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In Defense of the Higher Values

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In Defense of the Higher Values SI J-A 2006 pgs 5/30/06 1:33 PM Page 13 COMMENT AND OPINION investigators worldwide it invigorated in forcefully addressing these and sim- In Defense of the ilar claims, providing detailed scientific analyses that showed their empirical poverty, and—in the end—debunking Higher Values them. Solidly. Convincingly. Compre- hensively. I think it has been a remark- KENDRICK FRAZIER able achievement. Of course, as many of us note, although the cultural climate has shifted a lot, and in some respects for the better, the modern communica- tions revolution has multiplied almost exponentially the number and types of outlets now available for the rapid hen Paul Kurtz brought us enced and entwined broad segments promulgation of all new information to the SUNY–Buffalo cam- of society. and ideas, good and bad, reliable and Wpus thirty years ago to found And reports of UFOs, despite the unreliable—and that goes for pseudo- CSICOP, the nation was awash in what critical Condon report only seven years scientific and paranormal nonsense he called “The New Irrationalisms.” earlier, flew in regularly and gained and all its popular manifestations. Velikovskyism saw ancient world credulous publicity in the press. I won’t even begin to detail all this history through a bizarre prism here. We’ve dealt with all these of civilization-affecting plane- matters in the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER tary pinballs. We have never limited now for years—and of course Von Dänikenism attributed will continue to do so. Also, we major achievements of ancient ourselves to just the paranormal have never limited ourselves to history, especially in the New and pseudoscience. We deal just the paranormal and pseu- World, not to the ingenuity of doscience. We deal with all top- indigenous peoples but to with all topics at the intersection ics at the intersection of sci- ancient astronauts visiting ence, public perception, and Earth and stimulating creation of science, public perception, public misperception, with of its archaeological wonders. emphasis on those that attract Gellerism promoted a show- and public misperception, with large notice or that raise impor- man conjuror as a real psychic emphasis on those that attract tant public issues. with an ability to bend spoons What I want to do here is with his mind and to cause sev- large notice or that raise sketch out some new and—I eral prominent but credulous think—disturbing aspects of physicists to lose their grips on important public issues. the cultural climate we find reality. ourselves in and emphasize the Astrology had gained such a higher values that CSICOP and foothold on thought that astronomer In the intervening three decades the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER exemplify and Bart Bok and Paul Kurtz provoked the specific claims that we might promote—values that seem essential worldwide controversy over a simple broadly label paranormal or pseudo- to a modern, progressive, humane “Objections to Astrology” statement scientific have changed dramatically. society; values that are under assault signed by 192 prominent scientists say- Most of the specific manifestations of from broad quarters of society here ing that astrology was bunk and had the enthusiasms I just mentioned have and abroad. No matter the specific, nothing to do with astronomy. waned. Some have even disappeared. topical subjects we analyze and cri- Paranormalism seemed every- The situation has changed so much tique—the defense of these values is where, and New Age mystical thought that Paul sometimes argues that no what we are really all about. that arose as part of the countercul- one is interested in the paranormal If thirty years ago Paul Kurtz and ture revolution of the late ‘60s influ- anymore. (I almost detect a certain others were worried that we were in longing!) We have some interesting danger of descending toward a new Kendrick Frazier is the editor of the internal debates about that, but to the dark age of superstition, paranormal- SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. This commentary is degree it is true I have argued, and still ism, mysticism, and pseudoscience, we based on his talk at the CSICOP 30th do argue, that one key reason has in fact seem now to be in danger of anniversary observance at CFI head- been the remarkable work of CSICOP descending toward a new dark age of quarters in Amherst, New York, April 1, and the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER ... and the a slightly different—and perhaps even 2006. network of scientists, scholars, and more dangerous—sort. The first was SKEPTICAL INQUIRER July / August 2006 13 SI J-A 2006 pgs 5/30/06 1:34 PM Page 14 more one of credulous, wide-eyed The basic rights of women to make scientific outlook itself. They are acceptance of wondrous, incredible their own choices, to be educated, and attacks on intellectual inquiry and claims. In retrospect, it all has a certain to shape their own futures. thought—the open-minded, no-holds- air of innocence. These claims all had A deep appreciation for education barred examination of competing their counterparts, after all, in science and a nurturing of environments for ideas and claims that is essential to an and could be seen or interpreted as creativity and achieving novel solu- open, democratic society. just misguided but understandable tions to problems. In many respects — although their fascinations uninformed by real sci- A related deep appreciation for not proponents in America would no ence. Show people the real science just the useful achievements of science doubt dispute being so character- and they might easily—at least in prin- but for the methods of science in ized—these are attacks on democracy ciple—shift their support to it. UFOs → determining and advancing provi- itself. For these fundamentalist parti- the Search for Extraterrestrial sional new truths, small and large, sans would—if allowed—willingly Intelligence. Astrology → astronomy. about the natural world. impose their own, very specific ideo- Van Däniken pseudoarchaeology → An acceptance that those methods of logical views on those they oppose. real archaeology. Psychic powers and science often result in reliable judgments We have to fight these trends. parapsychology → experimental psy- about what is real and what is not. We will fight these trends. chology and modern studies of Our efforts at CSICOP and in neuroscience and cognition. the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER can’t and And so on. don’t deal with these issues in But the new areas you and I the abstract. Instead, we exam- are most concerned about now The new areas we are ine, critique, review, and aren’t like that. Not at all. They report on specific, concrete arise from deep-seated ideolo- most concerned about topics, within the broad con- gies. They arise from a danger- arise from deep-seated text of science and reason. ous capturing of mainstream, But it is important to keep liberal, open-minded, religious ideologies. They arise from in mind the higher values we viewpoints by those with far nevertheless are defending: more extreme, narrow, rigid, a dangerous capturing of •Reason and rationality, authoritarian, judgmental reli- mainstream, liberal, among the highest, most hard- gious viewpoints. They a- won attributes of thinking, rise from a willingness, even a open-minded, religious independent people. devout—many think God- •The scientific outlook, sanctioned—determination to viewpoints by those with its rich tradition of cre- impose those viewpoints on ative, open-minded, empirical everyone else. We’ve seen this with far more extreme, inquiry and evidence-based abroad, but it is happening narrow viewpoints. probing of nature’s secrets. here in American too. •The skeptical attitude, a Their attacks are on many key component of the scientific things, but among those that outlook, with its obligation to concern us here are— put all new assertions to tests The open-minded tolerance of oth- A realization that we humans— of empirical evidence. ers slightly different from oneself that while unique in our humanity—are •The traditions of learning—real marks a progressive society. nevertheless part of the natural world, learning, deep and broad—and the The love of learning and the quest and derived from and influenced by a value of education not only in achiev- for new knowledge that mark a pro- long co-evolutionary history with the ing a better life for each person but in gressive society. other life forms, large to microscopic, creating reflective minds and in The willingness to entertain and of the natural world. improving the lot of society. examine new ideas that marks a pro- •The deepest traditions of democ- gressive society. In short, these attacks are on many racy—valuing human dignity and A free and open society’s distrust of key aspects of the modern world first rights, drawing on the free and open authoritarian dogma, whatever the shaped by the Enlightenment and the interplay of ideas, and depending source—biblical or otherwise. beginnings of science—when we upon an educated, informed citizenry Freedom of expression and the began to develop the first abilities to for making wise decisions. clear separation of church and state on actually deeply understand nature which this nation was founded. and, to some degree, exert some No small matters. No small chal- Reliance on science-based evi- fledgling, limited controls of it for the lenges. dence over unexamined belief well-being of people. They are attacks Are we up to it? We have to be. and prejudice. on curiosity and learning and on the There is no choice. ! 14 Volume 30, Issue 4 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER.
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