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Skeptical Inquirer CSICOP in CHINA the Skeptical Inquirer CSICOP IN CHINA Testing China's Psychics The Appeal of the Occult Hypnosis and Reincarnation Pitfalls of Deception • Continental Drift Health Quackery • Psychic Crimebusting Vol. XII No. 4 / Summer 1988 $6.00 Published by the Committee 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. Editor Kendrick Frazier. Editorial Board James E. Alcock, Martin Gardner, Ray Hyman, Philip J. Klass, Paul Kurtz, James Randi. Consulting Editors Isaac Asimov, 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. Public Relations Director Barry Karr. Business Manager Mary Rose Hays. Assistant Editor Andrea Szalanski. Art Kathy Kostek Systems Programmer Richard Seymour. Typesetting Paul E. Loynes, Don Stoltman. Audio Technician Vance Vigrass. Librarian, Ranjit Sandhu. Staff Michael Cione, Donald Crutchfield, Crystal Folts, Leland Harrington, Laura Muench, Erin O'Hare, Alfreda Pidgeon, Kathy Reeves. Cartoonist Rob Pudim. The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal Paul Kurtz, Chairman; philosopher, State University of New York at Buffalo. Lee Nisbet, Special Projects Director. Mark Plummer, Executive Director. Fellows of the Committee James E. Alcock, psychologist, York Univ., Toronto; Eduardo Amaldi, physicist, University of Rome, Italy. Isaac Asimov, biochemist, author; Irving Biederman, psychologist, University of Minnesota; Susan Blackmore, psycholo­ gist, Brain Perception Laboratory, University of Bristol, England; Brand Blanshard, philosopher, Yale; Mario Bunge, philosopher, McGill University; Bette Chambers, A.H.A.; John R. Cole, anthropologist, Institute for the Study of Human Issues; F. H. C. Crick, biophysicist, .Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, Calif.; L. Sprague de Camp, author, engineer; Bernard Dixon, science writer, consultant; Paul Edwards, philosopher, Editor, Encyclopedia of Philosophy; Antony Flew, philosopher, Reading Univ., U.K.; Andrew Fraknoi, astronomer, executive officer, Astronomical Society of the Pacific; editor of Mercury; Kendrick Frazier, science writer, Editor, THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER; Yves Califret, Exec. Secretary, l'Union Rationaliste; Martin Gardner, author, critic; Murray Gell-Mann, professor of physics, California Institute of Technology; Henry Gordon, magician, columnist, broadcaster, 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, University of Michigan; Sidney Hook, prof, emeritus of philosophy, NYU; Ray Hyman, psychologist, Univ. of Oregon; Leon Jaroff, sciences editor, Time; Lawrence Jerome, science writer, engineer; Philip J. Klass, science writer, engineer; Marvin Kohl, philosopher, SUNY College at Fredonia; Edwin C. Krupp, astronomer, director, Griffith Observatory; Paul Kurtz, chairman, CSICOP, Buffalo, N.Y.; Lawrence Kusche, science writer; Paul MacCready, scientist/engineer, AeroVironment, Inc., Monrovia, Calif.; David Marks, psychologist, Middlesex Polytech, England; William V. Mayer, biologist, University of Colorado, Boulder; David Morrison, professor of astronomy, University of Hawaii; H. Narasimhaiah, physicist, president, Bangalore Science Forum, India; Dorothy Nelkin, sociologist, Cornell University. Lee Nisbet, philosopher, Medaille College; James E. Oberg, science writer; Mark Plummer, lawyer, executive director, CSICOP, Buffalo, N.Y.; W. V. Quine, philosopher, Harvard Univ.; James Randi, magician, author; Milton Rosenberg, psychologist. University of Chicago; Carl Sagan, astronomer, Cornell Univ.; Evry Schatzman, President, French Physics Association; Eugenie Scott, physical anthropologist, executive director, National Center for Science Education, Inc.; Thomas A. Sebeok, anthropologist, linguist, Indiana University; Robert Sheaffer, science writer; B. F. Skinner, psychologist, Harvard Univ.; Dick Smith, film producer, publisher, Terrey Hills, N.S.W., Australia; Robert Steiner, magician, author, El Cerrito, California; Stephen Toulmin, professor of social thought and philosophy, Univ. of Chicago; Marvin Zelen, statistician, Harvard Univ.; Marvin Zimmerman, philosopher, SUNY at Buffalo. (Affiliations given for identifi­ cation only.) 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 229, Buffalo, NY 14215-0229. Old address as well as new are necessary for change of subscriber's address, with six weeks advance notice. Inquiries from the media and the public about the work of the Committee should be made to Paul Kurtz, Chairman, CSICOP, Box 229, Buffalo, NY 14215-0229. Tel.: (716) 834-3222. 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. Copyright ©1988 by the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, 3159 Bailey Ave., Buffalo, NY 14215-0229. Subscription Rates: Individuals, libraries, and institutions, $22.50 a year; back issues, $6.00 each. THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER is available on recordings from Associated Services for the Blind, 919 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19170(215-627-0600). Postmaster THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER is published quarterly. Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Printed in the U.S.A. Second-class postage paid at Buffalo, New York, and additional mailing offices. Send changes of address to THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Box 229, Buffalo, NY 14215-0229. the Skeptical inquirer Journal of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal Vol. XII, No. 4 ISSN 0194-6730 Summer 1988 SPECIAL REPORT 364 Testing Psi Claims In China: Visit of CSICOP Delegation by Paul Kurtz, James Alcock, Kendrick Frazier, Barry Karr, Philip J. Klass, and James Randi ARTICLES 376 The Appeal of the Occult: Some Thoughts on History, Religion, and Science by Philips Stevens, Jr. 386 Hypnosis and Reincarnation: A Critique and Case Study by Jonathan Venn 392 Do My Eyes Deceive Me? Pitfalls of Perception by Anthony G. Wheeler 398 Wegener and Pseudosclence: Some Misconceptions by Nils Edelman 403 An Investigation of Psychic Crlmebusting by C. Eugene Emery, Jr. 411 High-Flying Health Quackery by Terence Hines 416 The Bar-Code Beast by Michael Keith NEWS AND COMMENT 338 Editors Lacking in Scientific Savvy / 'MJ-12' Papers / 'Mars Face' Ex­ ploited / Post Office Cancels Horoscopes / Editor-Astrologer / Moving Continents / Skepticism Promoted / Psychic Powers Quiz / 'Abductee' Questionnaire / Australian UFO Incident / Richard Feynman / Channeling Medicine / CSICOP Elects Fellows / New CSICOP Consultants NOTES OF A FRINGE-WATCHER 355 Occam's Razor and the Nutshell Earth by Martin Gardner PSYCHIC VIBRATIONS 359 In search of prescience, Noah's ark, and runaway pets by Robert Sheaffer BOOK REVIEWS 419 Philip J. Klass, UFO-Abductions: A Dangerous Game (Robert A. Baker) 423 Editors of Time-Life Books, The UFO Phenomenon (Michael R. Dennett) 425 Arthur Wrobel, Pseudo-Science and Society in Nineteenth-Century America (Gordon Stein) 426 Evan Hadingham, Lines to the Mountain Gods: Nazca and the Mysteries of Peru (Michael R. Dennett) 427 Steuart Campbell, The Loch Ness Monster: The Evidence (George A. Agogino) 430 SOME RECENT BOOKS 431 ARTICLES OF NOTE 436 FROM OUR READERS ON THE COVER: Photo by Ding Jian. From left to right, Kendrick Frazier, Philip J. Klass, Wu Xiaoping. James Alcock, James Randi, Barry Karr, and Paul Kurtz. News and Comment Survey Finds Newspaper Editors Lack Scientific Sophistication O JUDGE by the results of a recent • "The Earth is approximately 4 bil­ Tsurvey, many American newspaper lion to 5 billion years old." (Fewer than editors appear to have missed out on half—42 percent—agreed strongly.) some of the biggest news stories in • "Dinosaurs and humans lived con­ history—such as the discoveries that the temporaneously." (Slightly more than 37 earth is round, that it revolves around percent either agreed or stated they had the sun, and that it is extremely old. For no opinion.) example, only half the editors responding • "Adam and Eve were actual peo­ disagreed strongly with the statement ple." (Only 41 percent strongly disagreed.) "Dinosaurs and humans lived contempo­ • "Every word in the Bible is true." raneously." Biologist Michael Zimmer­ (Only 57 percent strongly disagreed.) man, author of the study, says that what Zimmerman says there were no dif­ it revealed about editors' views on scien­ ferences in the responses from editors of tific issues "was not in the least encour­ large and small newspapers. aging." The project grew out of previous sur­ Zimmerman designed the study to veys on creationism that Zimmerman, a find out what newspaper editors know professor of biology at Oberlin College, about the creation/evolution debate and Ohio, conducted of Oberlin liberal arts to investigate newspapers' editorial students, high school biology teachers and stances and news coverage of the issue.
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