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El Esceptico escescel éépticoptico la revista para el fomento de la razón y la ciencia publicación trimestral nº 10 otoño-invierno 2000 El fin del hambre en el mundo Plausibilidad, trascendencia y la epidemia panspérmica Los caballeros de ninguna parte Entrevista a John Allen Paulos número extra Edita ARP - Sociedad para el Avance del Pensamiento Crítico PVP: 5,4 euros / 900 ptas. escel éptico la revista para el fomento de la razón y la ciencia ARP - Sociedad para el Avance del Pensamiento Crítico DIRECCIÓN Julio Arrieta PRESIDENTE Alfonso López Borgoñoz (coordinador) Félix Ares de Blas Víctor R. Ruiz VICEPRESIDENTE CONSEJO DE REDACCIÓN José Mª Bello Diéguez Félix Ares de Blas SECRETARIO Javier E. Armentia Ferran Tarrasa Blanes José Mª Bello Diéguez José Luis Calvo Buey TESORERO Luis Alfonso Gámez Alfonso López Borgoñoz Pedro Luis Gómez Barrondo DIRECTOR EJECUTIVO Borja Marcos Pedro Luis Gómez Barrondo SECCIONES VOCALES Primer Contacto,Pedro Luis Gómez Barrondo Luis Alfonso Gámez Mundo Escéptico, Sergio López Borgoñoz Borja Marcos Cuaderno de Bitácora,Javier Armentia Teresa González de la Fe Guía Digital, Ernesto Carmena Paranormalia, Julio Arrieta y Borja Marcos CONSEJO ASESOR De Oca a Oca, Félix Ares de Blas Alfonso Afonso Un marciano en mi buzón, Luis González Manso José María Alcaide Crónicas desde Magonia, Luis Alfonso Gámez Carlos Álvarez Sillón Escéptico, José Luis Calvo Buey Javier Armentia Julio Arrieta DELEGADO DE EDICIÓN Y DISTRIBUCIÓN José Luis Calvo Buey Alfonso López Borgoñoz Luis Capote COMPAGINACIÓN Y PRODUCCIÓN Ernesto Carmena Mercedes Galve José Luis Cebollada Sergio López Borgoñoz SECRETARÍA TÉCNICA Juan Soler Enfedaque Aure Valentín Solari Víctor R. Ruiz COORDINADOR DE TRADUCCIONES RELACIÓN PARCIAL DE SOCIOS Pedro Luis Gómez Barrondo Miguel Ángel Almodóvar, Periodista científico ILUSTRACIONES INTERIORES David Alvargonzález, Filósofo, Universidad de Oviedo Pedro Mirabet y Ernesto Carmena Henri Broch, Físico, Universidad de Niza Gustavo Bueno, Filósofo, Universidad de Oviedo Mario Bunge, Filósofo, Universidad McGill EDITA Pedro Caba, Médico, ex vicepresidente de la Organización Mundial de la Salud ARP – Sociedad para el Avance del Pensamiento Crítico Antonio Calvo Roy, Periodista, Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear IMPRIME Victoria Camps, Filósofa, Universidad de Barcelona Offset Color Ignacio Fernández Bayo, Periodista científico DEPÓSITO LEGAL Paul Kurtz, Filósofo, Universidad de Nueva York Z-1947-1998 Carlos López Borgoñoz, Biólogo Eustoquio Molina, Paleontólogo, Universidad de Zaragoza ISSN Ramón Núñez, Director de la Casa de las Ciencias de A Coruña 1139-938X Ernesto Páramo, Director del Parque de las Ciencias de Granada Xabier Pereda, Paleontólogo, Universidad del País Vasco James Randi, Ilusionista y divulgador científico EL ESCÉPTICO mantiene intercambio expreso de contenidos Andrés Sanjuán, Biólogo, Universidad de Vigo con otras publicaciones. Fuera de este margen, queda prohibi- Fernando Savater, Filósofo, Universidad Complutense de Madrid da la reproducción total o parcial de contenidos por cualquier Manuel Toharia, Periodista científico, director del Museo de la Ciencia Príncipe Felipe de Valencia medio sin previa autorización de la dirección de la revista. Victoria Toro, Periodista científica EL ESCÉPTICO no se identifica necesariamente con las opinio- Alberto Virto, Físico, Universidad de Zaragoza nes de los artículos firmados, que pertenecen a la exclusiva responsabilidad de los autores. MANTENIMIENTO PÁGINAS DE INTERNET EL ESCÉPTICO se reserva el derecho a utilizar el material reci- Ibón Basterretxea, Manuel Caro y Gorka Moral bido, solicitado o no, en cualquier momento y sin previo aviso, salvo indicación en contra de los autores o autoras. No se ADMINISTRACIÓN DE SISTEMAS mantendrá correspondencia por el material no solicitado ni Borja Marcos éste será devuelto. Más información sobre la revista en http://www.el-esceptico.org/ Para correspondencia, dirigirse a la dirección de ARP - Toda información sobre ARP - Sociedad para el Avance del Pensamiento Crítico o esta revista, cola- Sociedad para el Avance del Pensamiento Crítico. boraciones o recensiones, petición de números atrasados, suscripciones y consultas, debe dirigirse al Apartado de Correos, 310; 08860 - Castelldefels (Barcelona); o a la dirección de correo electró- Impreso en España nico [email protected] y [email protected]. Más información sobre la entidad en la página de Internet http://www.arp-sapc.org 2 el escéptico otoño-invierno 2000 LO QUE EL OJO NO VE 54 Joe Nickell La fotografía del aura causa sensación en ferias psíquicas y otros festivales populares, pero ¿es realmente lo que parece ser? ENTREVISTA A JOHN ALLEN PAULOS 62 Sergio y Alfonso López Borgoñoz Una conversación distendida con el célebre matemático estadou- nidense, en el que el mismo nos habla acerca de qué piensa sobre las matemáticas, sobre la importancia de las mismas, así como del fomento del espíritu crítico. LOS CABALLEROS DE NINGUNA PARTE 64 David Galadí Una noche calurosa de verano y una televisión encendida, pueden dar para mucho si uno está atento… ARTÍCULOS ¿USAMOS SÓLO EL DIEZ POR CIENTO DE PLAUSIBILIDAD, TRASCENDENCIA Y 70 NUESTRO CEREBRO?... 16 LA EPIDEMIA PANSPÉRMICA Horacio Barber Friend Jon Richfield Se mantienen en el tiempo numerosas creencias a pesar de ser La panspermia no es inverosímil en sí, pero ha desempeñado un falsas y poco verosímiles. Ese es el caso del llamado mito del papel de menor importancia. Incluso el sentido común llano pre- 10%, que afirma que sólo una pequeña parte de nuestro cerebro cisa unos requerimientos mínimos para admitir algo: una hipótesis realiza todas las funciones mentales de las que este órgano es debe satisfacer ciertos mínimos para ser tomada en serio, espe- responsable, mientras que el resto permanece inactivo. cialmente para ser aceptada como líder entre otras similares. CREENCIAS PARANORMALES Y EL FIN DEL HAMBRE EN EL MUNDO: 78 RENDIMIENTO ACADÉMICO 24 LA PROMESA DE LA BIOTECNOLOGÍA Y LA Michael E. Sonntag AMENAZA DEL FANATISMO ANTICIENTÍFICO Una demostración experimental de que los universitarios con Norman E. Borlaug creencias pseudocientíficas parecen tener una mayor probabili- Durante el siglo XX, se han producido un gran número de varieda- dad de rendir menos en sus estudios. des e híbridos que han contribuido a mejorar el rendimiento y estabilidad de las cosechas, y los ingresos de los granjeros. A pesar de los éxitos de la revolución verde, la batalla para asegu- 4 EDITORIAL rar la alimentación de millones de personas que viven en la mise- ria aún esta lejos de ser ganada. PRIMER CONTACTO CÓMO SE SACAN LAS CUENTAS PARA 5 Pedro Luis Gómez Barrondo 32 ESTIMAR EL ALCANCE DE UNA EPIDEMIA Luis R. González Manso MUNDO ESCÉPTICO En el número de diciembre de 1987 de OMNI, revista norteameri- 14 Sergio López Borgoñoz cana con más de 5.000.000 de lectores, Budd Hopkins incluyó un cuestionario de 25 preguntas, bajo el siguiente epígrafe: CUADERNO DE BITÁCORA “Recuerdos Ocultos: ¿Es usted un abducido?”. Sus curiosos 23 Javier Armentia resultados son analizados a fondo desde una perspectiva crítica en este artículo. GUÍA DIGITAL: 30 LA WEB DEL ESCÉPTICO DEL SIGLO EL ESPÍRITU CIENTÍFICO EN LOS MEDIOS Ernesto Carmena 48 DE COMUNICACIÓN Juan Carlos Ortega PARANORMALIA Los medios de comunicación muchas veces olvidan usar un míni- 40 Julio Arrieta y Borja Marcos mo sentido crítico a la hora de enjuiciar sus propias actuaciones o a la hora de tomar decisiones sobre qué es (o que no es) noticia. DE OCA A OCA: 53 LAS VACAS LOCAS Y EL ANUMERISMO SRI SATHYA SAI BABA, ¿DECADENCIA Y Félix Ares de Blas 42 CAÍDA DE UN IMPERIO RELIGIOSO? L. Enrique Márquez UN MARCIANO EN MI BUZÓN: En 1976, el ex-devoto Tal Brooke contó al mundo su experiencia 58 LA UFOLOGÍA Y EL COLECCIONISMO —más carnal que espiritual— junto a quien fuera su dios durante DE SELLOS muchos meses. Sus lamentos y desilusión, apenas si hicieron Luis González Manso mella en el vertiginoso crecimiento del afianzado movimiento reli- gioso del gran avatar (encarnación divina) Sai Baba. CRÓNICAS DESDE MAGONIA: 68 EL DICTAMEN DE LA MONTAÑA LOS MARCIANOS DE ANTONIO RIBERA Luis Alfonso Gámez 50 Luis A. Gámez SILLÓN ESCÉPTICO Un reciente artículo del conocido ufólogo Antonio Ribera, en el 74 José Luis Calvo Buey que vuelve a sacar a la luz un supuesto misterio subyacente a las similitudes entre un cráter marciano y uno lunar, le dan pie a dicho autor a hablar de nuevo de sus antiguas hipótesis, que la mayoría http://www.el-esceptico.org pensaban que ya habían quedado olvidadas. otoño-invierno 2000 el escéptico 3 EDITORIAL Volviendo la mirada ahora hacia ARP - Sociedad para el Avance del Pensamiento Crítico, se han producido en ella una serie de importantes cambios en su estructura, CUMPLEAÑOS todos los cuales se hicieron públicos o tuvieron lugar con motivo de la asamblea anual que se celebró el pasado 24 de marzo en Pamplona. Así, la presidencia ha sido asu- FELIZ... mida por Félix Ares, como ya hiciera en los primeros tiem- pos de vida de nuestra entidad, fundada en 1985. Javier Armentia, que ocupaba dicho cargo desde hacía varios años, había pedido el relevo dado que sus actuales ocu- El 30 de abril y el 1 de mayo del año 1976, hace ya vein- paciones le impedían el cumplir con sus responsabilida- ticinco años, tenía lugar un ciclo de conferencias en el des con la entidad tal como a él le gustaba ejercerlas. campus de Amherst de la Universidad Estatal de Nueva También cambiaba de manos en dicha reunión de socios York en Buffalo (EE.UU.), organizado por la American el cargo de director ejecutivo, pasando de mano de Javier Humanist Association, bajo el título The New Irratio- Marí, que no se presentó a la reelección, a las de Pedro nalisms: Antiscience and Pseudoscience, fruto de la cual Luis Gómez Barrondo. se creaba en los EEUU (con una enorme vocación inter- Lo mismo puede decirse del anterior equipo de direc- nacionalista) el CSICOP (The Committee For The Scientific ción de esta revista, formado por Luis Alfonso Gámez y Investigation Of Claims Of The Paranormal), que ya enton- Carlos Tellería (como codirectores), con José Mª Bello ces dirigía su actual gerente, Paul Kurtz, profesor de filo- como subdirector.
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