theSkeptical Inquirer Vol. 14 No. 1 Fall 1989 $6 MYTHS ABOUT SCIENCE THE RELATIVITY OF WRONG TWO CULTURES RESURRECTED LUIS ALVAREZ FRINGE SCIENCE 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. Business Manager Mary Rose Hays. Assistant Editor Andrea Szalanski. Art Lisa Mergler. Chief Data Officer Richard Seymour. Computer Assistant Michael Cione. Typesetting Paul E. Loynes. Audio Technician Vance Vigrass. Librarian, Ranjit Sandhu. Staff Leland Harrington, Lynda Harwood (Asst. Public Relations Director), Alfred a 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. Barry Karr, Executive Director, and Public Relations Director. Fellows of the Committee (partial list) James E. Alcock, psychologist, York Univ., Toronto; Eduardo Amaldi, physicist, University of Rome, Italy. Isaac Asimov, biochemist, author; Susan Blackmore, psychologist, Brain Perception Laboratory, University of Bristol, England; Henri Broch, physicist, University of Nice, France; Mario Bunge, philosopher, McGill University; 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 Galifret, 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, Indiana University; 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; David Morrison, space scientist, NASA Ames Research Center; H. Narasimhaiah, physicist, president, Bangalore Science Forum, India; Dorothy Nelkin, sociologist, Cornell University. Joe Nickell, author, technical writing instructor, University of Kentucky; Lee Nisbet, philosopher, Medaille College; James E. Oberg, science writer; Mark Plummer, lawyer, Australia; W. V. Quine, philosopher, Harvard Univ.; James Randi, magician, author; Graham Reed, psychologist, York Univ., Toronto; Milton Rosenberg, psychologist, University of Chicago; Carl Sagan, astron­ omer, Cornell Univ.; Evry Schatzman, President, French Physics Association; Eugenie Scott, physical anthro­ pologist, 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 philosophy, Northwestern Univ.; Marvin Zelen, statistician, Harvard Univ. (Affiliations given for identification 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. Subscribers to THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER may not speak on behalf of CSICOP or THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. 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. FAX: (716)-834-0841. 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. Opinions expressed at CSICOP conferences and public meetings or in other public statements are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of CSICOP. Copyright c1989 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. 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. theSkeptical Inquirer Journal of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal Vol. 14, No. 1 ISSN 0194-6730 Fall 1989 ARTICLES 25 Myths About Science... and Belief in the Paranormal by Milton Rothman 35 The Relativity of Wrong by Isaac Asimov 45 Richard Feynman on Fringe Science 52 Luis Alvarez and the Explorer's Quest by Richard A. Muller 57 The Two Cultures: A Resurrection by Lewis Jones 65 The 'Top-Secret UFO Papers' NSA Won't Release by Philip J. Klass 69 The Metaphysics of Murphy's Law by Robert M. Price NEWS and COMMENT 2 'Exploring Psychic Powers—Live!' / ICR Master's Degrees for Cali- fornians / Creation-Evolution Debate for Texas A&M / European Brick­ bats for American UFOIogists / Physics Society Award for Randi / Reward for Memphre Photo / Food for Aliens NOTES OF A FRINGE-WATCHER 16 The Unicorn at Large by Martin Gardner PSYCHIC VIBRATIONS 22 U.S. indicted for secret treaty with Alien Nation by Robert Sheaffer BOOK REVIEWS 74 Ted Schultz, ed„ The Fringes of Reason: A Whole Earth Catalog (Brian Siano) 78 Robert Anton Wilson, The New Inquisition: Irrational Rationalism and the Citadel of Science (Robert Sheaffer) 83 Lindsay E. Smith and Bruce A. Walstad, Sting Shift: The Street-Smart Cop's Handbook of Cons and Swindles (Robert A. Steiner) 84 SOME RECENT BOOKS 85 ARTICLES OF NOTE FOLLOW-UP 90 Further discussion of the Benveniste controversy, by Wallace I. Sampson, Elie A. Shneour, P. A. Lamal, James M. Price, and Anton Sherwood FORUM 101 Fighting Occultists with Consumer Advocacy, by Shawn Carlson and April Masche 102 FROM OUR READERS Letters from Samual T. Gill, Pat Miller, Stephen J. Hillenbrand, Kenneth J. Ewing, Michael Dennett, Michael E. Howgate, Jeremy Home, George D. Whitney, James Unterburger, L. Sprague de Camp, George Gibson, R. J. McCurdy, William J. Ryan, Jr., Glenn A. Emigh, Kurt Butler, George Farago, Peni R. Griffin, David F. Godwin, Charles J. Phelan, Charles Clifton, Kent Harker, James Rusk, Amor Gosfield, and Paul T. Riddell News and Comment Live TV Special Explores, Tests Psychic Powers Robert Steiner N THE NIGHT of June 7, 1989, Communications and aired on the Fox Otelevision viewers in North America, Network. Italy, and Australia were treated to an With the serious scientific, emotional, unusual two-hour show: "Exploring and financial issues at stake, a profes­ Psychic Powers—Live!" starring James sional was required to emcee the proceed­ Randi and featuring a host of psychic ings. This role was admirably filled by challengers bent on winning $100,000 for Bill Bixby, who had played the part of a successful demonstration of their a magician in a TV series of his own. alleged powers. The show also featured Ray Hyman, a professor of psychology Randi's first appearance on the same and a statistician, and Stanley Krippner, stage with the irrepressible Uri Geller, a parapsychology expert, supervised the who characteristically did not subject technical and statistical aspects of the himself to testing. Nevertheless Randi tests. immediately duplicated every trick Geller After the taped opening of Randi performed. All these ingredients resulted "levitating" a woman in front of Stone- in an entertaining and fascinating even­ henge, Randi demonstrated some of the ing, and an informative look at would- feats Uri Geller had become famous for: be psychics under controlled test He broke a spoon without any apparent conditions. physical effort on his part. Then he made The show's $100,000 "psychic chal­ the time change on a spectator's watch lenges" had been widely publicized in while it lay on the table. advance. Anyone