SI DIGEST 5-28-98
SkeptInq@aol.com
Thu, 28 May 1998 11:59:53 EDT
SKEPTICAL INQUIRER ELECTRONIC DIGEST
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May 28, 1998
SI Electronic Digest is the bi-weekly e-mail news update of the Committee for
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This week's SI DIGEST includes:
--SPECIAL: Paul Kurtz on International Skepticism, Part 1
--MEDIA ALERT: Whitley Streiber's Latest Fantasy
--**CLASSIC SI ARTICLES: X-Files Creator Chris Carter Encounters the
Skeptics**
--Teaching Children Skepticism and Critical Thinking
SPECIAL: THE NEW SKEPTICISM: A WORLDWIDE MOVEMENT
Paul Kurtz
Kurtz is Chairman and Founder of CSICOP. A Professor Emeritus of Philosophy
at the State University of New York at Buffalo, he is the author or editor of
thirty books including _The New Skepticism_ and _The Transcendental
Temptation_. (<A HREF="http://www.prometheusbooks.com/">
http://www.prometheusbooks.com/</A> )
Kurtz is considered the leading spokesperson for the international skeptical
movement, and is a well-recognized intellectual across the globe.
______________________
I.
The contemporary skeptical movement may be said to have been initiated with
the founding of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of
the Paranormal in 1976. This movement is now growing worldwide and it provides
a much-needed antidote to the persistence of irrational, paranormal, and
occult systems of belief.
Skepticism is an ancient philosophical and scientific outlook that traces its
origins to Greece and Rome. Sextus Empiricus, Pyrrho, Carneades, and others
advanced the skeptical outlook in the ancient Graeco-Roman world. Skepticism
went into eclipse in Christian Europe for over a thousand years, but it was
revived during the modern period when thinkers as diverse as Bayle, Descartes,
Montaigne, and Hume advocated it. Indeed, in no small measure the revival of
modern skepticism led to the development of the scientific revolution in the
sixteenth century. Scientific discovery rapidly advanced when men and women
were liberated from the blind hold of authority, faith, custom, revelation,
and mysticism, and when they sought to appeal to inductive evidence and
experiment to test hypotheses and deductive reason and mathematics to develop
more comprehensive theories.
There are at least three kinds of skepticism that may be distinguished; the
first in its extreme form is negative and nihilistic. It has had both
classical and modern defenders. It holds that no knowledge is possible, and
this applies not only to scientific and philosophical theories, but to any
kind of moral or political principles. This form of skepticism is totally
unreliable. A person cannot hope to function in the world if he or she is in a
state of utter doubt and indecision. A second form of skepticism, which
developed in ancient times and came to fruition in the modern world was called
by David Hume, "mitigated skepticism." This approach said that we needed to
act in the world and to formulate beliefs about it. Yet it still presupposed
an underlying gnawing skepticism about the reliability of knowledge. Still a
third kind of skepticism had emerged on the philosophical scene in the early
part of the 20th century. Charles Peirce and the American pragmatists argued
that skeptical doubt is but one phase within a process of inquiry, but it can
be overcome when hypotheses are tested by adequate evidence and justifying
reasons. This form of skepticism is positive and constructive and it is
limited to specific contexts under inquiry. Scientific inquirers realize that
their formulations may not be fixed or final and may be modified in the future
by future observations and theories. Nonetheless, science presupposes the
conviction that reliable knowledge is possible and can be attained by
persistent efforts.
The kind of skepticism which the Committee for the Scientific Investigation
of Claims of the Paranormal presents is continuous with the third kind above.
I have called this "the new skepticism" in my book by that name.[1] This form
of skepticism is based on the realization that the progress of science is the
result of the continuing application of the methods of science, and that
skepticism is an intrinsic part of the process of inquiry.
Permit me to say something about the reasons why I decided to create such a
movement. I had long been a critic of paranormal (and supernatural) claims
that could not be supported by the evidence. I was astonished that many or
most of the claims continued to enjoy widespread public support, even though
they had been refuted. Moreover, the mass media latched onto paranormal
claims, which they discovered was profitable at the boxoffice. Uri Geller,
Jeane Dixon, and others were enjoying a huge following with nary a dissent.
This was in spite of the fact that scientific inquiry, which investigated
their claims, had rejected them because of a lack of evidence. Astrology is a
good case in point, for it was refuted by astronomers, physicists,
statisticians, psychologists, and other scientists. There is no empirical
basis for horoscopes or sun-sign astrology; its cosmology is based on the
discredited Ptolemaic system; moreover, it is possible to test its predictions
and forecasts; and the results are invariably negative. Yet very few in the
general public are aware of these criticisms, and indeed often confuse
astronomy with astrology.
With this in mind, I helped to draft and issue a statement, "Objections to
Astrology," with the help of Bart Bok, a noted astronomer, and Lawrence
Jerome, a science writer. This statement was endorsed by 186 leading
scientists, including 19 Nobel Laureates. It received immediate worldwide
attention, especially after the New York Times did a front-page story. It
seemed to me that the success of this effort, especially within the scientific
community, called for the need for a more organized response by the academic
and scientific community. I decided to create a new coalition comprised of
scientists, skeptics, philosophers, magicians, and others. Hence, I invited
several dozen critics of the paranormal to Amherst, New York, to an open
conference to develop an organized opposition to the uncontested growth of
belief in the paranormal. These included some well-known popular critics, such
as Martin Gardner, Milbourne Christopher, Marcello Truzzi, Ray Hyman, James
Randi, and others. I also invited some distinguished philosophers and
scientists, such as Ernest Nagel, Sidney Hook, and W. V. Quine to endorse the
statement of purpose which I had drafted.
The conference was held at the new campus of the State University of New York
at Buffalo, in Amherst, New York. At that time, I was editor of THE HUMANIST
magazine, one of the leading journals critical of religion. At the inaugural
meeting of CSICOP, in my opening address ("The Scientific Attitude versus
Anti-Science and Pseudoscience"), I said that there was a long-standing
conflict in the history of culture between religion and science, but that
today a new challenge to science has come to the fore because of the growth of
pseudoscientific and paranormal claims. The apparent popular belief in
exorcism,[2] nouveau witches, and Satanism were symptomatic of the Aquarian
consciousness then being proclaimed. The mass media also presented as true and
usually without any dissent accounts of Kirlian photography, the wonders of
ESP and psychokinesis, UFO sightings, the Bermuda Triangle, Bigfoot, van
Daniken's _Chariots of the Gods_, etc. A great number of quasi-religious cults
had also emerged at that time. These were symptomatic of a countercultural
opposition to science that had begun to appear, and it needed, in my judgment,
to be responded to -- for the public had a right to hear the scientific
critique of the pseudoscientific and fringe claims.
I raised the following questions:
* Should we assume that the scientific revolution,
* which began in the sixteenth century, is continuous?
* Or will it be overwhelmed by the forces of unreason?
And I replied:
* We ought not to assume, simply because ours is an
* advanced scientific-technological society, that
* irrational thinking will be overcome. The evidence
* suggests that this is far from being the case. Indeed,
* there is always the danger that science itself may be
* engulfed by the forces of unreason.[3]
Since that time, postmodernism has emerged, denying the possibility of
scientific objectivity, and considering science one mythic narrative amongst
others. And much to everyone's surprise there has been widespread attacks on
the Enlightenment and the ideals of the scientific revolution.
Today these antiscientific protests are accompanied by a resurgence of
fundamentalist religions. So the challenge to science is not simply from
propagandists for the paranormal, but also from the disciples of many
religions. I should point out that although I personally believe that skeptics
need to deal with religious claims as well as with paranormal claims, I
recommended that CSICOP concentrate on paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.
The British and the American Societies for Psychical Research, founded in 1882
and 1885 respectively, were basically made up of those committed to the
psychical point of view, as was J. B. Rhine's laboratory founded at Duke
University in 1927. Hence, CSICOP would concentrate on paranormal
investigations, though hopefully from a neutral and impartial framework, and
it would examine religious claims only insofar as they were testable. I
founded FREE INQUIRY in 1980 explicitly to deal with religious claims, for the
new skepticism needs to be applied across the board.
As is well known, the first meeting of CSICOP had an enormous impact. There
was extensive press coverage from the Washington Post and New York Times to Le
Monde and Pravda, with virtually all of the major science magazines welcoming
the formation of CSICOP. We had crystallized a perceived need that both the
scientific community and many in the general public thought had to be
satisfied: a response to the growth of paranormal claims. Within a year our
new magazine was launched, at first called THE ZETETIC(under the editorship of
Marcello Truzzi), and thence the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER(under the editorship of
Kendrick Frazier, who had been the editor of SCIENCE NEWS). Much to our
pleasure, skeptical groups began forming all over the world, so that today
there are over 75 such groups from Germany, England, and the Netherlands, to
China, Russia, Spain, and Mexico; and there are networks of such groups in
Europe ("EuroSkeptics") and Latin America. Moreover, some 50 magazines and
newsletters have appeared. Indeed, we have worked closely with national groups
to help get their organizations and magazines started.
All of these developments have contributed to the formation of a worldwide
New Skepticism Movement. There is now a vibrant and growing International
Network affiliated with CSICOP and the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. We are all
committed to the scientific program, we are skeptical of paranormal and occult
claims, unless they have been corroborated and replicated by independent
investigators.
One may ask, After more than two decades of inquiry, what can be learned
about this entire phenomena? In the rest of this article I wish to sum up many
of the basic findings and conclusions that the skeptical movement has reached
about paranormal belief claims.
***Look for Part II in next week's SI DIGEST***
----------------------
COUNCIL FOR MEDIA INTEGRITY ALERT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Matt Nisbet 716-636-1425 ext 219
<A HREF="http://www.csicop.org.">http://www.csicop.org.</A>
ALIEN IMPLANTS?
_CONFIRMATION: The Hard Evidence of Aliens Among Us_
Whitley Streiber's Latest Book Offers Little of Substance
UFO Cult Hero Produces More Science Fantasy
AMHERST, N.Y.-- Feeding on the rampant popularity of alien implant lore,
Whitley Streiber follows-up his alien abduction tale _Communion_ with
_CONFIRMATION: The Hard Evidence of Aliens Among Us_(St. Martin's Press.)
Alien implants have captured the public's fascination with televised
dramatizations like the X-Files and pseudocumentaries like Psi Factor and
Sightings. Now enters Streiber with his latest attempt to sensationalize and
popularize UFO beliefs.
According to a press release from St. Martin's, Streiber's argument for alien
implant evidence is featured in the May issue of LIFE magazine (www.life.com)
and will be the subject of a November NBC special co-hosted by the author.
"The media frequently take science fiction and weave it into misleading
science fact. NBC is a leading source of information for the world public.
If NBC plans a special on alien implants, it would be our hope that they would
include a healthy dose of science and skepticism" says Paul Kurtz, founder of
CSICOP and a member of the coordinating committee for the COUNCIL FOR MEDIA
INTEGRITY. (If you would like to send comments to NBC Programming, go to
<A HREF="http://www.nbc.com/email_original.html">http://www.nbc.com/email_orig
inal.html</A> and click on the "Movies, Minis, and Specials" icon.)
Attached is a critical review of the claims made in CONFIRMATION. It is
written by CSICOP Senior Research Fellow Joe Nickell. He is the author or
editor of over 15 books on investigation and the paranormal including _UFO
Invasion_, _Secrets of the Supernatural_, and _Entities_.
<A HREF="http://www.prometheusbooks.com/">http://www.prometheusbooks.com/</A>
--30--
The Council for Media Integrity is a network of distinguished international
scientists and academics concerned with the balanced portrayal of science in
the media. Members of the Council include E.O. Wilson, Stephen Jay Gould,
Martin Gardner, Steve Allen and Sir John Maddox. Co-chairs of the Council are
Nobel laureate Glenn T. Seaborg and author/entertainer Steve Allen.
_____________________________________________________
Alien Implants: The New "Hard Evidence"
Joe Nickell
Science fiction author Whitley Strieber continues to promote the notion of
extraterrestrial visitations. His _Communion: A True Story_ (1987) told of his
own close encounter -- actually what psychologist Robert A. Baker has
diagnosed as "a classic, textbook description of a hypnopompic hallucination"
(or "waking dream"). Now, several money-making books later, Strieber offers
_Confirmation: The Hard Evidence of Aliens Among Us_. In addition to UFO
sightings and close encounters, there is the hard evidence, quite literally --
alien implants!
Implants are the latest rage in UFO circles, and Strieber marshals the
diagnostic, radiographic, surgical, photographic, and analytic evidence that
supposedly indicates -- but admittedly does not prove -- extraterrestrials are
implanting devices in human beings.
The concept of implants is an outgrowth of the modern UFO craze which began
in 1947. In the 1960s came reports of alien abductions, events now understood
to consist largely of waking dreams, hypnosis-induced fantasies, and hoaxes.
Implants seem to have begun with the alleged 1967 abduction of a Massachusetts
woman, Betty Andreasson, who described a tiny spiked ball that had supposedly
been inserted up her nose.
Soon such devices began to proliferate, one of which survived and was
thoroughly investigated by the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) in the late
1980s. Possessed by a self-claimed abductee, the object had supposedly been
implanted by his extraterrestrial abductors, but was later dislodged when he
caught a cold and blew his nose. It proved to be a common ball bearing!
Since 1994 alleged implants have been surgically recovered but they've become
remarkably diverse: one looks like a shard of glass, another a triangular
piece of metal, still another a carbon fiber, and so on. None was located in
the brain or nasal cavity, instead being recovered from such extremities as
toe, hand, shin, external ear, etc.; some were accompanied by scars while
others were not.
As physicians know, a foreign object can enter the body unnoticed, as during
a fall, or while running barefoot in sand or grass -- even as a splinter from
a larger impacting object. Such foreign objects may become surrounded by a
membrane, like several of the recovered "implants."
In _Confirmation_ Whitley Strieber describes several of the implants
including one removed from his own external ear by a physician. It turned out
to be collagen, the substance from which cartilage is formed. Strieber admits
that the promised "hard evidence" provided by implants is not so hard after
all: "I hope this book will not cause a rush to judgement," he writes, "with
skeptics trying to prove that evidence so far retrieved is worthless while UFO
believers conclude that it is proof. Both approaches are a waste of time,
because the conclusive evidence has not yet been gathered."
Of course, it is not skeptics but implant advocates who have the burden of
proof -- a burden they have emphatically failed to meet. Indeed, the implant
concept -- like the larger alien abduction phenomenon itself -- lacks proof
that it has an objective reality. Instead, the evidence indicates it is simply
part of an evolving UFO mythology. Its theme of entities exerting influence
over humans is one seen in many variants, ranging from ancient mythical lore
to modern science fiction and persisting in some form in popular culture.
There have always been individuals -- fantasizers as well as paranoid
schizophrenics -- who have heard voices that directed or controlled them,
voices that are expressions of hopes and fears. Therefore it seems safe to
predict that, as the millennium draws near, there will be further claims of
"hard evidence" of extraterrestrial visitation. We may also expect that
misperceptions and exaggerations of natural phenomena, as well as hoaxes, will
abound.
-----------------------
CLASSIC SI ARTICLES: X-FILES CREATOR ENCOUNTERS THE SKEPTICS
To Order Call 1800-634-1610 or 716-636-1425 outside the U.S.
Or E-mail SINISBET@aol.com. Include Credit Card # and expiration date.
Curious to read how X-Files creator Chris Carter responds to the objections
and questions of some of the world's leading scientists and skeptics? When
Carter spoke at the CSICOP Twentieth Anniversary Conference, the result wasn't
quite what anyone expected. Standing before a packed banquet hall of
impassioned and distinquished listeners, Carter fielded questions from
leading scientists including astrophysicist Neal deGrasse Tyson.
The transcript of the session was published in the January/February 1997
issue of SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. Due to the high demand and the incredible
popularity of the X-Files, the back issue is no longer in stock for back
orders. But in anticipation of the June 15 release of the X-Files, CSICOP now
offers copies of the full 6-page article for the special price of $5.00 (U.S.)
With the upcoming X-Files blockbuster sure to be the movie event of the
summer, order now this transcript of Chris Carter's Q&A with skeptics.
Included in the article is introductory remarks by science writer and
SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Media Watch columnist Eugene Emery.
To Order Call 1800-634-1610 or 716-636-1425 outside the U.S..
Or E-mail SINISBET@aol.com. Include Credit Card # and expiration date.
------------------
TEACHING CHILDREN SKEPTICISM AND CRITICAL THINKING
Children are natural born skeptics and often shame adults by pointing out
that the emperor has no clothes. Teachers and parents agree that a curiousity
about nature combined with a skepticism that likes to take things apart in
order to inspect them is the sign of a growing mind.
In 1996, CSICOP began working with school teachers on a an important
issue--how to promote a healthy skepticism among children. A simple
hypothesis--that a child's exuberant curiousity about "paranormal" topics such
as ghosts, bigfoot, and flying saucers can be used to teach science and
promote critical thinking--led to the development of the Science vs. The
Paranormal Instructional Kit. Developed with funding provided by the Charles
and Stella Guttman Foundation and a private individual, the Kit contains age-
appropiate instructional materials, much of which is the work of CSICOP
consultants and fellows. Teachers generously volunteered to pilot test the
Kit and have since volunteered many ideas about how CSICOP can do more in the
area of education.
CSICOP's commitment to educating young people has led to many new programs.
A few of these offerings will debut in the next few months. The Fall 1998
edition of SKEPTICAL BRIEFS will be expanded to include a one-of-a-kind pull-
out section for young readers. This will be a standard feature of the BRIEFS
and will also be available to school teachers.
Senior Research Fellow Joe Nickell is putting the finishing touches on a
collection of critical thinking puzzles, and articles from back issues of
SKEPTICAL INQUIRER are being excerpted for teachers. (Among the 15 books that
Nickell has produced, he is also the author and illustrator of the popular
childrens book _The Magic Detectives_
<A HREF="http://www.prometheusbooks.com/">http://www.prometheusbooks.com/</A>
.)
The Science vs. The Paranormal Instructional Kit is available free of charge
to teachers willing to use the materials and assist with the evaluation and
design questions. To request a kit, teachers only need send a letter, on
official school stationary, indicating their interest.
Inquiries can be addressed to:
Matt Nisbet
CSICOP Public Relations Director
P.O. Box 703, Amherst, N.Y. 14226-0703.
Questions or comments can be addressed via phone or e-mail, to
SINISBET@aol.com or (716) 636-1425 ext. 219.