Science and the Parascience Cults How can the public separate fact from myth in the flood of occultism and pseudoscientific theories on the scene today? Help is on the way.

BY KENDRICK FRAZIER

Ancient astronauts, astrology, rhe Ber­ " Perhaps antiscicntific and pseudo­ muda Triangle, U FO 's, psyrhokinesis. scicntific irrational ism is a passing f ash ­ psychic healing, Kirlian photography, ion; yet one of the best ways to deal with pyramid power, reincarnation. immor­ it is for the scientific and educational tality, astral projection. lost continents. community to respond-in a responsihle plant communication, orgo11e e 11 ergy. manncr--to it s alarming growth." dianetics, chariots of the gods. Uri The committee hopes to function like Geller. Immanuel Velikovsky. Erich vo11 a consumer information group, serving the Daniken, Jeane Dixon. public and the news media by providing access to facts hy which they can judge Over the decades, the subjects and the the validity of unusual claims. proponents of occultism and pseudo­ They will establish a network of people science come and go, and the public's interested in examining such claims, toleration of and fascination with cultist prepare bibliographies of published mate­ theories shifts like rhc wind. 13ut by gen­ rials that examine such claims. encourage eral agreement, the last decade has and commission research by fringe science. border I inc publish articles and books examining science, pseudoscience, paranormal phe­ people willing to believe in any claim. claims and convene conferences and nomena, occultism, mysticism , the cults And any attempt by scientists to tell why meetings. of unreason, the new irrationalism or the a popularly held idea or theory is not valid It will also publish a journal called Tm, new nonsense. inevitably leads to complaints from the ZETETtC, an expansion of a now twicc­ Whatever the label, one has to go only wounded of authoritarianism and scien­ ycarty newsletter edited by Marcello as far as the nearest magazine stand or tific elitism. All this has made the scien­ Truzzi. professor of sociology at Eastern paperback book rack to find it in abundant tific community reluctant to enter the fray. Michigan University in Ypsilanti. quantities. Entire publishing industries re­ And this in turn has allowed occultist Among the nearly 40 members of the volve around single paranormal claims. ideas to go large ly unchallenged and une­ new committee arc astronomers George Fortunes are made by exploiting the pub­ valuated in the publicly visible arenas in Abell. Bart Bok and Carl Sagan; philoso­ lic's fascination with the unknown--or which they fl ourish. phers Brand Blanshard, Antony Flew. seemingly unknown. But now there is something new on the Sidney Hook and Erncsr Nagel; authors The typical scientist's reactions to all scene-a newly formed group of scholars. Isaac Asimov. Daniel Cohen. L. Sprague this is usually to throw up his hands in scientists and investigators willing and De Camp. Charles fair, Martin Gardner disgust, mutter about the naivete and gul­ able to enter the debate. The formation of and Philip J. Klass: psychologists Ray libility of the general puhlic , turn hack to the Committee to Scientifically Investigate Hyman and B. F. Skinner; and magician his experiments and forget it, leaving the Claims of Paranormal and Other Phenom­ James Randi. populace to their own misconceptions, for ena was announced on April 30 at the Most of the committee members have bett.er or for worse. meeting of the American Humanist Asso­ studied or written extensively on cults and The problem is a dillicult one for ciation in Buffalo, N. Y. Committee co­ pseudoscience. Many of them have been science. The time and effort required to chairman Paul Kurtz, professor of philos­ active critics and debunkers. Nonetheless, systematically point out the errors in fact ophy at the State University of New York the committee co-chairmen insist that the and logic in a complex pseudoscientific at Buffalo and editor of T11E HU1'l.>\NIST. group, though critical, will be open· theory are not trivial . When astronomer has long been concerned about what he minded . .. We wish to make it clear that Carl Sagan delivered what many consid­ calls the "enormous increase in public the purpose of the committee is not to ered to be a devastating hl ow to the interest in psychic phenomena. the occult re jcct on a priori grounds. antecedent to catastrophism theories of Velikovsky at and pseudosc ience ... inquiry, any or all such claims. but rather the San Francisco meeting of the Ameri­ " Often, .. he states. ·"the least shred of to examine them openly. completely, ob­ can Association for the Advanccrncnr of evidence for these claims is hlown out of jectively and carefully.'" says Kurtz. Science in February 1974, he lamented the proportion and presented _as 'scientific' Committee members lament the short­ time taken away from hi s own studies that proof. Many individuals now believe that age of critical thinking in today's society. the preparation of the 57-page paper had there is considerable need to organize "Tt is vital that individuals develop some required (although he said the experience some strategy of refutation. Perhaps we understanding of the effective criteria for was worth it) . Many scientists consider ought not assume that the scientific en­ judging these claims,'· says Kurtz. Often efforts at debunking beneath their digniry. lightenment will continue indefinitely; for scientists who attempt to point out !laws Others just consider it useless. They argue all we know , like the Hellenic civilization, in cultist theories arc accused of being thar no matter whar the facts are, rherc it may be overwhelmed by irrarionalisrn. close-minded. But, observes committee will always be a certain proportion of the subjectivism and obscurantism. member L. Sprague De Camp, author of

346 SCIENCE NEWS, VOL. 109 more than 30 books of science fact and principle called Occam's Razor (the sim­ science fiction, "Many people have de­ plest of two equally satisfactory explana­ veloped minds that are not only open, but tions takes precedence). gaping.'' These arc Jong-accepted principles for Often subjects, considered long put to sifting out valid from invalid ideas within rest, bob up again years later. "In the science, and, says Truzzi, ''to the degree history of cultism, one is always ex­ that those making claims are willing to periencing a feeling of deja 1•u," says De use 1he methodologies of science, we must Camp. Astrology is an example of a welcome them." pscudoscicntific idea once considered He proposes two additional principles thoroughly discarded but now newly important in dealing with anomalous rearisen to popularity. As Kurtz says, by claims: First , the burden of proof is on the year 1900, astrology was widely those who claim the existence of an viewed as a merely historical curiosity. anomaly; second, extraordinary proof is "Few intellecruals or educated persons necessary for extraordinary claims. thought that it contained any truth at all. The cults and pseudosciences often It existed only on the fringes of society have their own peculiar forms of logic. among uneducated folk." Now, he notes, rhcir beliefs arc right und the other oc­ L. Sprugue De Camp points to the circular it has made a notable resurgence. ''and cultist beliefs arc \\,Tong. logic often used by pseudoscicntiscs. For even supposedly sophisticated people Truzzi has prepared a taxonomy of oc­ example, UFO enthusiasts sometimes slart claim to believe in it.,. cultism, placing cults along a five -point by assuming what they wish to prove. (If Such concern led to the now famous scale with sources of validation ranging tlying saucer!> exist, 1he reason they statement ''Objections to Astrology,'' from scientific to purely mystical . haven't been exposed to view is that the published in the September/October 1975 The first group he calls proto-scientific government has censored the news; the issue of TllE HUMANIST and signed by I 86 occultism. The best example is parapsy­ fact that the government has squelched scientists. The statement stirred far chology. Here, he says, essentially scien­ this information shows that UFOs exist.) greater public interest than its originators tific criteria for demonstration of the ano­ De Camp repeats five criteria for judg­ had expected. The formation of the Com­ malies is desired and attempted, but the ing UFO contact reports first presented by mitCec to Scientifically Investigate Claims claims have not been fully integrated into a University of Denver genernl science of Paranormal and Other Phenomena is an the scientific community (in this case psy­ instructor in 1950: that the report be first­ outgrowth of that effort. chology) due to a Jack of sufficient evi­ hand; that the teller shows no obvious bias One indication 1ha1 the new committee dence that might convince the skeptical or prejudice; that he be a trained observer; will try to be fair in its approach to its established sciences. that the data be adequate and available for task is that its co-chairman, Truzzi, con­ The second group is quasi-scientific oc­ checking; and that the teller be clearly siders the astrology statement to have been cultism. An example is astrology. Here identified. misguided. He says its conclusions "I ip service'· is paid the search for scien­ Philip J. Klass, an editor for AVIATION weren't wrong- astrology is bunk- but tific criteria for validacion. but the search WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY and a nevertheless the statement, with its august for hard evidence is more a stated goal member of the new committee, devotes signatories, was an appeal to authori­ than an actuality. much of his spare time to detailed investi­ tarianism and a misuse of scientific cre­ The third group is pragmatic occultism. gations of UFO sightings. At a symposium dencials. Ex.ample: magic beliefs. Here, the basic on "The New lrrationalisms: Antiscience Truzzi brings to the new effort a re­ attitude is that the method works and and Pseudoscience,'' at the meeting of the freshing sense of fairness and balance and could be demonstrated to the skeptical American Humanist Association on May the perspective of a sociologist of knowl­ scientist but that the occultist has no desire l in Buffalo, Klass presented case studies edge long involved in sociological studies to do so. of three dramatic UFO reports. The sight­ of the occult. Groups four and five are shared and ings were widely seen and highly intrigu­ Truzzi cautions his colleagues not to solitary mystical occultism. Example: ing. Those who exploit and exaggerate place all the occu!tist groups into one messages from spirits. Here, beliefs center UFO mysteries for a living, Klass says, package. Jn fact, some of the best de­ around some personal demonstration of would end there and say. "Oh. isn't that bunking literature comes from the occult­ truth without the possibility of empirical mysterious!" Klass investigated the re­ ist groups themselves, because they dis­ validation. Truzzi points out that the final ports further and documented the causes trust each other and attempt to show why two groups are outside the scientific realm of the three seen phenomena. In case one, and thus should not be of concern to it was a Soviet rocket booster reentering scientists. That parallels his view that the the atmosphere and breaking into flaming new committee should be concerned with fragments. Case two was a hoax. perpe­ a cult group only to the extent that it trated by youngsters who made balloons makes scientific claims. by heating the air in nine plastic laundry "We tend to tar the proto- and quasi­ bags and attached railroad flares with scientific occultists with the brush of the time-delay fuses to them which when they mystical occultists." Truzzi says. "That went ofT appeared to observers, both air is a serious mistake." and ground, to be a fleet of UFO's firing Truzzi also points out that what distin­ weapons at the surface. In case three, a guishes science from pseudoscience is not report by airline pilots of a flaming UFO subject matter but methodology. Prin­ passing within a few hundred feet of their ciple.s inherent in the methodologies of aircraft rurned out be, as shown by trian­ science include "falsifiability" (one will gulation from numerous ground reports, get a negative result if the hypothesis is a large meteor passing through the atmos­ not true), replicability (different re­ phere 120 miles north of their planes. searchers should be able to get the same In each case trained observers had their results), intersubjective verifaibility senses deceived. And in each case the (agreement between advocate and critic of observer's mind had filled in missing­ criteria for verifying), and the logical and mistaken--details. Concludes Klass: "In the final analysis, Geller has conducted demonstrations be­ and restarting slopped watches. Some of after I 0 years of investigating the tllughest fo re physicists. unde rgS. C t1R ISTO PllER . Cults of or failed it : that when Randi he lped prived of any easy way of learning. Un reason. Farrar. Strauss. and Johnny Carson and his staff set up the As De Camp says. "If I undertook a Giroux. 1973. controls on demonstrations Geller per­ thoroug h analysis of o ne of Vo n Dani­ Fuu.ER, UR IAH. Confessions of a formed o n ·'The T onight Show,'· Geller ken's books. the result would be a book Psvc/Jic. Karl Fulves, Teaneck. failed miserably: that Randi himself has several times the s ize of the original. It N.J., 1975. An expose of Uri easil y fooled some of Gell er' s strnngest would take years nf my time: and . if I Gellcr's effects by a rival. advocates. such as British physicist John were mad eno ug h to write it . who !hen (Available from Karl Fulves, G. Taylor: that Randi by means nf would read i1"" Box 433. T1:a11eck. N .J .. by Geller-I ike trickster ism convinced PSY­ This. despite the fact that , in De sending$:\). CHIC NEWS that Randi was a psychic; that Camp's wo rds. " Von D:miken·s books in Israel where Geller got his start, even GARDNER. MARTI~. Fads & Falla­ are solid masses of misstate me nts. errors cies in t/J e Nwne of Science. his friends , relatives. former girl friend and wild guesses presented as facts. un­ Do,·cr Puhlications. New York . and former managers swear that Geller is supported by anythi ng rcnwte ly resem­ 1957 . a cheat :tnd a liar: and that Geller's close bling ~cie nrifi c data ... HANSEL, C.E M. ESP.· A Scientific friend in Israel. ltzhaak Saban, acknowl­ Larry Kusche . a skeptical inve stigator Eval1rntio11 . Scribner. New edges that he used to sit in the front row who has conducted a detailed investiga­ York. 1966. at performances and give Geller hand sig­ tion of the Bermuda Triangle .. m ystery ... JASTROW . JOSEPH. Error & Eccen­ nals and that Geller then hau no "psy­ found that most of the "facts" upon tricity in l-111111an /Jelief. Dover. chic" abilities. Randi elaborates o n all which the a lleged myste ry was premised New York. these m a!!ers in his new book. The Magic simply were no t true. As he coneludcs in KLA SS_ PHILIP J .. UFOs Explained. of Uri Geller. Randi says he asked Harold Puthoff, his book The Bermuda Triangle Mvs­ Random House. ~e w York. E. tery- Soil•ed: ·'The Legend of the Ber­ 1975. o ne o f the two SRI physicists who tested muda Triangle is manufactured mystery. Gelle r . to answer five simple true-false a KusCHE. L... wRE~CE DAVID, The It began because of careless rese:irch a nd Bem111du Triangle Mystery­ questions about the testing procedures . He was elaborated upun and perpetuated by Soll'cd. Warner Books. New has not had a repl y . .. He will not ~1nswer writers who either purposely or unkno w ­ York. 1975. those questions because he cannot without ingly made use of misconceptions. fault y RANDI. TH E AMAZING. T /J e Magic showing that he is not a capable investi­ reasoning and sensati onali sm. It w as of Uri Geller. Ballantine. New gator in dealing with Uri Geller ... repeated so many times that it began to York . 1975 . Randi, li ke many magicians (SN : take un lhe aura o f truth ... S 11. vr:RnF.RG. Ro 1ll'.RT. Scienrists and 8/3/74. p . 78). rebukes scientists for a~ ­ Kusche's book. which T ruzzi considers Scoundrels: A Book of I Joa.H's . suming they huvc the skills to as~ess the a model debunking effort . has sold re­ T . Y . Crowell, New York. 1965. validity of psychic de monstrations. The spectably. but it is just one against many T1tlERt'."G, B .. & CASTEL. E . (eds). nppo~ite is lhe case . Scientists. with books having vastly gn:aler saks that Some Trust in Chariots: Sixteen " their straight-line thinking, .. are among promote the legend. His book is soon to the very easiest types to fool. " Wherever Viell'S 0 11 Erich 1·011 Daniken 's have broader impact . however. It serves 'Clwriot.\ of the Gods. · Popular there is any possihility of . c hicanery as th.: basis for a !"OYA television pro­ Library. New York. 1975 being an e lement in any experimental gram. · ·Pseudoscience and the Uermuda * * * * process. an experie nced coniuror must be Triangle.· · to be te lecast o n PBS the week Subscriptio ns to Ttff. ZE·1r rte. the called in ." says Randi. "And not just any of June 27 committee's new journal of research con juror. hut o ne whose specialt y is just Of all the modern c laims of paranormal into oecultisrm. arc available by that particular brand of chicanery ... phenomena, the one that has had the sending a check for $ I 0 to 92:1 Ken­ He also chastizes the media for report­ broadest inte raction with the scientific sington Ave .. Buffalo. N .Y . First ing only those demonstrations in which community in the last five years concerns issue this summer . Geller is successful. ignoring his failures. the c la imed psychic po wers of Uri Geller. Comi11 11 ed 011 page 350

348 SCIENCE NEWS, VOL . 109 . . . Parascience Geller and other supposed psychics. Randi says. have been aided by four spe­ contussoo cial assumptions believers and even "ob· SCIENTIFIC CALCULATOR jective .. experimenters accept in judging psychics· abilities : No real psychic can with R e v e rse produce pheno mena upon command or upon a regular basis (thus when they fail. Pol ish that's considered proof that they' re genu­ ine ); that a psychic sometimes has to cheat when his psychic powers temporarily wane (so when he's caught. the cheating is forgiven); unless the detractor can explain all !he phenomena exhibited. his case is not proved; and psychics cannot be ex­ pected to produce results when skeptics are present or when controls inhibit the psychic's sense of being trusted . "If we were to try applying similar rules to. say. the science of astronomy. ONLY we would be laughed out of the running,·· says Randi. * * * * $8495 With the diversity and complexity of anomalous claims on the scene today , how More calculating power than the HP21 well will the new committee succeed in More memory registers than the SR51 its task of helping distinguish between the Get the best for less! bogus and the valid'l Much depends on This new entry in the Sc1ent1flc Calculator fie ld offers the besl the committee's acceptance by the public package avallable today the efficiency and s1mplic1ty of Re· and the scientific community. That. in verse Pohsh oration a powerful 4-regrster stacl<. with 9 memory turn. will depend gre.atly on how well it registers. a 12 d1g1t display for exacting accuracy (sc1en!if1c lor· mat of 10·d1g11 mantissa. 2·dig1t exponent) total capability 1n achieves a balance between skepticism sc1entlf1c functions plus add1ttonal capab11it1es in statistics. con­ and receptivity . It must avoid what com­ versions and business mittee member Ray Hyman. professor of Combining ease of entry with the most versatile keyboard psychology at the University of Oregon, available. the best viewing angle. brightness and readab1! 1ty with the most calculating power available the Corvus 500. at tts notes has been characteristic of too man} $84 95 pnco is the best buy of any comparable equipment on the past debunking efforts (mainly books) that market today. take a holier than thou attitude , polarize PROVE IT TO YOUR SE LF! v lnstructwn Ma nual potential readers and are as irresponsible Try the Corvus 500 for 10 days The compact. contoured case with facts and arguments as those they FREE' Prove to yourself 1s 5' 2 long 3 wide. 11• high criticize. that 1t meets your every cal· and weighs only 8 oz culat1ng need If you are not A good debunking effort , according to sausfled. lor any reason. your The Corv us 500 is gua ranteed! his standards, treats believers as just as full purchas!:l pnce will be re· T e Co rv us 500 s warranteed moral. honest. intelligent and well mean­ funded against defec ts 1n rnatenals ing as disbelievers. "The problem is not and wo n

D v s,on o j G:o!Ja l Ta:>u It :mo;; Co ne and the public. must acknowledge that GLOBAL 1731 Vi t\ i\$h1ng~ n S i-.,, l1 C r- lQJ: 1tl bC ~,O" scientific acceptability requires that such research, as Kurtz emphasizes. "be responsible and carefully conducted, that the evidence not be outstripped by con­ le jecture. nor the conclusions based upon C\!Sh Payrnel'>! C he e ~ or V O'i &; Q rcer enc10-.eo t \.ll"'lC ~n\!;v~~ "I"&! ca. sn pa,.me"t &t'l:;t!es f":"'l! ~ o as-.. Dtscavn· the will to believe.·· .._.,. B a ti ~A ,...,'fr C3''."J Or. as Einstein once wrote. "Imagina­ tion i~ good but it must always be criti­ cally controlled by the available facts. There is no distinct philosophical ap· proach which leads directly to truth ... 0

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