[ExI] Alcock on Bem in Skeptical Inquirer.

[John Clark]

On Dec 7, 2010, at 2:40 PM, Damien Broderick wrote:
> 
> So a Cornell professor publishing a peer-reviewed paper in one of the most prestigious journals of his discipline

The most prestigious in his discipline? That's a little like being the thinest kid at fat camp.

> fails the test of being somebody you respect

Yep.

> simply because you don't like his results.

Simply because his results are incredible, and not in the good sense. Simply because his experiment employes no new instruments or methods so with only slight variation it could have been employed in the 17th century. Simply because if this distinguished Cornell professor really did know the tail end of his gastrointestinal tract from a hole in the ground the existence of psi would have been demonstrated to everyone satisfaction 400 years ago, and it wasn't. Simply because I believe, and you do too apparently, that nobody worth a damn will successfully reproduce his results and Bem's work will have zero effect on the development of science or technology.      

> The term "barricaded prejudice" comes to mind. At this point you're just being ridiculous. Awaiting further replication is sensible; implying that Bem and the journal's reviewers and editors are liars and idiots is... not.

I'm not implying that Bem and the journal's reviewers and editors are liars or idiots. I'm saying as overtly as I can that Bem and the journal's reviewers and editors are liars or idiots; and I think history will prove me correct just as it did the last time we had a similar conversation. But if you think I'm wrong this time you know how to make money off my error.

 John K Clark



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