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The Arizona Skeptic 6(1, July/August 1992):7 The Arizona Skeptic A Journal Promoting Critical Thinking Volume 6, Issue 1 July/August 1992 question, we should have expected an Science and Dianetics event which was incompatible with the By Jeff Jacobsen theory-an event which· would have L.Ron Hubbard constantly makes the ·claim that refuted the theory. dianetics is a "scientific fact." In fact, he makes that (3) Every "good" scientific theory is a claim 35 times in Dianetics. For example, "All our prohibition: it forbids certain things to facts are functional and these facts are scientific facts, happen. The more.a theory forbids, the supported wholly and completely by laboratory evidence" better it is; (p. 96). Hubbard shows that he highly regards correct (4) A theory which is not refutable by any scientific ·experimentation by carefully hedging his conceivable event is non-scientific. approval of another scientific ··experiment done by Irrefutability is not a virtue of a theory (as someone else. This test was conducted in a hospital to people often think) but a vice. see whether unattended children became sick more often (5) Every genuine test of a theory is an than attended children. "The test. .. seems to have been attempt to falsify it, or to refute it. conducted with proper controls" (p. 143), he cautiously Testability is falsifiability: some theories states, not having apparently seen the entire written are more testable, more exposed to report. refutation, than others; they take, as it In The Phoenix Lectures, Hubbard is also critical of were, greater risks. the early psychiatric work of Wundt in the latter<1800s: (6) Confirming evidence should not count "Scientific methodology was actually not,· there and then, except when it is the result ofa genuine immediately classified... what they did was unregulated, test of the theory; and this means that it uncontrolled, wildcat experiments, fuddling .• around can be presented as a serious but collecting enonnous quantities ofdata...u t unsuccessful attempt to falsify the theory. 1· am similarly cautious about Hubbard's (I now speak in such cases of experiments, especially since there seems to be no record "corroborating evidence.") of how they were done, what exactly the results were, (7) Some genuinely testable theories, when what kind of control group was used, whether the found to be false, are still upheld by their experiments were double blind, how many subjects there admirers-for example by introducing ad werein eachexperiment, and other pertinent data..I have hoc some auxiliary assumption, or by re­ asked· ranking Scientologists for this data, and have interpreting the theory ad hoc in such a fervently searched for it myself, and have yet to see·it. way that it escapes refutation. Such a This brings up the question of whether Hubbard can call procedure is always possible, but it his original research science. rescues the theory from refutation only at And, in keeping with the need to understand each the price of destroying, or at least word we use, it brings up the question of just what lowering, its scientific status.2 science is. What does it take for someone to The falsifiability approach is a good one, because no legitimately make the claim that his ideas are theory can be proven as a fact unless every case possible scientifically proven? When can something· be called a is individually example to see that it applies to every scientific fact? possible case. For example, a popular example of a As with many subjects in life, the deeper one looks "fact" in science classrooms of the 19th century was that into science, the murkier it gets. There is not even one "all swans are white." This was, however, shown to be single agreed-upon definition for science in the scientific untrue when a variety of swan in South America was community. Those people who seek to establish a discovered to be black. This .''fact'' was proven wrong by unifying definition are dealing in what is called the a previously unknown exception to the rule, and this philosophy of science. One of the most respected and example points out that it is never. entirely possible to most influential of these is Karl Popper. Popper claims prove a theory in the positive without examining every that no theory can be called scientific unless it is possible case of. that theory. (It is, of course, not falsifiable, that is, unless it can be demonstrated that possible to completely falsify many theories also, but deliberate attempts to prove a theory wrong are for the sake of brevity I would refer the reader to unsuccessful. Thus, a theory must open itself up to Popper's Logic of Scientific Discovery for further criticism from the scientific community to see whether it arguments on this subject.)3 can withstand critical scrutiny. Let us go now momentarily to one of Hubbard's Popper's formulation for scientific validation is: scientific claims: (1) It is easy to obtain confirmations, or Its [the reactive mind's] identity can now verifications, for nearly every theory-if be certified by any technician in any clinic we look for confumations. or in any group ofmen. Two hundred and (2) Confirmations should count only if they seventy-three individuals have been are the result of risky predictions; that is examined and treated, representing all the to say, if, unenlightened by the theory in 2 The Arizona Skeptic July/August 1992 various types .Qf inorganic mental illness audited. The experiment was carefully laid out according and· the many varieties of psychosomatic to dianetic theory and was at all times done under the ills. In each one this reactive mind was cooperation and suggestions ofthe Foundation. found operating, its principles unvaried.4 The subject· was knocked unconscious with .75 After the brief discussion previously of science, we grams of sodium pentathol by Dr. A. Davis, M.D., who can begin to question Hubbard's claim to scientific is one of the authors of the experiment. Whellthe validity. Exactly who were these 273 people? Were subject was found to be unconscious, Mr. Lebovits was they believers in Hubbard's. theories or a representative left alone with the subject while two recording devices sample of the public at large? Exactly how was the recorded the session..••.. Mr. Lebovits read a 35-word experiment conducted that proved the existence of the section of a physics book to the subject, administering reactive mind? This needs to be known so others can try pain during the reading of the last 18 words. He then left it to test for variables that Hubbard may have the room, and the patient was allowed to rest for another overlooked, to see ifhis experiment produced a statistical hour, at which time he was awakened. fluke, and to help in conducting experiments to try to Two days. later, the professional auditors from the disprove the theory. The more times an experiment is Dianetic Research Founda.tion began to audit the subject, conducted, the more likely it is shown·· to be true, trying to elicit the engram, or recording of the keeping in mind of course that no matter how many experiment that according to dianetic theory resided in the times an expedition went looking for white swans, "it subject's reactive mind. would find them, so long as they didn't go to South The auditors did elicit several possible passages from America. the subject and supplied these to the experimenters. The Was Hubbard seeking confirmation in his results were that "Comparison with the selected passage experiments or was he attempting to refute his theory, as shows that none of the above-quoted phrases, nor any Popper suggests a true man of science would do? other phrases quoted in the report, bear any relationship Designing a test that will provide confmnation of a at all to the selected passage. Since the reception of the thesis is not difficult. frrst interim report, in November 1950, the experimenter tried frequently and repeatedly to obtain further reports, A Real Experiment Comes Up Dry but so far without·success."g Hubbard does mention an experiment to perfonn that can The experimenters concluded by stating that while prove the existence ofengrams: their test case was only one subject, they felt that the If you care to make the experiment, you experiment was well done and strongly suggested that the can take a man, render him "unconscious," engranl bypothesiswasnot validated. I know of no hurt him and give him information. By other scientifically valid experimentbesides this one by Dianetic technique, no matter what non-dianeticists which attempted to prove Hubbard's infonnation you gave him, it can be engram theory. recovered. This experiment should not be There is one point I consider the most damning to carelessly conducted because you might Hubbard's attempt to cloak dianetics in scientific render him insane.5 (emphasis in validity. While he seems to be inviting others to original) conduct their own investigations (and thus seems to be Three researchers at the University of California, open to attempts to refute his claims), he never explains Los Angeles, decided in 1950 to give this experiment a his own experimental methods, thus closing the door to the scientific community's ability to verify his claims. try.6 If an individual should be placed, by some In order to evaluate Hubbard's claims, the scientific means of [sic] other, into an unconscious community would seek to replicate his experiments to state, then, according to traditional see if the same results were obtained and to check for psychology, no retention of the events possible influences on the experiment Hubbard may have occurring about him should take place and overlooked.
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