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From: mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz)
Newsgroups: net.philosophy
Subject: Re: Paranormal crapola
Message-ID: <591@cybvax0.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 1-Jul-85 14:30:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: cybvax0.591
Posted: Mon Jul  1 14:30:24 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Jul-85 04:38:14 EDT
References: <294@mit-vax.UUCP>
Reply-To: mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz)
Distribution: net.philosophy
Organization: Cybermation, Inc., Cambridge, MA
Lines: 26
Summary: 

In article <294@mit-vax.UUCP> csdf@mit-vax.UUCP (Charles Forsythe) writes:
> On the subject of paranormal experiments: I picked up a book in the
> local occult bookstore called "The Psycic Experiment Book" (the author
> and publisher's names escape me).

I believe the author is James Randi, the great psychic-basher and frequent
contributor to Skeptical Enquirer Magazine (highly recommended for those
interested in why pseudosciences are considered pseudosciences.)

> It has twenty chapters covering
> subjects from psycokenises to alternate realities (that's a pretty weird
> one.) Anyway, each chapter has a discussion of the scientific and
> non-scientific aspects of the topic along with historical notes and
> statistics. This is followed by a listing of "do it yourself"
> experiments. Most of the experiments, if done properly, are pretty
> conclusive (whenever possible). 

I think I remember reading that one of the purposes of this book was to
help combat pseudosciences by providing simple tests which leave little
opportunity for fraud.  One frequent trick of pseudosciences is to use the
most arcane, uncontrollable tests possible so that people will be cowed in
the face of "SCIENCE!"  The simpler the test, the fewer opportunities for
cheating (such as blowing, manipulation, etc.)
-- 

Mike Huybensz		...decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!cybvax0!mrh