The Trickster and the Paranormal
Page 54
20
Here I am considering loss of status on a sociological level (i.e., loss of national pride). Parallels are found at the level of the individual person. Donald Warren (1970) of the University of Michigan analyzed some Gallup poll data and found that among adult white males, those with status inconsistency were more likely than average to report seeing a UFO. Status inconsistency refers to a marked difference between a person’s actual social rank and that which might be expected. For instance, an individual with relatively low income and high education would be considered status inconsistent, as would a person with high achievement and low education (e.g., Thomas Edison). Warren also noted that the status of women is lower than that of men, and they were twice as likely as men to have seen a
UFO.
21
Paranoia is one of the most prominent characteristics of the UFO phenomenon. In fact, it was Kottmeyer who most effectively brought this to my attention. When I first read his 1989 paper “Ufology Considered as an Evolving System of Paranoia,” I vigorously objected, but after becoming more familiar with ufology, I was forced to admit that he had made an important point. I cannot completely agree with his interpretation of the UFO-paranoia connection, but he
has unquestionably identified a central issue.
22
Zeidman, 1979.
23
Schuessler & O’Herin, 1993.
24
Schuessler, 1982.
Chapter 10—Prominent “Psychics”
Carlos Alvarado (1993) described how Eusapia Palladino’s trickery tainted psychical research, and Harvey Irwin (1987) made the same point regarding Charles Bailey, an Australian apport medium.
2
Various ages have been given for the sisters in 1848; those here are from Fornell (1964). There is also ambiguity in the spelling of their names. Kate is also given as Catherine and Katherine, and Margaret is also given as Margaretta.
3
The Davenport Brothers and Adah Isaacs Menken by Ormus Davenport,
Linking Ring, Vol. 73, No. 12, December, 1993, pp. 64-74.
4
The Davenport Brothers: Religious Practitioners, Entertainers, or Frauds? by Joe Nickell, Skeptical Inquirer, July/August 1999, pp. 14-17.
5 Christopher, 1962, 1975.
Dingwall, 1947/1962, p. 187. Dingwall’s chapter on Home in Some Human Oddities focussed on the ambiguities in Home’s personal life rather than on evaluating the evidence for his psychic phenomena. Dingwall recognized the importance of explicitly exploring ambiguity.
As recently as 1993, skeptic Gordon Stein published the book The Sorcerer of Kings: The Case of Daniel Dunglas Home and William Crookes (Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books).
8 Solovyoff, 1892/1976, p. 141.
9
Meade, 1980, pp. 86-87.
Madam Blavatsky’s Baboon by Peter Washington (1993/1995), see p. 407. Report of the Committee, 1885.
12
Ellwood, 1973, p. 75.
13
See Solovyoff 1892/1976, pp. 154-155, 286.
14
Ibid., pp. 176-181.
15 Bruce Campbell, 1980; Meade, 1980.
Carrington, 1909; Feilding, Baggally & Carrington, 1909; Dingwall, 1950/1962, pp. 178-217. Thurston, 1910.
18 E.g., Alvarado, 1993; Wiseman, 1992, 1993; Martinez-Taboas & Francia, 1993.
19
Tietze, 1973; see also Tabori, 1972, pp. 40-41.
20
I am not aware of any substantial treatment of Houdini as trickster. The best biography of Houdini is Kenneth Silverman’s Houdini!!! The Career of Ehrich Weiss (1996). Useful interpretive biographies are Bernard C. Meyer’s Houdini: A Mind in Chains (1976), New York: E. P. Dutton & Co.; and Ruth Brandon’s The
Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini (1993), New York: Random House.
21
T. A. Waters’ The Encyclopedia of Magic and Magicians (1988), p. 219, gives some details. A number of Houdini fans have tried to dismiss Collins’ statement, but their reasons are unconvincing. Brandon accepts the story as very plausible. Silverman reports the details of the séance but does not render an opinion
about who lied.
22
Tietze, 1973, 1985.
One Evening’s Observation on the Margery Mediumship by J. B. Rhine and Louisa E. Rhine (1927).
24
See Mauskopf & McVaugh, 1980, pp. 75-80.
25
See Rauscher, 2000.
Spraggett with Rauscher, 1973, p. 198.
27
How They Do It, Scientific American, January 1942, pp. 20-21. Secrets of the Amazing Kreskin by Kreskin, Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 1991 (Second edition). First published 1984.
29
See J. Randolph Cox’s Man of Magic and Mystery: A Guide to the Work of Walter B. Gibson (1988), Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow.
30
Publishers Weekly, Vol. 211, No. 22, May 30, 1977, p. 29.
31
Richard de Mille (1976/1977, p. 169) compiled a helpful list of „non-ordinary events“ reported by Castaneda.
32
De Mille, 1976, 1980.
33
De Mille was a member of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), but he resigned over the scandal and
cover-up of Paul Kurtz’s astrology study.
34
De Mille, 1976, p. 121.
35
Information Transmission Under Conditions of Sensory Shielding by Russell Targ & Harold Puthoff, Nature, Vol. 251, Oct. 18, 1974, pp. 602-607. A Perceptual Channel for Information Transfer Over Kilometer Distances: Historical Perspective and Recent Research, by H. E. Puthoff & R. Targ, Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 64, 1976, pp. 329-354.
Randi, 1975; Catching Geller in the Act by Eugene C. Emery, Jr. (1987).
37
The Lawsuits Against James Randi (Parts One and Two), Saucer Smear, Vol. 38, No. 8, October 10, 1991, pp. 1-3, No. 9, November 5, 1991, pp. 2-4. Geller vs Randi vs CSICOP: A Tale of Two Press Releases, PA News, October/December 1995, pp. 8-9. An End to the Uri Geller vs Randi vs CSICOP Litigation? by Marcello Truzzi, PA News, October/December 1995, pp. 9-11.
38
Haraldsson, 1987.
39
Beyerstein, 1992; Kodimela, 1992; Haraldsson & Wiseman, 1994.
40
Brooke, 1976/1990.
Chapter 11—Conjurors and the Paranormal
The Republic, Book 111—413. Translation by Benjamim Jowett.
2
Some library classification schemes use the term magic to subsume the occult and anthropological uses of the term while reserving conjuring to designate that which explicitly involves tricks. General usage does not make this distinction.
Even librarians do not escape the ambiguity though, and I have been amused at the number of times I have found books on magic and conjuring misclassified.
3
A number of writers on parapsychology often refer to magicians who perform tricks as “stage magicians” to distinguish them from those who practice the occult kind of magic. The use of such terminology reveals a writer as having little knowledge of legerdemain. Stage magic is only a small branch of conjuring. Additional types include close-up magic, parlor magic, mentalism, and bizarre magic,
among others.
4
Birdsell, 1989; Hansen, 1990a, 1990b, 1992c; Truzzi, 1997.
Dawes, 1979; Francesco, 1939.
The very few counterexamples such as the Magic Castle in Hollywood, several long-running shows in Las Vegas, the Le Grand David production in Beverly, Massachusetts, and Paul Daniels’ television program, only serve to highlight the general situation. These exceptions are of some interest. Hollywood is a “city of dreams,” and Las Vegas is devoted to gambling, Hermes being the god of dice and gambling. Le Grand David is centered around the person of Cesareo Palaez. For a few words on his background see Commitment and Community: Communes and Utopias in
Sociological Perspective by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, pp. 196—198, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1972.
The one exception that I am aware of is the diploma thesis by John Granrose The Archetype of the Magician, 1996, C. G. Jung Institute, Zurich.
For discussion within the conjuring literature see Brady, 1966; Burger & Neale, 1995; Rauscher, 1983.
Nardi, 1988.
Carroll, 1984.
Stebbins, 1983/1984.
Hero of Alexandria, 62/1851/1971.
Minch, 1991.
Minch, 1992.
Rauscher, 1984, 1998.
Price, 1983.
17 Rhine, 1944.
Truzzi, 1997. See also Truzzi’s interview with Bluemle, 1994.
19
Hyman, 1977.
20
For some comments on Hyman’s career see Hansen, 1991.
21
E.g., see Ruthchild, 1983; McGill, n.d.; Thomas, 1989; Weber, 1953a,
1953b.
22
Newmann, 1923.
Carrington, 1920.
24
One of Kreskin’s outspoken supporters is University of Kentucky psychologist Robert Baker, who is an active member of CSICOP. For more on the Kreskin-CSICOP connection, see Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. 16, No. 1, Fall 1991, pp. 4—6. For Baker’s endorsement of Kreskin, calling him a “public educator and benefactor” see Baker’s They Call it Hypnosis, 1990, p. 142.
25
For an introduction to the controversies, see the 1986 and 1987 volumes of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Vol. 9, pp. 449-502, and Vol. 10, pp. 519-531. That journal carried a target article on hypnosis by Nicholas Spanos along with a wide range of commentaries.
Bernstein, 1956. For a discussion of the case, see C. J. Ducasse, 1960.
27
See Secret Report on Mesmerism, or Animal Magnetism by Jean Sylvain Bailly and others (August 11, 1784), which is the first chapter of The Nature of Hypnosis: Selected Basic Readings edited by Ronald E. Shor and Martin T. Orne, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1965.
For some literature on faking hypnosis see H. J. Burlingame, Leaves From Conjurer’s Scrap Books or, Modern Magicians and Their Works. Detroit: Singing Tree Press, 1971 (Originally published 1891); Ernest Hart, Hypnotism Mesmerism & Witchcraft, Toronto: Coles (Originally published 1893); Karlyn [J. F. Burrows], Secrets of Stage Hypnotism: Stage Electricity: and Bloodless Surgery, London: The Magician Ltd, n.d.; William B. Meeker & Theodore X. Barber, 1971; Nelmar [Anthony Nelmar Albino], Twenty Hypnotic Tricks, Chicago: Nelmar System, 1933; Wesley R. Wells, 1946.
29
Wells, 1946, p. 146.
30
Ghostmasters by Mark Walker, 1991.
31
See Hansen (1992c) for a list of his books.
32
Randi, 1975, 1982.
33
For discussions of Project Alpha see Truzzi, 1987; Thalbourne, 1995.
34
See On Being Sued: The Chilling of Freedom of Expression by Paul Kurtz, Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. 16, No. 2, Winter 1992, pp. 114-117.
35
Truth’s Bodyguard, Interview with James Randi by Stanley Wiater, Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine, June 1988, pp. 32-35, 45, see p. 35.
36 Moseley, 1993.
37
Moseley, 1991. Moseley has known Randi for many years, and together they were involved in “archeological exploits” in South America in the 1960s. Moseley’s zine Saucer News (Vol. 12, No. 2, June 1965, p. 21) carried pictures of Randi. See also Beware of False Prophets Peddling False-Memory Hype by Michele Landsberg, Toronto Star, February 11, 1996, p. A2, Final Edition. Randi has admitted to tape-recording his explicit homosexual conversations with boys. Copies of tapes were circulated, played in court, and transcripts were posted on the
Internet. Randi’s explanations of them have been contradictory.
38
Hansen, 1992a, p. 47.
Minch, 1991.
40 Shiels, 1989, p. 48.
41
Shiels, 1990, p. 15.
42
Letter from Tony Shiels, Fab (sic) 2, 1999.
43
See Shiels, 1990, p. 15.
44
Femina Libido Sexualis: Compendium of the Psychology, Anthropology and Anatomy of the Sexual Characteristics of the Woman by Herman Heinrich Ploss, Max Bartels, & Paul Bartels; edited by Eric John Dingwall, arranged by J. R. Brosslowsky, New York: The Medical Press, 1965.
45
Dingwall, 1974, p. 284.
46
West, 1987.
47
Dingwall, 1974, p. 284.
48 Gauld, 1987.
49
Dingwall did eventually resign from CSICOP because of the scandal and cover-up of Paul Kurtz’s astrology study.
Responsibility in Parapsychology by E. J. Dingwall, A Century of Psychical Research: The Continuing Doubts and Affirmations: Proceedings of an International Conference Held at Le Peol, St. Paul De Vence, France September 2, 3, 4, 1970 edited by Allan Angoff and Betty Shapin, New York: Parapsychology Foundation, 1971, pp. 37-52. See p. 37 for quote.
For a biographical sketch, see Eric Dingwall, Devil’s Advocate by Guy Lyon Playfair, Fate, Vol. 40, No. 4, April 1987, pp. 73-81.
52
A few parapsychologists have suggested that researchers need to understand the theoretical principles of magic tricks, claiming that would help them avoid being deceived. That proposal is misguided. A more enlightened approach to teaching, by skeptic Ray Hyman, an acknowledged authority on conjuring, uses case studies involving concrete examples (Goldstein, 1994).
Chapter 12—CSICOP and the Debunkers
Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus. Translated by Rex Warner. New York:
Heritage Press, 1966, p. 41.
2
Circulation figure from Skeptical Inquirer, November/December 1999, p.
21.
3
Personal communication from Barry Karr, CSICOP Executive Director, August 19, 1991.
4
The size of the building is unclear. Skeptical Inquirer, Spring 1993, p. 249 gave it as 25,000 square feet; the September/October 1995 issue, p. 55, gave 20,000 square feet; the July/August 1995 issue, p. 8, gave 15,000 square feet.
CSICOP announced that it had raised $4,200,000 exceeding its fundraising goal; see Skeptical Inquirer, May/June 1995, p. 8.
Circulation figure from March 1997 issue.
Nicholas Wade, A Pyrrhonian Sledgehammer, Science, Vol. 197, 1977, pp. 646—647, see p. 646 for quote.
Astrology and Gullibility by Paul Kurtz, The Humanist, 1975, November/December, Vol. 35, No. 6, p. 20.
Policy on Sponsoring Research, Testing Individual Claims, and Conducting Investigations of Alleged Paranormal Powers and Phenomena, Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. 6, No. 3, Spring 1982, p. 9. The CSICOP Executive Council approved the policy October 22-24, 1981.
9
Pinch and Collins (1984).
10 Kurtz, 1986, p. 146.
Kurtz’s book Toward a New Enlightenment: The Philosophy of Paul Kurtz (1994) contains a list of his publications. Though hundreds of articles are listed, I found no reports of empirical research, of any type, that were published in refereed
scientific journals.
12
I refer here to the Full Members. According to CSICOP’s by laws these comprise the Fellows, Scientific and Technical Consultants, Board of Directors,
and Executive Council.
13
McClenon, 1982, 1984.
14
I wish to thank Jennie Zeidman for bringing this to my attention.
15 Berger, 1990, p. 4.
16 Sheler, 1994.
17 Berger, 1990, p. 182.
18 Gibbs, 1993.
19
Otto, 1917/1975, p. 4.
20
See Stillings, 1984.
21
Ben-Yehuda, 1985, p. 91.
22
Ben-Yehud
a, 1985, p. 93.
23
Wren-Lewis, 1974, p. 43.
24
Schumaker, 1990, p. 82.
25
Lopez-Pedraza, 1977/1989, p. 61.
For Kurtz’s interpretation of Prometheus, see Promethean Love: Unbound, in his Toward a New Enlightenment: The Philosophy of Paul Kurtz (1994, pp. 279291).
27
Hansen (1991). For other statistical errors by Hyman, see On Hyman’s Factor Analysis by David R. Saunders, Journal of Parapsychology, Vol. 49, No. 1,
1985, pp. 86-88. See also Rejoinder by Jessica Utts, Statistical Science, Vol. 6, No.
4, 1991, pp. 396-403, especially pp. 398, 399.
28
Hansen, 1990a, p. 56.
29
Hansen, 1992d.
Chapter 13—Small Groups and the Paranormal
Social repercussions occur even if putative supernatural events are almost entirely due to trickery. A good example is the British crop circle phenomenon. Evidence indicates that hoaxers produce virtually all of the formations. See Schnabel (1993).
2
2 Ellis, 1982-83.
3
For more detail than Kubler-Ross revealed, see the exposé by Coleman
(1979).
4
See Lamar Keene’s The Psychic Mafia (1976) and Eric Dingwall’s account of the lurid “Angel Anna” in his Some Human Oddities (1947/1962).
Black Elk was one of the spirits contacted by the SORRAT. In real life, he was a trickster figure; see The Wisdom of the Contrary: A Conversation with Joseph Epes Brown, Parabola, Vol. 4, No. 1, February 1979, pp. 54-65, see p. 56.
6 McClenon, 1994; Richards, 1982; see Duke & Hansen, 1991 for a bibliography of works on SORRAT.
Hansen & Broughton, 1991.
His remarks were quoted by Dennis Stillings in a 1991 issue of Artifex devoted to the SORRAT. See Stillings, 1991.
9
Richards, 1992.
The early SRI work did not escape the problems of trickery. Uri Geller was one of the early subjects, and numerous allegations of fraud followed him. He has been covered in an earlier chapter.
The full story of the secret government psychic programs since the 1970s has not yet been told, but for the past several years, there have been many rumors of books in preparation. The first issue of the 1996 Journal of Scientific Exploration (Vol. 10, No.1) carried several reports on some of the recently declassified material and controversies surrounding them. Also of interest are: Mind-Reach: Scientists Look at Psychic Abilities by Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff, New York: Dela-corte, 1977. The Mind Race: Understanding and Using Psychic Abilities by Russell Targ and Keith Harary, New York: Villard Books, 1984. To Kiss Earth Good-Bye by Ingo Swann, New York: Hawthorn Books, 1975. Miracles of Mind: Exploring Nonlocal Consciousness and Spiritual Healing by Russell Targ and Jane Katra, Novato, CA: New World Library, 1998. Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America’s Psychic Spies by Jim Schnabel, New York: Dell, 1997. Parapsychology in