North Texas Skeptic - Vol 03 No 03 - 1989

Magazine Overview

Title: The Skeptic
Issue: Volume 3 Number 3
Date: May/June 1989
Publisher: The North Texas Skeptics

This issue of The Skeptic, the newsletter of The North Texas Skeptics, features a variety of articles examining claims and phenomena from a skeptical perspective. The content ranges from critiques of self-help programs and pseudoscientific disciplines to discussions on creationism, UFOs, and the nature of coincidence.

Articles

March Program Looks at Lifespring

Karen Thorson recounts her experiences with Lifespring, a motivational training program. She describes the five-day basic course costing $450, which aims to clarify commitments and improve communication. However, Lifespring has faced criticism for using stressful techniques and for creating an 'urban cult,' with its founder, John Hanley, becoming wealthy. Thorson explains that the training uses emotional stress to break down resistance, promoting the idea that reality is subjective. Participants are pressured to take advanced courses ($850) and work as unpaid volunteers. The article notes a lack of validated psychological theory behind the training and suggests that while some individuals report harm, there are no studies showing a high risk for most. Testimonials exist, but objective studies on participant improvement are absent. The meeting featured discussions with both supporters and critics of Lifespring.

Pseudoscience or Protoscience?

By Lee Moller, this article addresses the challenge of distinguishing between pseudoscience and protoscience (a field that may become legitimate with historical perspective, like continental drift). Moller suggests that while drawing a definitive line is difficult, and skeptics must remain open to new evidence, certain characteristics are common to quackeries. These include: lack of progress over time (e.g., graphology, astrology), use of undefined technical terms ('vibration,' 'frequency'), requiring abandonment of established physical laws, lack of references in popular articles, reliance on anecdotal evidence, claims of airtight experiments, lack of repeatability by other researchers, claims of being overly criticized or a victim of conspiracy, teaching only in non-credit courses, reliance on outdated texts, use of 'factuals' (plausible-sounding but misleading scientific statements), and defenders attacking critics instead of criticisms. The article notes that ad hominem attacks are common distractions, and while not every subject with one or two of these traits is quackery, most pseudosciences exhibit many simultaneously.

Creation/Evolution in the Papers

This section critiques the local media's coverage of the creationism vs. evolution debate. The Dallas Times Herald is praised for its editorial stance advocating for science to be taught in science classes and religion in religion classes. In contrast, The Dallas Morning News is criticized for publishing more pro-creationist viewpoints than scientific ones, and for not returning calls from those wishing to submit a viewpoint piece.

Meeting Schedule

Announcements for upcoming meetings of The North Texas Skeptics are provided. Professor David E. Dunn was scheduled to speak on creationism on May 21st, and Dr. Gordon Green was to speak on medical pseudoscience and AIDS on June 18th. Future meeting dates are listed through December, with all meetings to be held at 2:00 p.m. in Room 101, University Hall at the University of Texas at Arlington.

James Randi Hosts TV Special

James Randi is announced as the host of a TV program titled "Exploring Psychic Powers-Live!" on June 7th, featuring a $100,000 paranormal challenge and Penn & Teller.

On Coincidence

By John A. Thomas, this article explores the explanation of precognitive experiences through chance and coincidence, referencing Bill Ritter's essay. Thomas argues that without knowing the probability of events occurring by chance, it's impossible to assign paranormal causes. He provides a rough calculation suggesting that even startling coincidences can occur frequently in a large population. The article highlights psychological factors like fallible memory and the tendency to find patterns, recommending "The Psychology of the Psychic" by David Marks and Richard Kammann.

Budd Hopkins Addresses MUFON

By Tony Dousette, this piece reviews a talk by Budd Hopkins, an UFO investigator, at a Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) meeting. Hopkins presented new cases of alien abductions, but the evidence offered was largely anecdotal, ambiguous, or unverifiable. His 'new' evidence was not novel to those familiar with the topic. While Hopkins presented anecdotes, hypnotic regressions, and an 'alien' alphabet for verification, the author finds the evidence inconclusive. Sketches of aliens and spacecraft photos were deemed poorly done, and alleged 'alien experiment' scars were dismissed as potentially acne or pockmarks. The author notes that Hopkins' argument for the 'alien' alphabet relies on a credulous audience. A critical question about whether Hopkins' status might lead abductees to provide desired answers was inadequately addressed. Hopkins' rejoinder to Carl Sagan's "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" was "extraordinary phenomena require extraordinary investigation," but his speech lacked hard evidence.

April Meeting on Value of Skepticism

Professor Alan Saxe, a political scientist, spoke at the April meeting on the social and political implications of skepticism. He discussed student resistance to critical examination of ideas and the human mind's ability to compartmentalize beliefs, such as a scientist holding fundamentalist views. Saxe questioned how much can be expected from people given human nature and modern pressures, suggesting that the scientific worldview may not always provide feelings of satisfaction.

News for Paluxy Creationists -- Sad and Bad

By Ronnie J. Hastings, Ph.D., this article debunks recent creationist claims regarding 'mantracks' and a fossilized human tooth found near the Paluxy River, Texas. The 'mantracks' are re-examined as eroded dinosaur tracks, with a water technique used by proponents Carl Baugh and Don Patton deemed meaningless and obscurantist. The article notes that some 'toe' marks appeared only after 1984, and some when the site was hosed down. The alleged fossilized human tooth, initially touted as proof, was eventually admitted by Baugh and Patton to be from a fish, a conclusion scientists had presented from the beginning. The author, along with other NTS members, is investigating questionable science degrees claimed by Baugh and Patton.

Bibliography for Librarians Revised

An announcement regarding the revised Spring 1989 edition of a bibliography for librarians, which includes updates, international standard book numbers, and advice on cataloging pseudoscience books. Copies can be obtained by sending a self-addressed envelope with 45 cents postage.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the critical examination of extraordinary claims, the importance of scientific methodology, and the debunking of pseudoscience and creationist arguments. The North Texas Skeptics, through its publication The Skeptic, consistently advocates for evidence-based reasoning, rigorous scientific inquiry, and a healthy skepticism towards claims that lack empirical support. The editorial stance is clearly one of promoting rationalism and challenging beliefs that are not grounded in scientific evidence or logical consistency.