Skeptical Vol. 18, No. 3 Spring 1994/$6.25 Inquirer Antiscience Threat Paul Kurtz - Gerald Holton THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER is the official journal of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, an international organization. Editor Kendrick Frazier. Editorial Board James E. Alcock, Barry Beyerstein, Susan J. Blackmore, Martin Gardner, Ray Hyman, Philip J. Klass, Paul Kurtz, Joe Nickell, Lee Nisbet, Bela Scheiber. Consulting Editors Robert A. Baker, 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. Contributing Editor Lys Ann Shore. Writer Intern Thomas C. Genoni, Jr. Business Manager Mary Rose Hays. Assistant Business Manager Sandra Lesniak. Chief Data Officer Richard Seymour. Fulfillment Manager Michael Cione. Production Paul E. Loynes. Asst. Managing Editor Cynthia Matheis. Art Linda Hays. Audio Technician Vance Vigrass. Librarian Jonathan Jiras. Staff Alfreda Pidgeon, Ranjit Sandhu, Sharon Sikora, Elizabeth Begley (Albuquerque). Cartoonist Rob Pudim. The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal Paul Kurtz, Chairman; professor emeritus of philosophy. State University of New York at Buffalo. Barry Karr, Executive Director and Public Relations Director. Lee Nisbet, Special Projects Director. Fellows of the Committee James E. Alcock,* psychologist, York Univ., Toronto; Robert A. Baker, psychologist, Univ. of Kentucky; Stephen Barrett, M.D., psychiatrist, author, consumer advocate, Allentown, Pa. Barry Beyerstein,* biopsychologist, Simon Fraser Univ., Vancouver, B.C., Canada; Irving Biederman, psychologist, Univ. of Southern California; Susan Blackmore,* psychologist, Univ. of the West of England, Bristol; Henri Broch, physicist, Univ. of Nice, France; Jan Harold Brunvand, folklorist, professor of English, Univ. of Utah; Vern Bullough, Distinguished Professor, State Univ. of New York; Mario Bunge, philosopher, McGill University; John R. Cole, anthropologist, Inst, for the Study of Human Issues; F. H. C. Crick, biophysicist, Salk Inst, for Biological Studies, La Jolla, Calif.; L. Sprague de Camp, author, engineer; Cornells de Jager, professor of astrophysics, Univ. of Utrecht, the Netherlands; Bernard Dixon, science writer, London, U.K.: Paul Edwards, philosopher, Editor, Encyclopedia of Philosophy; Antony Flew, philosopher, Reading Univ., U.K.; Andrew Fraknoi, astronomer. Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, Calif.; Kendrick Frazier,* science writer, Editor, THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER; Yves Galifret, Exec. Secretary, I'Union Rationaliste; Martin Gardner,* author, critic; Murray Gell-Mann, professor of physics, Santa Fe Institute; Henry Gordon, magician, columnist, 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 Univ.; Gerald Holton, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Professor of History of Science, Harvard Univ. Ray Hyman,* psycholo­ gist, Univ. of Oregon; Leon Jaroff, sciences editor. Time; Lawrence Jerome, science writer, engineer; Sergei Kapitza, editor, Russian edition, Scientific American; Philip J. Klass,* science writer, engineer; Marvin Kohl, professor of philosophy, SUNY at Fredonia; Edwin C. Krupp, astronomer, director, Griffith Observatory; Paul Kurtz,* chairman, CSICOP; 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; Richard A. Muller, professor of physics, Univ. of Calif., Berkeley; H. Narasimhaiah, physicist, president. Bangalore Science Forum, India; Dorothy Nelkin, sociologist, Cornell Univ. Joe Nickell,* author, technical writing instructor, Univ. of Kentucky; Lee Nisbet,* philosopher, Medaille College; James E. Oberg, science writer; Loren Pankratz, psychologist, Oregon Health Sciences Univ.; John Paulos, mathematician, Temple Univ.; Mark Plummer, lawyer, Australia; W. V. Quine, philosopher. Harvard Univ.; Milton Rosenberg, psychologist, Univ. of Chicago; Carl Sagan, astronomer, Cornell Univ.; Wallace Sampson, M.D., clinical professor of medicine, Stanford Univ.; Evry Schatzman, President, French Physics Association; Eugenie Scott, physical anthropologist, executive director. National Center for Science Education; Thomas A. Sebeok, anthropologist, linguist, Indiana Univ.; Robert Sheaffer, science writer; Dick Smith, film producer, publisher, Terrey Hills, N.S.W., Australia; Robert Steiner, magician, author, El Cerrito, Calif.; Carol Tavris, psychologist and author, Los Angeles, Calif.; Stephen Toulmin, professor of philosophy, University of Southern California; Marvin Zelen, statistician, Harvard Univ. Lin Zixin, former editor Science and Technology Daily (China). (Affilia­ tions given for identification only.) *Member, CSICOP Executive Council 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. (FAX 505- 293-2757). Subscriptions, change of address, and advertising should be addressed to: THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Box 703, Buffalo, NY 14226-0703. 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 703, Buffalo, NY 14226-0703. Tel.: (716) 636-1425. FAX: 716-636-1733. 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. THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER is indexed in the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. Copyright e1994 by the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, 3965 Rensch Road, Buffalo, NY 14228. All rights reserved. THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER is available on 16mm microfilm, 35mm microfilm, and 105mm microfiche from University Microfilms International. Subscription Rates: Individuals, libraries, and institutions, $25.00 a year; back issues, $6.25 each. THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER (ISSN 0194-6730) is published quarterly, Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Printed in Canada. Second-class postage paid at Buffalo, New York, and additional mailing offices. Send changes of address to THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Box 703, Buffalo, NY 14226-0703. <^y SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Vol. 18, No. 3. Spring 1994 Journal of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal I I THE ANTISCIENCE THREAT The Growth of Antiscience Paul Kurtz 255 The Antiscience Problem Gerald Holton 264 ARTICLES Measuring the Prevalence of False Memories Ted G. Goertzel 266 Bieuler's Views on Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics and on Psi Phenomena George Windholz 273 Examining the Satanic Panic ... ... A Personal Perspective on 'Satanism' Peter Huston 280 ... A Sociological and Historical Perspective Terence M. Hines 281 Philosophy and the Paranormal. Part 2: Skepticism Miracles, and Knowledge William Grey 288 NEWS AND COMMENT 229 GAO to Investigate 1947 'Saucer Crash' / Benveniste Unredeemed by Replication Experiment / Oklahoma 'Psychic' Frustrates Police / University Cautions on Therapeutic Touch / 'Psychics' Fail Again / TMers Lose in Canada / Sagan Receives NAS Award / Ig Noble Awards RESEARCH REVIEW Studying the Psychology of the UFO Experience Robert A Baker 239 NOTES OF A FRINGE-WATCHER The Cult of the Golden Ratio Martin Gardner 243 PSYCHIC VIBRATIONS It's All a Conspiracy, and It's Invisible Robert Sheaffer 250 BOOK REVIEWS Deborah Lipstadt, Denying the Holocaust Terence M. Hines 295 Gary Taubes, Bad Science Terence M. Hines 296 Joe Nickell, Looking for a Miracle Robert A Baker 298 Jenny Randies and Peter Hough, Spontaneous Human Combustion Gordon Stein 300 Stuart Gordon, The Paranormal: An Illustrated Encyclopedia Gordon Stein 302 NEW BOOKS 305 ARTICLES OF NOTE 307 FOLLOW-UP 314 "The Impossible Box" and the "Oregon Vortex Illusion" L_ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 319 GUIDE FOR AUTHORS 333 ON THE COVER: Illustration by Bruce Adams. The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal announces the 1994 CSICOP Conference at the Doubletree Suites Hotel Seattle Thursday through Sunday June 23-26, 1994 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BELIEF Keynote Address (Friday at 8:00 P.M.) Carl Sagan Thursday, June 23 7:30 - 10:00 P.M.: ALIEN ABDUCTIONS Moderator: Paul Kurtz, CSICOP Chairman Robert Baker, professor emeritus of psychology, University of Kentucky Thomas Bullard, folklorist, Indiana University, Bloomington John Mack, professor of psychiatry, Harvard University Nicholas P. Spanos, professor and director of the Laboratory of Experimental Hypnosis, Carleton University, Ottawa Friday, June 24 7:30 - 9:00 A.M.: Registration 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 NOON: THE BELIEF ENGINE: HOW WORLD VIEWS ARE FORMED Moderator and Panelist: James Alcock, professor of psychology, Glendon College, York University, Toronto Ray Hyman, professor of psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene Andrew Neher, professor of psychology, Cabrillo College, Aptos, California Anthony