Smith - Pseudoscience and Extraordinary Claims of the Paranormal

Praise for Pseudoscience and Extraordinary Claims of the Paranormal

This book, particularly in regard to its discussion of memory errors and its insistence on the value of real science, takes a place of prominence on my personal library shelf.

James Randi, Chairman of the James Randi Educational Foundation

I am astonished by the excellence of this book. Smith has produced a highly readable and very entertaining yet critical examination of virtually the entire gamut of paranormal claims, and he demonstrates an encyclopedic knowledge of the field in doing so. While drawing extensively from psychology, physics, logical analysis and history, he always manages to keep things clear and straightforward, so that one is never lost in complexity. Moreover, the tone is light-hearted throughout, and never becomes pedantic or condescending. And the book offers much more than an evaluation of extraordinary claims. It provides a refined set of critical thinking tools that the reader will find invaluable in everyday life. I strongly recommend this book to everyone who values the pursuit of truth in all things. And I can only wish that those who know that they already have the truth would read it as well, for they need it the most.

James Alcock, York University

Can you be both a critical thinker and a believer in the paranormal? The reality checks in Jonathan Smiths Critical Thinkers Toolkit will guide you to your answer.

Robert Todd Carroll, author of The Skeptics Dictionary

An excellent, engaging, and highly readable introduction to the paranormal and to the distinction between science and pseudoscience. A superb student-friendly guide to extraordinary claims. Chock full of interesting and fun examples, not to mention humor. Should become a favorite in undergraduate psychology courses.

Scott O. Lilienfeld, Emory University

Elmo, Gum, Heather, Holly, Mistletoe, Rowan, and Al

This edition first published 2010

2010 Jonathan C. Smith

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Smith, Jonathan C.

Pseudoscience and extraordinary claims of the paranormal: a critical thinkers toolkit/Jonathan C. Smith.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4051-8123-5 (hardcover: alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4051-8122-8 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Parapsychology. I. Title.

BF1031.S635 2010

130dc22

2009017134

About the Author

Dr. Jonathan C. Smith has written extensively on stress, relaxation, meditation, and mindfulness as well as spirituality and skepticism. He is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Professor of Psychology at Chicagos Roosevelt University, and Founding Director of the Roosevelt University Stress Institute. Dr. Smith has published 17 books with major international publishers and has authored more than three dozen articles. His innovative approaches to relaxation, meditation, and mindfulness have won wide professional acclaim. Dr. Smith has taught his approaches to thousands and has served as consultant for government, business, educational, medical, and health organizations around the world.

For nearly a half century, Dr. Smith has had an enduring and deep interest in teaching critical thinking and exploring the paranormal. His doctoral dissertation, completed at Michigan State University in 1975, was one of the first professionally acclaimed double-blind placebo studies on the then popular transcendental meditation (he found no therapeutic effect). This work led to three APA articles and his first two books. In 1984 he founded the Roosevelt University Stress Institute primarily to combat pseudoscience and quackery in the field. His manuals and textbooks on meditation, mindfulness, and spirituality take a distinctly skeptical perspective toward popular extraordinary claims often associated with these approaches. More recently he has written reviews of paranormal books for the American Psychological Association journal PsycCRITIQUES. In addition he has created classroom and online classes at Roosevelt University specifically designed to teach critical thinking skills and evaluate extraordinary claims of the paranormal.

Preface

I confess I am a bit passionate about the paranormal. I truly believe that claims of astrologers, psychics, spiritualists, mind-readers, spoon-benders, practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine, acupuncturists, faith healers, and creationists should be taken very seriously. Not because these claims may be true or false. Instead, I believe that extraordinary claims can have extraordinary consequences.

Think about it. A paranormal event magically violates the laws of physics, what we know about matter and energy. If demonstrated true, a paranormal phenomenon could require rewriting the textbooks of science. Furthermore, it could require a massive emergency research effort that would dwarf historical efforts to create an atom bomb or land a man on the moon. Why? What would be the consequences if a rabbits foot worked, really workedand terrorists figured it out first? Seriously, what if people could indeed predict the future; influence the past; read minds; cure illness through touch, thoughts, and prayers; secretly observe hidden events; and move and manipulate objects and devices from great distances through simple intention? What if, as claimed by some paranormal researchers, theyre