North Texas Skeptic - Vol 03 No 06 - 1989

Magazine Overview

This issue of "The Newsletter of The North Texas Skeptics," titled "The Skeptic," Volume 3, Number 6, dated November/December 1989, presents a collection of articles focused on skepticism, critical thinking, and the debunking of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. The publication aims to educate its readers on scientific reasoning and to counter misinformation.

Why I Don't Believe in Ghosts

By John A. Thomas, this article explores the author's skepticism towards the existence of ghosts. Thomas differentiates between objective reality, which is independent of our minds and verifiable through consensus, and subjective experience, which is personal and internal. He argues that no ghost story has withstood thorough investigation and that many purported ghost experiences can be explained by psychological phenomena such as faulty memory, hallucination, hypnagogic dreams, and fantasy proneness. He cites historical research and psychological studies to support his claims, concluding that while people may have powerful subjective experiences, these do not necessarily point to objectively real entities like ghosts.

William Jarvis Speaks at D/FW Council Against Health Fraud Annual Meeting

By Tim Gorski, this piece reports on a speech given by William Jarvis, Ph.D., President of the National Council Against Health Fraud. Jarvis discusses the history and nature of medical quackery, tracing its roots and defining it as the promotion of unproven or false medical schemes for profit. He highlights that many quacks are not necessarily malicious but may genuinely believe in their false claims, or exploit common cultural myths and psychological vulnerabilities. Jarvis identifies several such myths, including the "noble savage," the "golden age," the "just moral hypothesis," and the "rescue myth." He warns that future health fraud will likely leverage advancements in bioengineering and gene therapy. Jarvis concludes that combating health fraud is an ongoing battle requiring education and a healthy dose of "caveat emptor" (buyer beware), as "nonsense will never go away."

Psychic talk show cancelled

By Tony Dousette, this brief report states that KLIF Radio has cancelled John Catchings' "Psychic Line" talk show due to poor ratings. Despite having a small but enthusiastic audience, management opted for a program with broader appeal.

Meeting reports

By John Thomas, this section covers two recent meetings of The North Texas Skeptics.

Chiropractic's Scientific Footing

Chiropractor Jean-Scott Bendiks spoke about the movement within chiropractic to adopt scientific principles and move away from D.D. Palmer's original theory of vertebral subluxation, which lacks scientific support. Bendiks believes that specific treatments like spinal manipulation for back pain can be scientifically validated and that manipulative therapy shows promise for treating back pain. He notes that many chiropractors engage in unproven practices like chelation therapy and herbology, estimating that about 60% of chiropractors do so.

TV Evangelists and Faith Healing

Professor Joe Barnhart discussed his research on TV evangelists, including the Bakkers, Oral Roberts, Jimmy Swaggart, and Pat Robertson. He suggests that sincerity is often secondary to the performance aspect for these figures, and that faith healing, often accompanying their ministries, compromises integrity through deception. Barnhart also touched upon "seed of faith" arguments used for donations and the idea that individuals are responsible for their own health, a concept he links to the appeal of Spartan diets and asceticism. He is co-authoring a novel on evangelism and faith-healing.

Media coverage of psychics

By John Thomas, this article critiques the media's handling of psychic claims. It contrasts the rigorous investigation typically applied to political statements with the often credulous reporting of psychic phenomena. The article includes a letter from Nancy E. Craig, reprinted from The Dallas Morning News, which criticizes the media for not adequately questioning psychic claims, testing psychics, or presenting balanced reporting, and calls for thorough investigation rather than simply quoting skeptics and testimonials.

Odds and ends

By John Thomas, this section contains several short items:

• Bibliography for Librarians: A bibliography for librarians on paranormal and pseudoscience topics has generated over forty requests for copies.
• Informational Brochure: The organization offers an informational brochure about its positions and activities.
• Database: The North Texas Skeptics maintains an extensive database of material on paranormal and pseudoscience topics, divided into over forty categories.
• Voodoo and Black Magic Criticism: A report on a Dallas City Hall meeting where a speaker's use of "voodoo pay raise" was criticized as a racist slur, highlighting the debate over whether beliefs from particular cultures are exempt from criticism.
• Mensa Bulletin Letter: T.M. Henning had a letter published in the Mensa Bulletin criticizing credulous articles on psychic phenomena and suggesting Mensans consult The Skeptical Inquirer.
• Call for Volunteers: The organization needs a program chairman and other volunteers to help with its activities.

TAP folds

By Tony Dousette, this article reports on the disbanding of The Association for Parapsychology (TAP). The decision was made due to an inactive membership, with only a few members running the organization for over a thousand members. TAP faced financial problems, including a significant lease default. Despite past growth and accomplishments, including a psychic code of ethics, the organization could not sustain itself. Future psychic fairs and activities may continue under new sponsorships.

On negotiating facts

By John Blanton, this piece uses a humorous anecdote about a student's insistence on using 'three' as the value of pi to illustrate the difference between subjective opinion and objective, non-negotiable facts, particularly in mathematics and science. The author contrasts this with subjects like art or philosophy, where interpretation is key. He emphasizes that in fields with real-world consequences, like engineering, accurate data and calculations are paramount and cannot be arbitrarily changed or "negotiated."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue consistently promotes a skeptical and evidence-based approach to understanding the world. The editorial stance is clearly against pseudoscience, paranormal claims, and health fraud, advocating for critical thinking and scientific literacy. The newsletter serves as a platform for disseminating information that challenges unsubstantiated beliefs and encourages readers to question extraordinary claims. Themes of media responsibility, the psychology of belief, and the importance of objective evidence are recurrent throughout the articles.