin Gerin, TAIWAN. Tim Holmes, San Chuan Road, 98 RGE/A2 38050 Grenoble Cedex. Alley, #47, Fengyuan. GERMANY. Society for the Scientific UKRAINE. Perspectiva, Oleg G. Bakhtiarov, Investigation of Para-Science (GWUP), Director, 36 Lenin Blvd., Kiev 252001. Amardeo Sarma, Convenor, Postfach UNITED KINGDOM. SKEPTICAL INQUIRER 1222, D-6101 Rossdorf. Representative, Michael J. Hutchinson, 10 HUNGARY. Hungarian Skeptics, Janos Crescent View, Loughton, Essex IG10 Szentagothai, c/o Termeszet Vilaga, P.O. 4PZ. The Skeptic magazine. Editors, Toby Box 25, Budapest 8, 1444. Fax 011-36-1- Howard and Steve Donnelly, P.O. Box 118-7506. 475, Manchester M60 2TH. London INDIA. Indian Skeptics, B. Premanand, Student Skeptics, John Lord, Univ. of Chairman, 10, Chettipalayam Rd., London Library, Senate House, Malet St., Podanur 641-023 Coimbatore Tamil nadu. London WClE 7HU. Manchester Skep Indian Rationalist Association, Contact tics, David Love, P.O. Box 475, Manches Sanal Edamaruku, 779, Pocket 5, Mayur ter M60 2TH. Wessex Skeptics, Robin Vihar 1, New Delhi 110 091. Allen, Dept. of Physics, Southampton IRELAND. Irish Skeptics, Peter O'Hara, Univ., Highfield, Southampton S09 5NH. I 1 The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal Paul Kurtz, Chairman Scientific and Technical Consultants George Agogino, Dept. of Anthropology, Eastern New Mexico University. William Sims Bainbridge, professor of sociology, Illinois State University. Gary Bauslaugh, dean of technical and academic education and professor of chemistry, Malaspina College, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. Richard E. Berendzen, astronomer, Washington, D.C. Martin Bridgstock, lecturer, School of Science, Griffith Observatory, Brisbane, Australia. Richard Busch, magician, Pittsburgh, Pa. Shawn Carlson, physicist, Berkeley, Calif. Charles ). Cazeau, geologist, Deary, Idaho. Ronald J. Crowley, professor of physics, California State University, Fullerton. Roger B. Culver, professor of astronomy, Colorado State Univ. J. Dath, professor of engineering, Ecole Royale Militaire, Brussels, Belgium. Felix Ares De Bias, professor of computer science, University of Basque, San Sebastian, Spain. Sid Deutsch, Visiting Professor of electrical engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa. J. Dommanget, astronomer, Royale Observatory, Brussels, Belgium. Natham ]. Duker, assistant professor of pathology. Temple University. Barbara Eisenstadt, educator, Clifton Park, N.Y. John F. Fischer, forensic analyst, Orlando Fla. Frederic A. Friedel, philosopher, Hamburg, West Germany. Robert E. Funk, anthropologist. New York State Museum & Science Service. Eileen Gambrill, professor of social welfare, University of California at Berkeley. Sylvio Garattini, director, Mario Negri Pharmacology Institute, Milan, Italy. Laurie Godfrey, anthropologist, University of Massa chusetts. Gerald Goldin, mathematician, Rutgers University, New Jersey. Donald Goldsmith, astronomer; president, Interstellar Media. Clyde F. Herreid, professor of biology, SUNY, Buffalo. Terence M. Hines, professor of psychology. Pace University, Pleasantville, N.Y. Philip A. Ianna, assoc. professor of astronomy, Univ. of Virginia. William Jarvis, chairman, Public Health Service, Loma Linda University, California. I. W. Kelly, professor of psychology, University of Saskatchewan. Richard H. Lange, M.D. Mohawk Valley Physician Health Plan, Schenectady, N.Y. Gerald A. Larue, professor of biblical history and archaeology, University of So. California. Bernard ). Leikind, staff scientist, GA Technologies Inc., San Diego. William M. London, associate professor of health education, Kent State University. Thomas R. McDonough, lecturer in engineering, Caltech, and SETI Coordinator of the Planetary Society. James E. McGaha, Major, USAF; pilot. Joel A. Moskowitz, director of medical psychiatry, Calabasas Mental Health Services, Los Angeles. Robert B. Painter, professor of microbiology, School of Medicine, University of California. John W. Patterson, professor of materials science and engineering, Iowa State University. Steven Pinker, assistant professor of psychology, MIT. James Pomerantz, professor of psychology. Rice University; Gary Posner, M.D., Tampa, Fla. Daisie Radner, professor of philosophy, SUNY, Buffalo. Michael Radner, professor of philosophy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Robert H. Romer, professor of physics, Amherst College. Milton A. Rothman, physicist, Philadelphia, Pa. Karl Sabbagh, journalist, Richmond, Surrey, England. Robert J. Samp, assistant professor of education and medicine, University of Wisconsin- Madison. Steven D. Schafersman, geologist, Houston. Chris Scott, statistician, London, England. Stuart D. Scott, Jr., associate professor of anthropology, SUNY, Buffalo. Erwin M. Segal, professor of psychology, SUNY, Buffalo. Elie A. Shneour, biochemist; director, Biosystems Research Institute, La Jolla, California. Steven N. Shore, astronomer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Md. Barry Singer, psychologist, Eugene, Oregon. Mark Slovak, astronomer. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gordon Stein, physiologist, author; editor of the American Rationalist. Waclaw Szybalski, professor, McArdle Laboratory, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ernest H. Taves, psychoanalyst, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sarah G. Thomason, professor of linguistics, University of Pittsburgh, editor of Language. Subcommittees Astrology Subcommittee: Chairman, I. W. Kelly, Dept. of Educational Psychology, University of Saskat chewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0W0, Canada. Education Subcommittee: Secretary, Wayne Rowe, Education Dept., Univ. of Oklahoma, 820 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019. Electronic Communication Subcommittee: Chairman, Page Stephens, 6006 Fir Ave., Cleveland, OH 44102. E-Mail: Jim Kutz [email protected] Paranormal Health Claims Subcommittee: Co-chairmen, William Jarvis, Professor of Health Education, Dept. of Preventive Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 933S0, and Stephen Barrett, M.D., P.O. Box 1747, Allentown, PA 18105. Parapsychology Subcommittee: Chairman, Ray Hyman, Psychology Dept., Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97402. UFO Subcommittee: Chairman, Philip J. Klass, 404 "N" Street S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024. ©0iC8(S® flDiigufif^o ®jftfi§gD IMAMA©,, ®§&anX§© ©afefl^giSSOi),, ©Ovfol On)© Q£g© ®0 [r®@g@(7i] ftri) @KgOinflMnlgl