Re: (Tears) Fads and Fallacies by Martin Gardner

In article <uvn43j5d83bs39ijos65f10a597ofhtaet@4ax.com>,
Paul S Person  <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:

On Tue, 30 Apr 2024 22:09:49 -0000 (UTC), Christian Weisgerber
<naddy@mips.inka.de> wrote:
>

On 2024-04-28, James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:
>

Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science by Martin Gardner
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/all-the-madmen

>
| To quote its subtitle, Martin Gardner�s 1957 Fads and Fallacies in the
| Name of Science studies �the curious theories of modern
| pseudoscientists and the strange, amusing, and alarming cults that
| surround them.�
>
1957?  No ancient astronauts then.  My own interest in this took a
hard hit with von D�niken's fourth book, about spectral apparitions
(ghosts), which was not something I was willing to give any credence
to, no matter how many anecdotes he cited, and which put into
question his other writing.
>
| focusing mostly but not entirely on American theories.
>
No "earth rays" either then.  That one was so specifically limited
to German-speaking countries that there isn't even an established
English term for "Erdstrahlen".  There was some overlap with dowsing,
though.  For a time in the 1970/80s, my parents were members of a
book club that had a quarterly mininum purchase requirement.  At
some point my dad fulfilled this by buying a book on "Erdstrahlen",
but couldn't be bothered to read it himself and tasked me with it.
I skimmed through it.  Intensely exasperating.  I was hoping for
some physical characterization of those mysterious "rays"--particle?
electro-magnetic? ionizing?  non-ionizing?--but it all remained
perfectly vague, with references to devices that supposedly could
detect those rays, but again devoid of any description of physical
principles.  One or two hundred pages of nothing.

>
The strongest actual argument against "parapsychology" (telepathy,
telekinesis, etc) was that, since none of the Four Fundamental Forces
(gravitational, electromagnetic, strong, and weak) can explain them,
those who promote their reality must first come up with a Fifth
Fundamental Force. Which they have yet to even attempt, preferring
instead to wave their arms about and yell a lot.
>

I think at least some ESP types did handwave standard forces playing
a role, undocumented EM senses and quantum woo.

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