THE MAGMAG A ZINE FOR SCI ENCE AND REASON Vol ume 32, No. 3 • May/June 2008 • INTRODUCTORY PRICE U.S. and Canada $4.95 LionelLionel TTigeriger on TheThe HumanHuman NatureNature ProjectProject TheThe EthicsEthics ofof SkepticalSkeptical InvestigationInvestigation TheThe Supernatural—NotSupernatural—Not SoSo Super?Super? ThreeThree PerspectivesPerspectives MerchandisingMerchandising God:God: TheThe PopePope TartTart Pub lished by the Commit tee for Skeptical Inquiry COM MIT TEE FOR SKEPTICAL INQUIRY FORMERLY THE COMMITTEE FOR THE SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF CLAIMS OF THE PARANORMAL (CSICOP) AT THE CENTER FOR IN QUIRY/TRANSNATIONAL (AD JA CENT TO THE STATE UNI VER SI TY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFA LO NORTH CAMPUS) AN IN TER NA TION AL OR GAN I ZA TION Paul Kurtz, Chair man; pro fes sor emer i tus of phi los o phy, State University of New York at Buffa lo Bar ry Karr, Ex ec u tive Di rect or Joe Nick ell, Sen ior Re search Fel low Mas si mo Pol id oro, Re search Fel low Rich ard Wis e man, Re search Fel low Lee Nis bet, Spe cial Pro jects Di rect or FEL LOWS James E. Al cock,* psy chol o gist, York Univ., Tor- and Sci en ces, professor of philos o phy and Lor en Pan kratz, psy chol o gist, Or e gon Health on to professor of Law, Univer si ty of Mi ami Sci en ces Univ. Mar cia An gell, M.D., former edi tor-in-chief, New C. E. M. Hansel, psy chol o gist, Univ. of Wales Robert L. Park, professor of physics, Univ. of Eng land Jour nal of Med i cine David J. Helfand, professor of astronomy, Maryland Steph en Bar rett, M.D., psy chi a trist, au thor, Columbia Univ. John Pau los, math e ma ti cian, Tem ple Univ. con sum er ad vo cate, Al len town, Pa. Doug las R. Hof stad ter, pro fes sor of hu man un der- Stev en Pink er, cog ni tive sci en tist, Harvard Willem Betz, professor of medicine, Univ. of stand ing and cog ni tive sci ence, In di ana Univ. Mas si mo Pol id oro, sci ence writer, au thor, Brussels Ger ald Hol ton, Mal linc krodt Pro fes sor of Phys ics ex ec u tive di rect or CI CAP, It a ly Ir ving Bie der man, psy chol o gist, Univ. of South ern and pro fes sor of his to ry of sci ence, Har vard Mil ton Ro sen berg, psy chol o gist, Univ. of Chic a go Cal i for nia Univ. Wal la ce Sam pson, M.D., clin i cal pro fes sor of Sus an Black more, Vis it ing Lec tur er, Univ. of the Ray Hy man,* psy chol o gist, Univ. of Or e gon med i cine, Stan ford Univ., ed i tor, Sci en tif ic West of Eng land, Bris tol Le on Jar off, sci en ces ed i tor emer i tus, Time Re view of Al ter na tive Med i cine Hen ri Broch, phys i cist, Univ. of Nice, France Ser gei Ka pit za, former ed i tor, Rus sian edi tion, Am ar deo Sar ma, manager NEC Europe Ltd., Jan Har old Brun vand, folk lor ist, pro fes sor Sci en tif ic Amer i can ex ec u tive di rect or, GWUP, Ger ma ny. emer i tus of Eng lish, Univ. of Utah Law rence M. Krauss, au thor and pro fes sor of Ev ry Schatz man, former pres i dent, French Phys ics Mar io Bunge, phi los o pher, McGill Uni ver si ty phys ics and as tron o my, Case West ern Re serve As so ci a tion Sean B. Carroll, professor of molecular genetics, Uni ver si ty Eu ge nie Scott, phys i cal an thro pol o gist, ex ec u tive Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison Harry Kroto, professor of chemistry and bio- di rect or, Na tion al Cen ter for Sci ence Ed u ca tion John R. Cole, an thro pol o gist, ed i tor, Na tion al chemistry, Florida State University; Nobel Rob ert Sheaf fer, sci ence writer Cen ter for Sci ence Ed u ca tion laureate El ie A. Shne our, bi o chem ist, au thor, president and Fred er ick Crews, lit er ary and cul tur al crit ic, Ed win C. Krupp, as tron o mer, di rect or, Grif fith research director, Bi os ys tems Re search In sti tute, pro fes sor emer i tus of Eng lish, Univ. of Ob ser va to ry La Jol la, Ca lif. Cal i for nia, Berke ley Paul Kurtz,* chair man, Cen ter for In quiry Dick Smith, film pro duc er, pub lish er, Ter rey Hills, Rich ard Dawk ins, zo ol o gist, Ox ford Univ. Law rence Kusche, sci ence writer N.S.W., Aus tral ia Ge of frey Dean, tech ni cal ed i tor, Perth, Aus tral ia Le on Le der man, emer i tus di rect or, Fer mi lab; Rob ert Stein er, ma gi cian, au thor, El Cer ri to, Ca lif. Cor nel is de Ja ger, pro fes sor of as tro phys ics, Univ. No bel lau re ate in phys ics Vic tor J. Sten ger, emer i tus pro fes sor of phys ics of Utrecht, the Neth er lands Scott Lil i en feld, psy chol o gist, Emory Univ. and as tron o my, Univ. of Ha waii; ad junct Dan i el C. Den nett, uni ver si ty pro fes sor and Aus- Lin Zix in, former ed i tor, Sci ence and Tech nol o gy pro fes sor of phi los o phy, Univ. of Col o ra do tin B. Fletch er Pro fes sor of Phi los o phy, di rect or Dai ly (Chi na) Jill Cor nell Tar ter, as tron o mer, SE TI In sti tute, of the Cen ter for Cog ni tive Stud ies at Tufts Je re Lipps, Mu se um of Pa le on tol o gy, Univ. of Moun tain View, Ca lif. Uni v. Cal i for nia, Berke ley Car ol Tav ris, psy chol o gist and au thor, Los Ange les, Ann Druyan, writer and producer, and CEO, Eliz a beth Loft us, pro fes sor of psy chol o gy, Univ. Ca lif. Cosmos Studios, Ithaca, New York of Cal i for nia, Ir vine Da vid Thom as, phys i cist and math e ma ti cian, Ken neth Fed er, pro fes sor of an thro pol o gy, John Mad dox, ed i tor emer i tus of Na ture Per al ta, New Mex i co Cen tral Con nec ti cut State Univ. Da vid Marks, psy chol o gist, City Uni ver si ty, Lon don Steph en Toul min, pro fes sor of phi los o phy, Univ. An to ny Flew, phi los o pher, Read ing Univ., U.K. Mar io Men dez-Acos ta, jour nal ist and of South ern Cal i for nia Barbara Forrest, professor of philosophy, sci ence writer, Mex i co City, Mex i co Neil de Gras se Ty son, as tro phys i cist and di rect or, Southeastern Louisiana Univ. Marv in Min sky, pro fes sor of me dia arts and Hay den Plan e tar i um, New York City An drew Fra knoi, as tron o mer, Foot hill Col lege, sci en ces, M.I.T. Ma ri lyn vos Sa vant, Pa rade mag a zine Los Al tos Hills, Ca lif. Da vid Mor ri son, space sci en tist, NA SA Ames con trib ut ing ed i tor Kend rick Fra zi er, sci ence writer, ed i tor, SKEP TI CAL Re search Cen ter Stev en Wein berg, pro fes sor of phys ics and IN QUIR ER Rich ard A. Mul ler, pro fes sor of phys ics, Univ. of as tron o my, Univ. of Tex as at Aus tin; Yv es Gal i fret, executive secretary, l’Union Ca lif., Berke ley No bel lau re ate Rationaliste Joe Nick ell, sen ior re search fel low, CSI E.O. Wil son, uni ver si ty pro fes sor emer i tus, Mar tin Gard ner, au thor, crit ic Lee Nis bet,* phi los o pher, Med aille Col lege Har vard Uni ver si ty Mur ray Gell-Mann, pro fes sor of phys ics, San ta Fe Bill Nye, sci ence ed u ca tor and tel e vi sion host, Rich ard Wis e man, psy chol o gist, Uni ver si ty of In sti tute; No bel lau re ate Nye Labs Hert ford shire Thom as Gi lov ich, psy chol o gist, Cor nell Univ. James E. Oberg, sci ence writer Benjamin Wolozin*, professor, department of Hen ry Gor don, ma gi cian, col um nist, Tor on to Irm gard Oe pen, pro fes sor of med i cine (re tired), pharmacology, Boston University School of Sus an Haack, Coop er Sen ior Schol ar in Arts Mar burg, Ger ma ny Medicine • • • Vis it the CSI Web site at www.csi cop.org • • • The SKEP TI CAL IN QUIR ER (ISSN 0194-6730) is published bi month ly by the Commit tee for on page 56 of the March/April 2008 is sue.