dir@cbosgd.UUCP (Dean Radin) (10/21/83)
In some respects journals like the Skeptical Enquirer use tactics similar to those of the National Enquirer: sensationalism, misinformation, emotional rather than rational arguments, gossip, personal attacks, etc. It's just that the language is more refined and the authors more authoritative. The same can be said of prestigious journals like Science as well. For example, two sociologists (Collins & Pinch, 1979) analyzed how parapsychology has been treated in mainstream scientific journals. They showed that these journals publish many articles by opponents of psi research in which the ordinary standards of scientific debate and procedures are seriously violated. There are six major abuses: 1. Statements of prejudice such as "Even if it were true I wouldn't believe it." 2. Arguments that psi conflicts with already established scientific knowledge, thus we are able to a priori reject the evidence without examining it. (In fact, there are very few such conflicts.) 3. Associating scientific psi research with popular astrology, various cults, UFOs, occult beliefs ,etc. 4. Psi is criticized as being trivial and therefore unworthy of study. 5. Psi is dismissed on the grounds that if it is real, the implications are so revolutionary that we cannot consider the possibility of its being true. 6. Accusations of fraud against the whole field, even without any evidence of fraud in actual experiments. - More later depending on how hot the flames get. - Dean Radin AT&T Bell Laboratories Columbus (Incidentally, some of my psi research was recently presented in England on the BBC TV science show "Horizon," and may be shown in this country on the PBS show "Nova" next year.)