Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions - James Randi [32]
According to Bob Heinmiller, it is impossible to tell just what Henry passed over, or where he went, to make this tracing. We do not know the speed of the boat, the speed of the tracing paper in the chart recorder, or the vertical emphasis used. But a structure such as the one claimed by Berlitz could not possibly have escaped detection by those who have been meticulously charting the area for decades. Heinmiller is well aware of the media's attitude about the matter, for he has been called on the phone several times by people of the press who ask him to comment on the claim, and he ends up having to deal with questions about UFOs and various weird beliefs. His matter-of-fact declarations on the subject send the seekers elsewhere for more sensational opinions. Facts are just not very attractive, as usual.
There is much other evidence that contradicts this silly claim. But I tend to disagree with Larry Kusche when he says that Berlitz has perpetrated a hoax. I think Berlitz simply doesn't know any better. His accounts of other wonders give me this distinct impression. But I'll let Kusche sum up the matter himself, since it was his $10,000 that was offered in his bet with Berlitz. "Berlitz," says Kusche, "was not able to accept the challenge to prove the existence of the alleged pyramid because it is impossible to do so—since there is no pyramid. Had Berlitz accepted the challenge, it would have publicly emphasized the fact that he is prone to making sensational, erroneous, unprovable statements with regard to para-scientific subjects. Berlitz has once again misled the public with false information that he will not and cannot substantiate.
Into the Air, Junior Birdmen!
The sky is falling!
The sky is falling!
—Chicken Little
and other silly folks
Not unexpectedly, many of the varieties of nonsense that enchant the public are associated with the heavens. Mankind has for thousands of years looked up into the outer reaches of his world with awe and respect, envying the ability of birds to penetrate at least superficially into the sky, and peopling that region with gods. Our religions tell us that after death we may join the spirits that dwell there.
It is convenient to have one's wonders in the outer limits and beyond. That way, they may not be properly taken in hand for examination, and any surmise or assigned aspect is acceptable. It cannot be denied that the fascinating sight of a starry night gives rise to all sorts of speculation, and in this age of space travel and extraterrestrial wonders, everyone's attention has been more than ever directed upward. In most cases, we are unable to evaluate what we see.
The Sputniks and their progeny introduced a great deal of debris into the heavens, and the UFO mania was one of the results. After a considerable decline, the old notion of astrology became interesting once more, and any aspect of astronomical discovery was dragged in to support it. In anticipation of eventual planetary probes, "psychic" performers ventured to outguess the scientists by "astrally" voyaging into outer space. Primitive peoples were credited with achievements exceeding those of modern civilization and were said to have been visited by "ancient astronauts." This chapter will examine some of these fantasies.
By far, the oldest of the claptrap philosophies of mankind is astrology. In the United States alone there are more than twenty thousand practicing astrologers casting horoscopes and taking the money of literally millions of credulous believers. But there is probably no other major delusion that is more easily examined and shown to be totally without any logical basis. Thus, its hold on the public is all the more remarkable. This can only be understood when we realize just how vague and universal are the declarations