138 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
138 lines
6.1 KiB
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From sentto-2242572-60163-1038787094-jm=jmason.org@returns.groups.yahoo.com Mon Dec 2 11:25:30 2002
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#1) id 18IdyW-0003T5-00; Sun, 01 Dec 2002 18:58:13 -0500
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Message-Id: <3DEAA212.DB1DB03@mindspring.com>
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Organization: Terry's Bazaar
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To: "Fort [Research]" <fort@yahoogroups.com>,
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Forteana /Alternate Orphan/ <forteana@yahoogroups.com>,
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"uasr@topica.com" <uasr@topica.com>
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From: "Terry W. Colvin" <fortean1@mindspring.com>
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Mailing-List: list zzzzteana@yahoogroups.com; contact
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Date: Sun, 01 Dec 2002 16:58:10 -0700
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Subject: [zzzzteana] FWD (SK) Re: Quotation wanted [pseudoscience - a skeptic's view]
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Reply-To: zzzzteana@yahoogroups.com
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The material appended below comes from Martin Gardner's
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book _Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science_ -- revised
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and expanded edition published in 1957 by Dover Publications,
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Inc. (New York City).
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Bill Bennetta
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_________________________________________________
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"[M]ost pseudo-scientists have a number of characteristics in
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common.
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"First and most important of these traits is that cranks work
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in almost total isolation . . . in the sense of having no fruitful
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contacts with fellow researchers. . . . The modern crank insists
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that his isolation is not desired on his part. It is due, he claims,
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to the prejudice of established scientific groups against new
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ideas. . . .
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"The modern pseudo-scientist . . . stands entirely outside
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the closely integrated channels through which new ideas are
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introduced and evaluated. He works in isolation. He does not
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send his findings to the recognized journals, or if he does, they
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are rejected for reasons which in the vast majority of cases
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are excellent. In most cases, the crank is not well enough
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informed to write a paper with even a surface resemblance
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to a significant study. As a consequence, he finds himself
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excluded the journals and societies, and almost universally
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ignored by the competent workers in his field. In fact, the
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reputable scientist does not even know of the crank's
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existence unless his work is given widespread publicity through
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non-academic channels, or unless the scientist makes a hobby
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of collecting crank literature. The eccentric is forced, therefore,
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to tread a lonely way. He speaks before organizations he
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himself has founded, contributes to journals he himself may
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edit, and -- until recently -- publishes books only when he
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or his followers can raise sufficient funds to have them printed
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privately.
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"A second characteristic of the pseudo scientist, which
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greatly strengthens his isolation, is a tendency toward
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paranoia. . . .
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"There are five ways in which the sincere pseudo-
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scientist's paranoid tendencies are likely to be exhibited.
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"(1) He considers himself a genius.
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"(2) He regards his colleagues, without exception, as
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ignorant blockheads. Everyone is out of step except himself.
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Frequently he insults his opponents by accusing them of
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stupidity, dishonesty, or other base motives. If they ignore
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him, he takes this to mean his arguments are unanswerable.
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If they retaliate in kind, this strengthens his delusion that he
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is battling scoundrels. . . .
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"(3) He believes himself unjustly persecuted and discriminated
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against. . . .
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"(4) He has a strong compulsion to focus his attacks on the
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greatest scientists and the best established theories. When
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Newton was the outstanding name in physics, eccentric works
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in that science were violently anti Newton. Today, with
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Einstein the father symbol of authority, a crank theory of
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physics is likely to attack Einstein in the name of Newton. . . .
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"(5) He often has a tendency to write in a complex
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jargon, in many cases making use of terms and phrases he
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himself has coined. . . ."
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--
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Terry W. Colvin, Sierra Vista, Arizona (USA) < fortean1@mindspring.com >
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Alternate: < fortean1@msn.com >
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Home Page: < http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/8958/index.html >
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Sites: * Fortean Times * Mystic's Haven * TLCB *
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U.S. Message Text Formatting (USMTF) Program
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------------
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Member: Thailand-Laos-Cambodia Brotherhood (TLCB) Mailing List
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TLCB Web Site: < http://www.tlc-brotherhood.org >[Vietnam veterans,
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Allies, CIA/NSA, and "steenkeen" contractors are welcome.]
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