http://www.skeptiko.com Explore controversial science with leading researchers and their critics... the leading source for intelligent skeptic-versus-believer debate... Tue, 08 May 2012 15:36:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 Explore controversial science with leading researchers and their critics. Skeptiko.com has become the leading source for intelligent skeptic-versus-believer debate with guests like: Dr. Rupert Sheldrake - Dr. Michael Shermer - Dr. Dean Radin - James Randi - Dr. Peter Fenwick - Dr. Richard Wiseman - Dr. Raymond Moody - Dr. Marilyn Schlitz - Dr. Steven Novella - Dr. Alan Wallace - Stephan A. Schwartz - Dr. Edward Kelly - Dr. Emily Kelly - Dr. Charles Tart - Dr. Julie Beischel - Dr. Elisabet Sahtouris - Dr. Carol Tavris - Dr. Michael Brooks - Dr. Susan Blackmore - Dr. James Alcock - D.J. Grothe - Ben Radford Alex Tsakiris no Alex Tsakiris alex@skeptiko.com alex@skeptiko.com (Alex Tsakiris) 2007-2009 Explore controversial science with leading researchers and their critics... the leading source for intelligent skeptic-versus-believer debate. Parapsychology, Psychic, Medium, Near, Death, Experience, Reincarnation, NDE, Skeptic, Spirituality http://www.skeptiko.com/gfx/itunes144.jpg http://www.skeptiko.com http://www.skeptiko.com/daryl-bem-responds-to-parapsychology-debunkers/ http://www.skeptiko.com/daryl-bem-responds-to-parapsychology-debunkers/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 15:36:40 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2265 http://www.skeptiko.com/daryl-bem-responds-to-parapsychology-debunkers/feed/ 12 Interview with Cornell University Professor Emeritus Dr. Daryl Bem looks at the reaction to his groundbreaking parapsychology experiments. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with noted psychology professor Dr. Daryl Bem. Interview with Cornell University Professor Emeritus Dr. Daryl Bem looks at the reaction to his groundbreaking parapsychology experiments. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with noted psychology professor Dr. Daryl Bem. During the interview Bem discusses the reaction to his research among parapsychology opponents: Alex Tsakiris: What do you think is going to happen with this latest round of debunking? The skeptics have risen up and it seems like a very well-organized, concerted effort to knock down your research. What do you think their game plan is? What do you think is going to happen? Dr. Daryl Bem: Well, I think the flurry of activity in the popular media will just sort of die down. When I look at Google News on it there are still four or five articles that pop up in which it just shows how successful Wiseman is at getting his point of view out. I have been replying to people who’ve asked me to reply to blogs and things of that sort. Without accusing him of actually being dishonest, he has now published the three studies that he and French and Ritchie tried to get published in several journals that rejected it. I replied with a comment on that. If there’s anything dishonest there, it’s when you publish an article, even if it’s of your own three experiments—they did three experiments that failed trying to replicate one of my experiments—you always have a literature review section where you talk about all the previous research and known research on the topic before you present your own data. What Wiseman never tells people is in Ritchie, Wiseman and French is that his online registry where he asked everyone to register, first of all he provided a deadline date. I don’t know of any serious researcher working on their own stuff who is going to drop everything and immediately do a replication... anyway, he and Ritchie and French published these three studies. Well, they knew that there were three other studies that had been submitted and completed and two of the three showed statistically significant results replicating my results. But you don’t know that from reading his article. That borders on dishonesty. Dr. Daryl Bem's Website Play It: Download MP3 (45 min.) Read It: Today we welcome Dr. Daryl Bem to Skeptiko. Dr. Bem is a very highly regarded social psychologist and Professor Emeritus from Cornell who created quite a stir last year with his paper, “Feeling the Future: Experimental Evidence for Anomalous Retroactive Influences on Cognition and Affect.” Alex Tsakiris: Dr. Bem, it’s a great pleasure to have you on Skeptiko. Thanks for joining me. Dr. Daryl Bem: Good to be here. Alex Tsakiris: So a lot of our audience is going to be familiar with this paper and your work but for those that are not, can you tell us a little bit about it, and in particular, why you published this little package of well-defined psi experiments the way you did? Dr. Daryl Bem: Okay. The article contains nine different experiments. About half of them are actually replications of the others because I didn’t want to publish something that I’d only one once. I wanted to make sure that at least I could reproduce them again if necessary. As the title of the article suggests, I call it “retroactive causation” or “retroactive influence.” People are more familiar with the phenomenon just under the term, “precognition,” the ability to respond to a future event that could not be anticipated by any normal inferential process that we know of. So what I did because I wanted to address my fellow academics, my colleagues particularly in social and cognitive psychology, so what I did was look through the literature of social psychology and said, “I would like to take several very familiar phenomena that social psychologists already believe in and show that I can reverse them. That is, instead of presenting the stimuli and then measuring the response, Alex Tsakiris no 40:32 http://www.skeptiko.com/169-michael-heiser-why-christians-are-skeptical-of-supernatural/ http://www.skeptiko.com/169-michael-heiser-why-christians-are-skeptical-of-supernatural/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 16:18:34 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2255 http://www.skeptiko.com/169-michael-heiser-why-christians-are-skeptical-of-supernatural/feed/ 11 Interview with biblical scholar Dr. Mike Heiser examines how many Christians approach paranormal claims from curiously skeptical perspective. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with biblical scholar and author Dr. Michael Heiser. Interview with biblical scholar Dr. Mike Heiser examines how many Christians approach paranormal claims from curiously skeptical perspective. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with biblical scholar and author Dr. Michael Heiser... Alex Tsakiris no 47:11 http://www.skeptiko.com/hoyt-edge-explore-cross-cultural-views-of-consciousness/ http://www.skeptiko.com/hoyt-edge-explore-cross-cultural-views-of-consciousness/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:00:16 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2247 http://www.skeptiko.com/hoyt-edge-explore-cross-cultural-views-of-consciousness/feed/ 5 Interview with Rollins College professor of philosophy examines what parapsychology research in other cultures tells us about consciousness. - Join Skeptiko guest host Dr. Richard Grego for an interview with Dr. Hoyt Edge, author  of, Interview with Rollins College professor of philosophy examines what parapsychology research in other cultures tells us about consciousness. Join Skeptiko guest host Dr. Richard Grego for an interview with Dr. Hoyt Edge, author  of, A Constructive Postmodern Perspective on Self and Community. During the interview Edge discusses his forst exposure to cultures with a vastly different view of consciousness and personhood: Hoyt Edge: I remember an epiphanial moment hearing about the Aboriginal worldview, the “dream time.”  All of the sudden I began to say, here’s an entirely different vocabulary.  Here’s an entirely different way of looking at the world.  And, it’s been around for forty or fifty thousand years.  As a pragmatist -- it works. Guest Host: Dr. Richard Grego Who is Dr. Hoyt Edge? Play It: Download MP3 (1:29:00 min.) Download low bandwidth version (22MB) Alex Tsakiris no 1:29:39 http://www.skeptiko.com/167-investigative-journalist-james-corbett/ http://www.skeptiko.com/167-investigative-journalist-james-corbett/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:23:53 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2242 http://www.skeptiko.com/167-investigative-journalist-james-corbett/feed/ 24 Interview with alternative media investigative journalist James Corbett examines how we know what we think we know. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with James Corbett, host of, The Corbett Report. Interview with alternative media investigative journalist James Corbett examines how we know what we think we know. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with James Corbett, host of, The Corbett Report. During the interview Corbett discu... Alex Tsakiris no 50:51 http://www.skeptiko.com/psychic-spy-joe-mcmoneagle-near-death-experience-led-to-remote-viewing/ http://www.skeptiko.com/psychic-spy-joe-mcmoneagle-near-death-experience-led-to-remote-viewing/#comments Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:59:59 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2232 http://www.skeptiko.com/psychic-spy-joe-mcmoneagle-near-death-experience-led-to-remote-viewing/feed/ 52 Interview with U.S. Army Remote Viewer Joe McMoneagle explains how his near-death experience led to being selected for the government’s psychic spy program. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Joe McMoneagle, author of, Interview with U.S. Army Remote Viewer Joe McMoneagle explains how his near-death experience led to being selected for the government’s psychic spy program. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Joe McMoneagle, author of, Memoirs of a Psychic Spy. During the interview McMoneagle discusses the origins of the government’s psychic spy program: Joe McMoneagle: We heard rumors and picked up some details about the Russians using psychics to spy on America.   It was impossible, for obvious reasons, to get an actual agent inside their program; so when faced with the possibility that our enemy is doing something that we have no ability to judge, the best way to find what their capability is, or the limits of their capability, is to emulate them. So the initial intention was to just spend three years doing that--selecting people, targeting our own people at the CIA, FBI, Secret Service, that sort of thing. That didn’t work very long because we were able to successfully recruit six people and they turned out to be very, very good at doing what we thought the Russians were doing. They were good enough that people felt that it should be operational immediately. Alex Tsakiris: Tell us about your trips to Russia and your meeting with your Russian counterparts. Were they really spying on us with psychic spies? Joe McMoneagle: In actuality, they were. They were using spies, psychic spies, to target us and target many of our agencies. In my trips to Russia and the time I spent with the directors of their program and their actual remote viewers—I call them remote viewers. They probably shouldn’t be called remote viewers because they use nothing like our protocols. They displayed some interesting capacities in many of the things that they were doing but they did things completely differently than us. They did a lot of things that we didn’t do in terms of their attempts to manipulate the paranormal area, anyway. For instance, there were some efforts I know that they spent a great deal of time in trying to manipulate or affect the decision-making of some American politicians and that sort of thing. Joe McMoneagle's Website Play It: Download MP3 (67:00 min.) Read It: Alex Tsakiris: Today we’re joined by one of the world’s leading experts on remote viewing. Joe McMoneagle was psychic spy #001 for the U.S.’s Stargate Project that began at the Stanford Research Institute in the ‘70s. Joe was also a near-death experiencer and author of several books, including Mind Trek: Exploring Consciousness, Time and Space Through Remote Viewing, and Memoirs of a Psychic Spy: The Remarkable Life of U.S. Remote Viewer 001. Welcome, Joe, and thanks for joining me today on Skeptiko. Joe McMoneagle: I’m glad to be here. Thank you. Alex Tsakiris: You know, there are so many big picture topics that we could get into given your background that I hardly know where to start. I mean, you’re a military man and a soldier who spied on the enemy to advance our national interests. But at the same time you’re a man with this extraordinary spiritual experience that you had to reintegrate back into your life—this NDE that you had. Most people know, of course, that you’re a psychic, which you say remote viewers are psychic so you’re psychic. Not that you are “a psychic” but you’re psychic. But then you also have these spontaneous out-of-body experiences that I think people would just find fascinating. I don’t know how much we’ll be able to get to but I’m excited to jump into it. Where I thought we’d start is with this military background, so one thing that jumped out at me—here you are in the middle of the Vietnam War and you’re a college student and you decide to join the Army. Why? Joe McMoneagle: That’s a really good question. Actually I was going to go to college. I was accepted at the University of Miami and I went and bought all my books and registered for my classes and everything. Alex Tsakiris no 1:06:53 http://www.skeptiko.com/165-dr-caroline-watt-defends-there-is-nothing-paranormal-about-near-death-experiences/ http://www.skeptiko.com/165-dr-caroline-watt-defends-there-is-nothing-paranormal-about-near-death-experiences/#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:02:09 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2223 http://www.skeptiko.com/165-dr-caroline-watt-defends-there-is-nothing-paranormal-about-near-death-experiences/feed/ 260 Interview with Parapsychology researcher Dr. Caroline Watt explains why, despite criticism, she maintains, “there is nothing paranormal about near-death experiences.” - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with University of Edinburgh pro... Interview with Parapsychology researcher Dr. Caroline Watt explains why, despite criticism, she maintains, “there is nothing paranormal about near-death experiences.” Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with University of Edinburgh professor Dr. Caroline Watt, co-author of, There is nothing paranormal about near-death experiences: how neuroscience can explain seeing bright lights, meeting the dead, or being convinced you are one of them. During the interview Watt discusses her research into near-death experiences: Alex Tsakiris: The other thing that upset me about the paper was the way it was picked up by so many science publications; Scientific America, NPR, BBC, Discovery, Discovery News. It’s not a strong paper. Yet, it gets echoed back through the mainstream science media as some kind of breakthrough about near-death experiences. Even though it directly contradicts all the leading researchers in the NDE field. Dr. Caroline Watt: The leading researchers in the NDE field may publish their papers and have them reported as well. It’s an open forum. If it says something interesting, then it will be reported.  Everybody can have a say. It’s not like I have some kind of privileged access. Alex Tsakiris: I’m not suggesting that. I’m saying that what gets picked up and perpetuated through the science media is reflective of the current position, even if that position isn’t supported by the best data. I’m saying your paper got traction even though there’s not a lot behind it. I’m saying you cited references incorrectly.  And you referenced skeptics like Dr. Susan Blackmore who admits to not being current in the field. Dr. Caroline Watt: As I said, it was intended to be a provocative piece. It’s not claiming to be balanced. The paper, if it wasn’t limited to two or three pages, I could have dealt more thoroughly with many different aspects because there’s more to near-death experiences then the dying brain hypothesis. It would have been a longer and more in-depth paper, but that wasn’t the paper that we wrote. Dr. Caroline Watt Play It: Download MP3 (64:00 min.) Read It: Alex Tsakiris: Today we welcome Dr. Caroline Watt to Skeptiko. Dr. Watt is a founding member of the Parapsychology Unit at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and has taught and researched parapsychology for 25 years. She is well published in the field, many peer review journals, and is also the author of the most popular textbook in parapsychology, An Introduction to Parapsychology. If we can add to all that, we can also mention that she has also served as a president and board member of the Parapsychological Association. Dr. Watt, it’s a great pleasure to have you on Skeptiko. Thanks for joining me today. Dr. Caroline Watt: Thanks, very much, for inviting me Alex. Alex Tsakiris: Caroline, you are well known within the parapsychology community. For those folks who don’t know much about your background, can you tell us a little about how you got started in the field, and maybe some of the highlights of your research, if you will? Dr. Caroline Watt: Sure. I did my undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. There we had no teaching at all in parapsychology, but we had a final exam called Contemporary Issues where in the degree exam, we were supposed to answer questions about new developments in the field of psychology. That was way back in 1984, just when the Koestler Chair was starting up in Edinburgh. Because there had been a lot of press interest in the Koestler Chair, one of my teachers set a question in the exam about the Koestler Chair, and I answered it. That was my first formal contact with parapsychology. The question was: You are applying to be the new professor at the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology at Edinburgh University. Outline what research program you might follow. Alex Tsakiris: There’s some foreshadowing. Dr. Caroline Watt: Yes, indeed. Alex Tsakiris no 1:03:39 http://www.skeptiko.com/there-is-nothing-paranormal-about-near-death-experiences-jan-holden-disagrees/ http://www.skeptiko.com/there-is-nothing-paranormal-about-near-death-experiences-jan-holden-disagrees/#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:41:10 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2211 http://www.skeptiko.com/there-is-nothing-paranormal-about-near-death-experiences-jan-holden-disagrees/feed/ 177 Interview with NDE researcher Dr. Jan Holden unravels the claim, “there is nothing paranormal about near-death experiences.” - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with University of North Texas professor, Dr. Jan Holden, co-author of, Interview with NDE researcher Dr. Jan Holden unravels the claim, “there is nothing paranormal about near-death experiences.” Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with University of North Texas professor, Dr. Jan Holden, co-author of, Th... Alex Tsakiris no 56:09 http://www.skeptiko.com/physician-ian-rubenstein-encounters-spirit-communication/ http://www.skeptiko.com/physician-ian-rubenstein-encounters-spirit-communication/#comments Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:50:45 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2189 http://www.skeptiko.com/physician-ian-rubenstein-encounters-spirit-communication/feed/ 47 Interview with London physician Dr. Ian Rubenstein reveals how one doctor's encounter with psychic phenomena led to Spiritualist Church mediumship. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Ian Rubenstein author of, Interview with London physician Dr. Ian Rubenstein reveals how one doctor's encounter with psychic phenomena led to Spiritualist Church mediumship. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Ian Rubenstein author of, CONSULTING SPIRIT: A Doctor's Experience with Practical Mediumship. During the interview Rubenstein discusses how he struggled to understand his psychic abilities: Alex Tsakiris: What you seem to be contrasting is a materialistic, medical paradigm that says there is none of this; this cannot happen. There is no way that the consciousness survives death. There is no way that spirits can influence us. That, I think, is what you’re really butting up against, and yet you seem to give that a lot more weight then I think it deserves in this case, especially given, (1) your personal experience and, (2) the research that you’ve done to see that there’s data to support it. Why do we have to stay with the materialistic paradigm? It doesn’t seem to work. Dr. Ian Rubenstein: I think you’re looking at a guy struggling with this. I don’t come from a religious background at all. I’m a non-practicing, left-wing, Jewish background. All my family was, you could say, very anti-religious. I’m not a religious guy. Spirituality is not new to me. I’m as affected by new-age stuff as much as everybody else, but it’s not native to my culture and background, and certainly not to my education. Western rationalist education is all pervading; it colors the way you see the world. It’s there, and I’m dealing with this every day. At medical school, you were taught how to think. You have to think critically. You do not trust your instinct. Every doctor knows that instinct is very important, and you get a feel for it, but you’re not trained in this. One of the things I develop in my book is that I found that training as a medium, having had all these experiences and then ending up sitting in a spiritualist circle, I actually found that you can train your intuition, that you can to some extent trust it, and it’s very useful. I now use it much more in my consultations. Of course, a skeptic would say, “You know, Ian, you’re an experienced doctor. You’ve been a family physician for 28 years. You’ve been a doctor for 34 years. Maybe this is just ordinary stuff.” I don’t know. Ian's book: Consulting Spirit Play It: Download MP3 (46:00 min.) Read It: Alex Tsakiris: Today we welcome Dr. Ian Rubenstein to Skeptiko. Dr. Rubenstein is a general practitioner in London who’s written a fascinating book titled, Consulting Spirit: A Doctor’s Experience with Practical Mediumship. Welcome to Skeptiko, Ian, and thanks for joining me. Dr. Ian Rubenstein: Thanks, Alex. Alex Tsakiris: I guess that’s a question I want to come back to; what do you do with it? In your book, Consulting Spirit, what you do is chronicle this journey that this initial experience in your office sent you on. What I found particularly interesting about the book is the people that you meet along the way.   You do more than I think most of us would have done. What was your thought process in going for this? Just saying, “I have to see where this leads.” You chronicle how you’re able to meet some of the folks you do, like spiritual healers, and medium researchers like Gary Schwartz.   Dr. Ian Rubenstein: Absolutely. It was almost as if someone, I don’t know who, took me by the hand and said, “Okay, Ian. I’m going to lead you through this world,” bearing in mind I knew very little about it.   Having had that first experience with a Ouija board, I think I was very lucky to have a second experience when I was 19 and in my first year at medical school, which I perhaps ought to mention, because it maybe explains why I was a bit open-minded to it than otherwise.   At the time, my sister and I witnessed what is spiritually called transfiguration. I don’t know if you know what that is, but spiritualists believe, Alex Tsakiris no 46:02 http://www.skeptiko.com/162-university-of-chicago-biology-professor-jerry-coyne-fails-history/ http://www.skeptiko.com/162-university-of-chicago-biology-professor-jerry-coyne-fails-history/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:18:28 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2175 http://www.skeptiko.com/162-university-of-chicago-biology-professor-jerry-coyne-fails-history/feed/ 197 Interview with historian and Alfred Russell Wallace scholar challenges evolutionary biologist, Dr. Jerry Coyne. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Professor Michael Flannery, author of, Alfred Russel Wallace: A Rediscovered Life. Interview with historian and Alfred Russell Wallace scholar challenges evolutionary biologist, Dr. Jerry Coyne. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Professor Michael Flannery, author of, Alfred Russel Wallace: A Rediscovered Life.... Alex Tsakiris no 20:31 http://www.skeptiko.com/161-outspoken-atheist-jerry-coyne/ http://www.skeptiko.com/161-outspoken-atheist-jerry-coyne/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:40:33 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2163 http://www.skeptiko.com/161-outspoken-atheist-jerry-coyne/feed/ 100 Interview with University of Chicago professor and author of, Why Evolution is True,  Dr. Jerry Coyne. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Jerry Coyne, author of, Why Evolution is True.  During the interview Dr. Interview with University of Chicago professor and author of, Why Evolution is True,  Dr. Jerry Coyne. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Jerry Coyne, author of, Why Evolution is True.  During the interview Dr. Coyne discusse... Alex Tsakiris no 58:28 http://www.skeptiko.com/160-christof-koch-consciousness-and-near-death-experience-research/ http://www.skeptiko.com/160-christof-koch-consciousness-and-near-death-experience-research/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:45:46 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2156 http://www.skeptiko.com/160-christof-koch-consciousness-and-near-death-experience-research/feed/ 94 Interview with Cal Tech professor and author of the upcoming, Consciousness: Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist,  Dr. Christof Koch. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Christof Koch, author of, Interview with Cal Tech professor and author of the upcoming, Consciousness: Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist,  Dr. Christof Koch. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Christof Koch, author of, Consciousness: Confessions ... Alex Tsakiris no 46:39 http://www.skeptiko.com/stanton-friedman-on-extended-human-consciousness-and-mind-control/ http://www.skeptiko.com/stanton-friedman-on-extended-human-consciousness-and-mind-control/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:48:51 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2149 http://www.skeptiko.com/stanton-friedman-on-extended-human-consciousness-and-mind-control/feed/ 12 UFO researcher sees evidence of telepathy in the accounts of UFO witnesses. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Stanton Friedman, author of Science Was Wrong.  During the interview Friedman discusses the implications of his resear... UFO researcher sees evidence of telepathy in the accounts of UFO witnesses. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Stanton Friedman, author of Science Was Wrong.  During the interview Friedman discusses the implications of his resear... Alex Tsakiris no 49:52 http://www.skeptiko.com/bernardo-kastrup-consciousness-research/ http://www.skeptiko.com/bernardo-kastrup-consciousness-research/#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:04:21 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2108 http://www.skeptiko.com/bernardo-kastrup-consciousness-research/feed/ 41 Author and scientist sees pattern of decreased brain activity during peak experiences. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Bernardo Kastrup, author of Meaning in Absurdity.  During the interview Kastrup discusses his beliefs a... Author and scientist sees pattern of decreased brain activity during peak experiences. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Bernardo Kastrup, author of Meaning in Absurdity.  During the interview Kastrup discusses his beliefs a... Alex Tsakiris no 48:15 http://www.skeptiko.com/spirit-medium-skeptical-of-reincarnation/ http://www.skeptiko.com/spirit-medium-skeptical-of-reincarnation/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:22:39 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2102 http://www.skeptiko.com/spirit-medium-skeptical-of-reincarnation/feed/ 50 Psychotherapist and Medium claims communication with spirits reveals no reincarnation. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with August Goforth, author of The Risen.  During the interview Goforth discusses his beliefs about reincarnatio... Psychotherapist and Medium claims communication with spirits reveals no reincarnation. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with August Goforth, author of The Risen.  During the interview Goforth discusses his beliefs about reincarnatio... Alex Tsakiris no 28:41 http://www.skeptiko.com/156-robert-kuhn-skeptical-of-near-death-experience-science/ http://www.skeptiko.com/156-robert-kuhn-skeptical-of-near-death-experience-science/#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:20:04 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2095 http://www.skeptiko.com/156-robert-kuhn-skeptical-of-near-death-experience-science/feed/ 46 Interview with Dr. Robert Kuhn reveals why he’s reluctant to accept evidence for near-death experience (NDE) science. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Robert Kuhn, host of popular television show Closer to Truth. Interview with Dr. Robert Kuhn reveals why he’s reluctant to accept evidence for near-death experience (NDE) science. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Robert Kuhn, host of popular television show Closer to Truth.  During the interview Kuhn discusses the evidence for survival of consciousness after death: Alex Tsakiris: Let’s talk about survival of consciousness a little bit -- life after death -- and in particular near-death experience research. It’s a topic we’ve covered a lot on this show.  If there’s consciousness with no brain, then the mind/body debate is really over. Why isn’t this an area you’ve dug into? Dr. Robert Kuhn: That’s a legitimate question and obviously we’ve touched on it because we do deal with life after death in terms of the religious expressions of it. So that’s something I can focus on, because it’s not a question of physical fact as NDE would be, which I am very skeptical of. Alex Tsakiris: Who would be someone you would point to as being an NDE skeptic? Dr. Robert Kuhn: To me, the number of people would be legion. The burden of proof is on the other side. Alex Tsakiris: The burden of proof of what? The NDE evidence is pretty clear.  For example when they’ve studied this in the cardiac ward they know there’s no brain electrical activity and yet there’s this conscious NDE experience. I mean, that’s really the crux of the mind/body issue. Dr. Robert Kuhn: I would find that not compelling at all if that’s the evidence. Alex Tsakiris: What do you mean? Dr. Robert Kuhn: I personally believe that there is more likely than not a need for something beyond the material world as we understand it today to explain consciousness and mind. I would not, though, use as evidence for that the existence of the NDE. Closer to Truth Website Play It: Download MP3 (41:00 min.) Read It: Alex Tsakiris: Let’s talk about survival a little bit. Life after death. It’s a topic we’ve covered a lot on this show because the evidence for it really cuts to the core of this argument we’ve just been talking about. If there’s consciousness when there’s no brain, then it’s really debate over. And that, of course, brings… Dr. Robert Kuhn: Well, I don’t necessarily agree with that but to be very rigorous in the analysis it does not follow that if there is more to consciousness than the brain, it does not follow that there has to be a guaranteed life after death. It can follow; it is not excluded, of course. It is a fact in that direction… Alex Tsakiris: Let me be clear. What I was saying is that if there’s consciousness with no brain, then the mind/body debate is really over because you don’t have a body anymore and you do still have a mind. That debate is over. I agree with you; survival of a personal consciousness that exists, reincarnation and all the rest, is a whole other leap as you said that requires some gaps. But I think the topic that we’ve dug into because it directly addresses these issues is the near-death experience. I was very interested to read a blog post of yours titled, “Is There Life After Death?” If I can, I want to read you a quote from that and chat about it a little bit. You say, “As for NDEs, I’ve never given the claims credence. They seem more like stress-induced brain physiology caused by lack of oxygen or other such chemical insults or trauma brought about by whatever has caused the near-death in the first place.” Tell me about that because I’ve got to tell you, I’ve interviewed some of the world’s leading NDE researchers, physicians, researchers at leading universities, and boy, none of them are saying that. It seems to me like all the evidence points in the other direction. So tell me what you’re thinking there. Dr. Robert Kuhn: Well, I don’t claim to be an expert. I’ve not done any personal research myself, but from what I’ve observed and from my knowledge of brain science in general, Alex Tsakiris no 41:06 http://www.skeptiko.com/buddhist-meditation-teacher-shinzen-young-on-god/ http://www.skeptiko.com/buddhist-meditation-teacher-shinzen-young-on-god/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:59:22 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2088 http://www.skeptiko.com/buddhist-meditation-teacher-shinzen-young-on-god/feed/ 19 Interview with Buddhist meditation teacher Shinzen Young explores different views of God. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Buddhist meditation teacher Shinzen Young.  During the interview Shinzen discusses letting go of our sim... Interview with Buddhist meditation teacher Shinzen Young explores different views of God. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Buddhist meditation teacher Shinzen Young.  During the interview Shinzen discusses letting go of our sim... Alex Tsakiris no 46:32 http://www.skeptiko.com/154-neurosurgeon-dr-eben-alexander-near-death-experience/ http://www.skeptiko.com/154-neurosurgeon-dr-eben-alexander-near-death-experience/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:57:16 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2062 http://www.skeptiko.com/154-neurosurgeon-dr-eben-alexander-near-death-experience/feed/ 211 Interview reveals how a near-death experience changed everything neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander thought he knew about consciousness, spirituality, and life after death. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with neurosurgeon Dr. Interview reveals how a near-death experience changed everything neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander thought he knew about consciousness, spirituality, and life after death. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander.  During the interview Dr. Alexander discusses letting go of our simplistic view of consciousness: Alex Tsakiris: Can we really then hope to get out of the consciousness loop that we’re in now? Or is there something fundamental to the way that we’re constructed that’s going to keep us limited in how much we can really? Dr. Eben Alexander: What I think is going to happen is that science and spirituality, which will be mainly be an acknowledgement of the profound nature of our consciousness, will grow closer and closer together. One thing that we will have to let go of is this kind of addiction to simplistic, primitive reductive materialism because there’s really no way that I can see a reductive materialist model coming remotely in the right ballpark to explain what we really know about consciousness now. Coming from a neurosurgeon who, before my coma, thought I was quite certain how the brain and the mind interacted and it was clear to me that there were many things I could do or see done on my patients and it would eliminate consciousness. It was very clear in that realm that the brain gives you consciousness and everything else and when the brain dies there goes consciousness, soul, mind—it’s all gone. And it was clear. Now, having been through my coma, I can tell you that’s exactly wrong and that in fact the mind and consciousness are independent of the brain. It’s very hard to explain that, certainly if you’re limiting yourself to that reductive materialist view. Dr. Eben Alexander's Website Play It: Download MP3 (52:00 min.) Read It: Today we welcome Dr. Eben Alexander to Skeptiko. Dr. Alexander has been an academic neurosurgeon for more than 25 years, including 15 years at Harvard Medical School in Boston. In November of 2008, he had a near-death experience that changed his life and caused him to rethink everything he thought he knew about the human brain and consciousness. Dr. Alexander, welcome to Skeptiko. Dr. Eben Alexander: Thank you. It’s good to be here. Alex Tsakiris: Well, your story is really quite amazing. For those who haven’t heard of it and aren’t aware of what you went through, do you want to tell us a little bit about your experience? Dr. Eben Alexander: Yes. It really struck out of the blue. I’d been quite healthy up until that time. In fact, I was in reasonably good shape because my older son had been putting me through a big workout, anticipating a climb of a 20,000 foot volcano in South America. Alex Tsakiris: Wow. Dr. Eben Alexander: Luckily I was in pretty good shape. At 4:30 in the morning, November 10, 2008, I got out of bed. I was getting ready to go up to work. I was working in Charlottesville at the time and I had severe sudden back pain, much worse than I had ever experienced. Literally within 10 or 15 minutes, it got me to a point where I could not even take a step. I was really in tremendous agony. My wife, Holly, was rubbing my back. Then my younger son, Bond, came in and saw I was in a lot of distress and he started rubbing my temples. I realized when he did that that I had a severe headache. It was like he took a railroad spike and put it through my head. But I was already really going down very quickly. I didn’t know it at the time. I found out much later that I had acute bacterial meningitis and it was a very unusual bacteria. One that the incidence of spontaneous E. coli meningitis in adults in the U.S. is about 1 in 10 million per year. So it’s really rare. We never found out where it came from. But at any rate, it was in about 2 to 2-1/2 hours it drove me deep down and in fact, my last words really were to my wife, “Don’t call 911. Trust me, I’m a doctor.” Alex Tsakiris no 51:37 http://www.skeptiko.com/skepticality-hosts-skeptiko-blake-smith-ben-radford-karen-stolznow/ http://www.skeptiko.com/skepticality-hosts-skeptiko-blake-smith-ben-radford-karen-stolznow/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:38:25 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2039 http://www.skeptiko.com/skepticality-hosts-skeptiko-blake-smith-ben-radford-karen-stolznow/feed/ 54 Skeptics and Beliver square off in a discussion about Skepticism, science and some controversial past Skeptiko interviews. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for a discussion with Monster Talk podcast hosts Blake Smith, Ben Radford, and Karen Stollznow. Skeptics and Beliver square off in a discussion about Skepticism, science and some controversial past Skeptiko interviews. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for a discussion with Monster Talk podcast hosts Blake Smith, Ben Radford, and Karen Stollznow.  This episode is also published on the Skepticality podcast. Monster Talk Podcast Website Play It: Download MP3 (109:00 min.) Alex Tsakiris no 1:49:11 http://www.skeptiko.com/near-death-experience-after-effects-atwater/ http://www.skeptiko.com/near-death-experience-after-effects-atwater/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:32:28 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2030 http://www.skeptiko.com/near-death-experience-after-effects-atwater/feed/ 19 Long-time NDE researchers and author P.M.H. Atwater reveals what she’s learned from the nearly 4,000 near-death experieners she’s studied. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with NDE researcher and author, P.M.H. Atwater. Long-time NDE researchers and author P.M.H. Atwater reveals what she’s learned from the nearly 4,000 near-death experieners she’s studied. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with NDE researcher and author, P.M.H. Atwater.  During the interview Atwater discusses the after-effects associated with NDEs: Alex Tsakiris: Once we accept that near-death experience science overwhelmingly suggests that consciousness, in some way that we don’t understand, survives bodily death, I think you make a very good point about looking beyond NDEs at the broad range of spiritual experiences and trying to somehow understanding how they all fit together. PMH Atwater: What I always look for is the pattern of after-effects, how that affects the individual’s life, how long-lasting is that, how that affects the lives of others. It’s always the after-effects. I spend a lot of time in the book on after-effects, both with adults and children. On the physiological end, there are definitive changes to the brain/mind assembly, to the nervous system, to the digestive system, and skin sensitivity. P.M.H. Atwater's Website Play It: Download MP3 (39:00 min.) Read It: We’re joined today by NDE researcher and NDE experiencer, PMH Atwater. PMH, thanks for joining me today on Skeptiko. PMH Atwater: It’s my privilege. Alex Tsakiris: A lot of folks will recognize your name. You’re certainly one of the leading NDE researchers and have been for a long time. You have a new book out called, Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of the Story. I want to talk about that book but I first want to talk about a couple other things. Let’s start with a little bit of background. I was amazed, I guess, in just the sheer number of NDE accounts that you’ve carefully recorded in your research. It’s over 4,000. Is that correct? PMH Atwater: Nearly 4,000. Alex Tsakiris: These are pretty in-depth, careful interviews that you do with these people. PMH Atwater: They’re not just interviews. I want to be clear about that. I call it “having sessions,” because I don’t ask interview questions. I say very little, that is to say to lead the person on and to telling me whatever they want to tell me. But then I spend a lot of time watching them and studying them as they speak. If anybody walks by, does that change their tone or what they’re saying? If a loved one is near, does that alter their response in any way? So I’m doing a lot of observation work. Alex Tsakiris: Yeah, that’s fascinating. It’s obviously a very wise methodology to follow and I’m glad that you’re explaining how careful you are in doing that. I guess even that becomes so complicated because there are two aspects of this. There’s the aspect that this is a profound spiritual experience for a lot of folks, this near-death experience. But the other aspect of it is that I think a lot of folks, as you explain in your book, feel some very mixed feelings about coming out and being public about this because they know that there’s still a certain stigma attached with talking about such a strange experience. So I have even more appreciation for this careful process you go through in working with these folks. PMH Atwater: Yeah, well, just call me obsessed. [Laughs] Yeah, it’s a magnificent obsession, I guess. My husband calls me “the monk in the monastery.” My office is in the basement of our home so when I go over my data and think and what-have-you, I am the monk in the monastery. I am. I truly am. I will not know what time of day it is, who I am, who you are; all I’ll know is what I’m doing. I have that kind of a laser focus. Alex Tsakiris: Well, that’s going to make it even more intriguing to dip into this article that recently came out and caught my attention. It was a rebuttal, a reply that you wrote to an article that appeared in a Scientific American. The title of the article, written by this guy named Steven Chu, who--by the way, Alex Tsakiris no 39:20 http://www.skeptiko.com/151-science-journalist-ben-radford-believes-psychic-detective/ http://www.skeptiko.com/151-science-journalist-ben-radford-believes-psychic-detective/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:30:27 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2025 http://www.skeptiko.com/151-science-journalist-ben-radford-believes-psychic-detective/feed/ 21 How reliable is the reporting of science journalists who are also part of the "Skeptical community"? Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for a review of his work investigating psychic detectives: - Alex Tsakiris: A couple of years ago, How reliable is the reporting of science journalists who are also part of the "Skeptical community"? Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for a review of his work investigating psychic detectives: Alex Tsakiris: A couple of years ago, I did a fairly lengthy investigation of psychic detective case with Ben Radford.  It’s taken two years, but next week I’m going to have a chance to do an interview with Ben Radford again, and hopefully close the loop on some of that work that we did. Background on this case: 78. Psychic Detective, Noreen Renier and Skepticality Response 69: Psychic Detective Smackdown, Ben Radford 58. Psychic Detectives and Police 57. The Psychic Detective Challenge Play It: Download MP3 (15:00 min.) Read It: Welcome to Skeptiko, where we explore controversial science with leading researchers, thinkers, and their critics. I’m your host, Alex Tsakiris, and on today’s episode we’re going to look at a topic that I haven’t touched on in quite some time, and that is psychic detective work. The idea, of course, of psychics and law enforcement working together to solve crimes. In particular, we’re going to focus on how that work is reported in the media. Hey, by the way, what do you think of the title of this episode? The title again is “Science Journalist Ben Radford Believes Psychic Detective.” Let me tell you how I put that together. See, I took the first part, which is true—Ben Radford is a science journalist, so I took that, Ben Radford, science journalist. And then I took the part that I wished was true, “Believes Psychic Detective,” and I added that onto the end and I got a good title. A title that I wanted. Now, of course, some of you would object to a title like this because if you’ve ever heard Ben Radford or read much of what he’s written in various science sites, then you know that he’s a hard-core skeptic. He’s a guy that goes out of his way to debunk these psychic detectives. Hey, but then again it’s been shown that 87% of what these skeptical science journalists generate is just plain wrong. Okay. I don’t know if that’s really true. I just kind of made that figure up. I mean, it sure feels true to me, but I don’t know if it’s really true. And for those of you who have listened to this show for a long time, you might have figured out by now what I’m really getting at here. See, a couple of years ago, I did a fairly lengthy investigation of psychic detective work with Ben Radford. It’s taken a while. It’s taken two years, but you know, next week I’m going to have a chance to do an interview with Ben Radford again, and hopefully close the loop on some of that work that we did. In advance of doing that, I wanted to kind of reintroduce you to the work that we did back then because I think it really paints a broader picture of some of the problems that we’ve talked about on this show. Really, it points back to the big picture change that we’ve made on this show in terms of saying, “Hey, you know what? It’s not about the data. It’s about all the other stuff other than the data.” I know that’s a little abstract, so let me bring it down to a concrete example here, with this case that I did with Ben Radford. After spending a good month and hours and hours of interviews with police detectives, who you’ll hear in a minute, and the psychic herself, who you’ll hear in a minute, and presenting this information to Ben in the most concrete, straightforward way, we were then faced with Ben turning around and completely misrepresenting—directly misrepresenting—what was said by the detectives in another broadcast. I think what that really calls into question is this broader issue of who can we trust? Can we trust the gatekeepers of science, the self-appointed gatekeepers of science, who are the skeptical science journalists like Ben Radford? So with that as a bit of an introduction, let me replay for you one of the points that was raised during this long, drawn-out, Alex Tsakiris no 15:02 http://www.skeptiko.com/150-dream-interpretation-a-spiritual-journey-says-lucid-dream-expert-robert-waggoner/ http://www.skeptiko.com/150-dream-interpretation-a-spiritual-journey-says-lucid-dream-expert-robert-waggoner/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:08:04 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=2017 http://www.skeptiko.com/150-dream-interpretation-a-spiritual-journey-says-lucid-dream-expert-robert-waggoner/feed/ 15 Lucid dreaming expert Robert Waggoner explains how to become aware of our dreams while we’re dreaming, and how paranormal dreams can lead to a journey of self-discovery. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with author, Lucid dreaming expert Robert Waggoner explains how to become aware of our dreams while we’re dreaming, and how paranormal dreams can lead to a journey of self-discovery. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with author, and lucid dream ... Alex Tsakiris no 47:41 http://www.skeptiko.com/how-many-dinosaurs-fit-on-noah-ark/ http://www.skeptiko.com/how-many-dinosaurs-fit-on-noah-ark/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:13:27 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1967 http://www.skeptiko.com/how-many-dinosaurs-fit-on-noah-ark/feed/ 46 Professor Michael Flannery explains how the theory of evolution was hijacked, and why Alfred Russel Wallace had it right all along. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with author, historian and evolution theory expert, Professor Michael Flannery explains how the theory of evolution was hijacked, and why Alfred Russel Wallace had it right all along. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with author, historian and evolution theory expert, Professor Micha... Alex Tsakiris no 53:05 http://www.skeptiko.com/satanist-winter-laake-honest-about-facing-death/ http://www.skeptiko.com/satanist-winter-laake-honest-about-facing-death/#comments Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:07:08 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1959 http://www.skeptiko.com/satanist-winter-laake-honest-about-facing-death/feed/ 27 Author and Satanist Winter Laake explains how his experiences with the occult have shaped his views on life and the afterlife. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Winter Laake author of, The Satanic Paradigm. Author and Satanist Winter Laake explains how his experiences with the occult have shaped his views on life and the afterlife. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Winter Laake author of, The Satanic Paradigm. During the interview Laake discusses the hypocrisy of Christianity and Satanism: Alex Tsakiris: I want to venture into is something that you alluded to when you were talking about the failed proposition that is Christianity, at least from your view, and the hypocrisy of it -- the emphasis on self-denial that gets in the way of personal freedoms and self-development. But I wondered, can’t some of those same problems be reflected back on Satanic practices? So, even if you practiced Satanism, and you try and live for the moment, or live for yourself, you’re going to die. You’re probably going to get sick and die. No one escapes that. Crowley didn’t escape that; Anton LaVey didn’t escape that. In the end, we all face the same fate.  So aren’t there some of the same contradictions that we see in Christianity? Winter Laake: It does in a sense, and that is where I feel that a lot of scientists are now trying to even break that foothold. They’re seeking singularity which is coming by about 2040 or 20/50 where it will be plausible to not die. I think we will see it in our lifetime. But yes, the hypocrisy exists probably even more so in any Satanic or occult practices. To a lot of people it’s a phase they’re going through. They are very destructive and dangerous people, some of them. They are not nice people. Christians can be pretty ruthless, too, but Satanic practitioners on different levels can be very, very dangerous. Probably more so than Christians.  A lot of Satanists don’t like to say that. They want to glaze it over and say, “oh, we’re all nice and get along,” but that’s not necessarily the truth. There’s a lot of hatred. There’s a lot of anger that’s self-created. I personally don’t have that. I have a Mephistophelian kind of concept of where I’m at with things. But yes, hypocrisy is alive and well. It’s in our nature. I think people are a summation of their decisions and I think if they make the asserted effort that they can achieve anything they wish. Winter Laake's Facebook Page Play it: Download MP3 (48:00 min.) Read it: Alex Tsakiris: Today’s guest is a successful author, a consultant on Hollywood horror films. He’s also a psychic and sometimes psychic detective. But Winter Laake is best known through his association with the occult, black magic, witchcraft, and Satanism. Winter, thanks for joining me today on Skeptiko. Winter Laake: Thank you. Alex Tsakiris: As I was just mentioning a minute ago, it’s great to have you on. It’s exciting because I think some of the ways that you approach some of the same topics we’ve been talking about is quite unique and quite interesting for our audience. So let’s start though, with some of the basics that certainly won’t be basics for a lot of people. What is Satanism? What is a little bit about your book, The Satanic Paradigm, and how does this all fit in the larger context of what we often call “the occult?” Winter Laake: Satanism is a huge topic that engulfs many different arenas. You have the antiquity dating back to the Hellfire Club, which were basically practicing Satanists and before, even going into medieval ages and probably since the dawn of man. Mankind, in my opinion, is inherently evil and they are going against their nature by trying to pretend or put a face on that they’re good. Alex Tsakiris: Whenever you talk about evil, now you’re getting into this duality of good and bad that is so much a part of the religious paradigm that you kind of were alluding to. And yet at the same time, one of the things that intrigues me with what I’ve encountered about Satanism is this pull for materialism, as well. So I read Anton LaVey, who maybe you want to tell folks a little bit about, Alex Tsakiris no 48:00 http://www.skeptiko.com/can-out-of-body-experiences-explain-god/ http://www.skeptiko.com/can-out-of-body-experiences-explain-god/#comments Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:10:44 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1916 http://www.skeptiko.com/can-out-of-body-experiences-explain-god/feed/ 25 OBE expert Graham Nicholls explains how his out of body experiences have led him to an understanding of the spiritual. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Graham Nicholls author of, Avenues of the Human Spirit. OBE expert Graham Nicholls explains how his out of body experiences have led him to an understanding of the spiritual. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Graham Nicholls author of, Avenues of the Human Spirit. During the intervie... Alex Tsakiris no 57:00 http://www.skeptiko.com/146-paranormal-podcast-host-jim-harold/ http://www.skeptiko.com/146-paranormal-podcast-host-jim-harold/#comments Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:12:35 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1908 http://www.skeptiko.com/146-paranormal-podcast-host-jim-harold/feed/ 8 Jim Harold explains why mainstream media outlets stick to conventional “giggle factor” reports of the paranormal. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with author, and host of the Paranormal Podcast, Jim Harold. Jim Harold explains why mainstream media outlets stick to conventional “giggle factor” reports of the paranormal. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with author, and host of the Paranormal Podcast, Jim Harold.  During the interview Ha... Alex Tsakiris no 36:30 http://www.skeptiko.com/stanley-krippner-lends-scientific-weight-to-paranormal-dreams/ http://www.skeptiko.com/stanley-krippner-lends-scientific-weight-to-paranormal-dreams/#comments Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:32:45 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1754 http://www.skeptiko.com/stanley-krippner-lends-scientific-weight-to-paranormal-dreams/feed/ 31 Professor of Psychology and well-respected researcher Dr. Stanley Krippner explains how his research supports the reality of precognitive dreams. - Join Skeptiko guest host and paranormal dream expert Andy Paquette for an interview with legendary psyc... Professor of Psychology and well-respected researcher Dr. Stanley Krippner explains how his research supports the reality of precognitive dreams. Join Skeptiko guest host and paranormal dream expert Andy Paquette for an interview with legendary psychology researcher Dr. Stanley Krippner..  During the interview Dr. Krippner discusses whether or not the evidence for paranormal dreaming is well established: Andy Paquette: You’ve been studying dreams for the most part for the majority of your career. Do you feel that the case for precognitive dreaming is proven? Dr. Stanley Krippner: No, I don’t think anything in science is proven. Science is always open-ended. There’s always a chance of revising scientific theory based on new data. Andy Paquette: Of course, that would work both ways, as well, wouldn’t it? So what you’d really be talking about is what does the currently available information indicate? Dr. Stanley Krippner: That’s right. Andy Paquette: And in your case, from what you’ve seen, what do you think the currently available information indicates? Dr. Stanley Krippner: I think you can make a strong case for precognitive dreams. Stanley Krippner's Website Play it: Download MP3 (35:00 min.) Read it: Alex Tsakiris: Today we’re joined by Andy Paquette, who is a former Skeptiko guest and is also the author of Dreamer: 20 Years of Psychic Dreams and How They Changed My Life. Now, Andy is joining us today because he recently attended the 2011 Study of Dreams Conference in The Netherlands, where he was also a presenter. While he was there he was nice enough to snag a couple of interviews for us and he’s here to share them with us. So Andy, welcome and tell us what you’ve been up to. Andy Paquette: I just got back from  a few very beautiful, sunny days in Kerkrade, which is a little tiny town in The Netherlands that basically has as its centerpiece this enormous old monastery that I think was built about 1,000 or 1,100 years ago or something like that, where we had the IASD Conference. It was the first time I’d ever been there and one of the things I wanted to do, if for no other reason but just to see what would come of it, was to see if I ran into anyone who agreed to being interviewed for Skeptiko that I happened to think might be interesting to interview for Skeptiko. And as a result of being there and having things to do and not having things to do at certain times, I finally ran into a couple guys who I thought were worth interviewing. There’s Dr. Stanley Krippner who is somewhat of a target because I wanted to interview him from the beginning, and two guys I hadn’t heard of before but who were doing a presentation on quantum mechanics as an explanation for certain types of dreams. Since that’s a topic that crops up on Skeptiko fairly often, I thought, ‘Well, let’s talk to these guys and find out what’s going on.’ I’m just going to admit this to everybody: I didn’t know anything about quantum mechanics. I’ve read about it; I’ve seen some of these explanations, but somehow they all went over my head. I figured I’d just talk to these guys and get it all sorted out once and for all and for all those people on the forum who likewise didn’t really understand the argument so they’d know what it was, also. So that was the main thing I wanted to do. Alex Tsakiris: Great. Why don’t you set up first and tell us a little bit about who Stanley Krippner is and then we’ll go ahead and play your interview with him. Andy Paquette: Okay. Dr. Stanley Krippner has been researching dreams for about 50 years. I said that in the interview and he didn’t argue with me. I think that’s about the right number. I believe he started in the 60s or so. I think he’s the founder or the president of the Saybrook Institute in the United States which studies dreams. He’s done a lot of work on paranormal dreams. He’s written lots and lots of books. Alex Tsakiris no 35:14 http://www.skeptiko.com/144-lynne-mctaggart-reports-on-science-at-the-brink-of-the-spiritual/ http://www.skeptiko.com/144-lynne-mctaggart-reports-on-science-at-the-brink-of-the-spiritual/#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:26:15 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1732 http://www.skeptiko.com/144-lynne-mctaggart-reports-on-science-at-the-brink-of-the-spiritual/feed/ 21 Author of The Bond explains how our scientific understanding of human connection leads to spirituality. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Lynne McTaggart best-selling author of, The Bond.  During the interview Ms. Author of The Bond explains how our scientific understanding of human connection leads to spirituality. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Lynne McTaggart best-selling author of, The Bond.  During the interview Ms. Mc Taggart discusses how science can give us a greater understanding of the spiritual: Alex Tsakiris: On Skeptiko we’ve found that a deep examination of many of scientific questions quickly leads to questions of the spiritual. Questions of God, questions of the afterlife, questions about the meaning of consciousness. You don’t seem to go there very much. Why not? Lynne McTaggart: Because I wanted to argue in terms of science. I wanted to say we’re operating against nature. We’re operating against science, emerging science that is coming to the fore. I believe the science—I always look at scientific elements and I sit probably where science and spirituality meet because the science that I write about is very spiritual in a way. If you want to look at it this way, I’m just simply looking at it from the point of view of saying we’ve been living against nature. We’ve been living according to the wrong story and that’s why we’re in the mess we’re in. Alex Tsakiris: When we enter into the materialistic, atheistic, science game that’s been dictated and then we find that it no longer holds together, I think it behooves us to take a step back and re-examine things.  For example, you make a good case for the science interconnectedness, not just at a  subatomic level, but at a level we can feel and experience.  Don’t we then need to look our great wisdom traditions and notice that they’ve been saying the same thing all along? Lynne McTaggart: I think that’s what my books try to do all the time. They just provide the scientific basis for what spiritual traditions have been saying for centuries. In a sense, my books are always the science of religion. And yes, we have to understand. You have to take it back to the whole idea of unity infusing everything that we are and everything that we do. That’s a very spiritual idea. Lynne Mc Taggart's Website www.thebond.net Play it: [audio: http://www.skeptiko.com/upload/skeptiko-144-Lynne-McTaggart.mp3] Download MP3 (40:00 min.) Read it: Alex Tsakiris: Today we welcome journalist, part-time consciousness researcher, and multiple best-selling author, Lynne McTaggart to Skeptiko. Lynne, thanks so much for joining me today. Lynne McTaggart: Thank you. It’s great to be with you, Alex. Alex Tsakiris: Well, your new book, The Bond: Connecting Through the Space Between Us, explores our inner connectedness from a scientific perspective. What was the most surprising finding in your research for the book? Lynne McTaggart: I think probably the most surprising finding was—I mean, there were so many surprising findings, I have to say. I think it was fascinating to me to see really how interconnected on a macro scale we were. I was really interested and surprised to see that all of the information that the evolutionary biologists give us about how we were born to be selfish and that even our genes are selfish, is wrong. I mean, we were born to be highly cooperative. We were born to share, care, and be fair. It’s hard-wired in us. It’s stronger than any kind of sense of selfishness, and in fact, selfishness is a result of pathology and faulty thinking. It’s a result of a wrong narrative, a narrative we’ve told ourselves based on scientific evidence from before that’s now being revised. Alex Tsakiris: Yeah, there’s a couple of interesting things to pull apart there. I think you certainly make a strong case for a misinterpretation of Darwinism and the Neo-Darwinist kind of tangent that we’ve kind of gone off on. Let’s just dig into that for a minute. One of the things I guess I’d go back to is is that really such a surprise that that is not true? And have we known that for a while? Alex Tsakiris no 39:58 http://www.skeptiko.com/lisa-miller-heaven-book-uncommitted-to-afterlife/ http://www.skeptiko.com/lisa-miller-heaven-book-uncommitted-to-afterlife/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:08:11 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1725 http://www.skeptiko.com/lisa-miller-heaven-book-uncommitted-to-afterlife/feed/ 48 Author and Newsweek’s religion editor Lisa Miller offers mixed messages about what lies beyond death. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Lisa Miller, religion editor at Newsweek magazine and author of, Heaven. Author and Newsweek’s religion editor Lisa Miller offers mixed messages about what lies beyond death. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Lisa Miller, religion editor at Newsweek magazine and author of, Heaven.  During the interv... Alex Tsakiris no 26:21 http://www.skeptiko.com/142-jim-marrs-on-donald-rumsfeld-what-is-building-7/ http://www.skeptiko.com/142-jim-marrs-on-donald-rumsfeld-what-is-building-7/#comments Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:02:05 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1677 http://www.skeptiko.com/142-jim-marrs-on-donald-rumsfeld-what-is-building-7/feed/ 45 Bestselling author and investigative journalist Jim Marrs discusses how disinformation is used to shape history. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Jim Marrs, author of, Trillion Dollar Conspiracy.  During the interview Mr. Bestselling author and investigative journalist Jim Marrs discusses how disinformation is used to shape history. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Jim Marrs, author of, Trillion Dollar Conspiracy.  During the interview Mr. Marrs... Alex Tsakiris no 31:43 http://www.skeptiko.com/141-steve-volk-investigates-ufos-ghosts-telepathy-and-near-death-experience-in-fringe-ology/ http://www.skeptiko.com/141-steve-volk-investigates-ufos-ghosts-telepathy-and-near-death-experience-in-fringe-ology/#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:09:18 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1640 http://www.skeptiko.com/141-steve-volk-investigates-ufos-ghosts-telepathy-and-near-death-experience-in-fringe-ology/feed/ 8 Investigative journalist and author Steve Volk seeks a middle-ground between mainstream science skepticism and researchers on the paranormal fringe. -   - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Steve Volk, author of Fringe-ology. Investigative journalist and author Steve Volk seeks a middle-ground between mainstream science skepticism and researchers on the paranormal fringe.   Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Steve Volk, author of Fringe-ology.  During the interview Mr. Volk discusses his personal experience with poltergeist phenomena: Alex Tsakiris: In your book you do a very nice job of exploring the mystery of the paranormal. But at the same time, I look at the mystery associated with your experience with a ghost in your house. That is, what happened to you when you were a kid growing up and you experienced this poltergeist phenomena. At the end of the day, in the book you come away and say, “Well, it’s a mystery.” Steve Volk: It is. Alex Tsakiris: But that’s a tricky word because it could mean two things. It could appeal to that certain group of people who say, “Okay, we don’t know if it really happened. It’s a mystery.” Or another group of people could process it and say, “Oh, it’s a mystery. We don’t know the precise confluence of paranormal things that happened to cause it.” Are we using a word that doesn’t get us to the underlying question about this mystery? Steve Volk: I think in the totality of that chapter with the fact that I explore the idea of it having been a traditional sort of ghost, along with a range of skeptical explanations from the fantasy-prone personality which is really purely a psychological one to what I consider the more exotic materialist theories like Vic Tandy’s theory of infrasound that there are these sound waves below the level of human hearing that can cause us to even have visual hallucinations, on through Persinger and the electromagnetic energy temporal lobe interaction that he’s been pursuing for a while now, there’s this range of potential explanations right? I wanted to just put them all out on the table because I think that they all have some sort of validity. I think we need to be willing to consider all these possibilities. I suppose, in that respect Alex, I might appear a little bit of a gadfly at times because I’m challenging everyone to look at all the possibilities all the way on through. Steve Volk's Website Play it: Download MP3 (44:00 min.) Read it: Alex Tsakiris: We’re joined today by someone you’ve gotten to know over the last few episodes of Skeptiko as Steve Volk has been a guest host here and brought us three very informative, insightful interviews about the history of parapsychology, neuro-theology, and ghosts. Today Steve is here to talk about his new book, Fringe-ology, a book that covers all these topics and a lot more. Steve, welcome to Skeptiko. Steve Volk: Alex, thank you so much for having me. Alex Tsakiris: Well, it’s really great to have you on. The book is really fantastic. I really enjoyed it and of course, we’ve really primed the pump on this little discussion we’re going to have. I’m looking forward to getting into some of these things with you. Steve Volk: I was going to say maybe we should stop right at “It’s great.” [Laughs] Alex Tsakiris: [Laughs] Steve Volk: Let’s just call it there. Thank you very much, Alex. Good times. Alex Tsakiris: [Laughs] Well…of course we’re not going to do that. Steve Volk: I know, I know. Alex Tsakiris: But first I want to let people know I really did—I genuinely like the book. One of the things I thought was really, really great about it is you’re an investigative journalist and you really brought that kind of sensibility to this book. I love the way you dug into these topics, topics that aren’t covered nearly enough, of course. But you dug into them and you brought us a whole bunch of new information. You take Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, one of the opening chapters in the book—I mean, wow. Whoever knew that she was the real originator, the first NDE researcher? And you chronicle all of that and do a great job of doing it. Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/lakhmir-chawla-frustrates-near-death-experience-researchers/ http://www.skeptiko.com/lakhmir-chawla-frustrates-near-death-experience-researchers/#comments Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:18:14 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1307 http://www.skeptiko.com/lakhmir-chawla-frustrates-near-death-experience-researchers/feed/ 23 George Washington University Medical Center Professor, Dr. Lakhmir Chawla, answers critics of his near-death experience research. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Lakhmir Chawla.  During the interview Dr. George Washington University Medical Center Professor, Dr. Lakhmir Chawla, answers critics of his near-death experience research. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Lakhmir Chawla.  During the interview Dr. Chawla discussed whether his discovery of a surge in the brain’s electrical activity seconds before death might, or might not, be related to near-death experience: Alex Tsakiris: A moment ago you referenced the discovery of the first black swan as reminder of how science has to be prepared for unexpected discoveries.  Part of the frustration I hear from near-death experience researchers is, “hey, we keep finding all these black swans; where are the rest of you?”  They keep finding cases where patients report a near-death experience during a time when there’s no brain activity -- that’s a black swan. Then they look at your finding, which is interesting and surprising, but is quite speculative as far as being related to near-death experience and they say, “where’s the balance?” Dr. Lakhmir Chawla: I think that’s a very important point. At the end of the day, if near-death experience is going to enter a very durable research area it has to answer some of these questions.  Because right now we know that near-death experiences are very important to patients. So the stakeholders are very interested in it. So it will always have its relevant people who are very interested in it because it’s a big deal and it talks about the aspect of life when life potentially ends. What we’re suggesting in this paper is that we have an interesting finding at the time of death. It may have nothing to do with near-death experience, but the need to understand what this is or isn’t has a lot of value. Now, I’ll tell you, the other important issue is that we have patients who we allow to pass away and then we take their organs. Currently we use EKG as the metric for when they’re dead. Some people have suggested that you should wait and see if they have this spike because that may, in fact, be the border. And this has real consequences for the quality of the organs that are taken from these patients if they’re allowed to sit for even a minute or two minutes longer. So, the implications are beyond the near-death experience. Example of how Dr. Chawla's finding was reported Play it: Download MP3 (41:00 min.) Read it: Alex Tsakiris: Today we welcome to Skeptiko  Associate Professor of Medicine at George Washington University Medical Center, Dr. Lakhmir Chawla.  Dr. Chawla, thank you so much for joining me today on Skeptiko. Dr. Lakhmir Chawla: Delighted to be here. Alex Tsakiris: So, Dr. Chawla, in 2009 you published a paper with the surprising discovery that some of your patients who were very close to death experienced a final surge in brain activity and the paper has gained quite a bit of traction, media attention, mainly because of this quote of yours: “We think that near-death experiences could be caused by a surge of electrical energy as the brain runs out of oxygen.” It‘s been a while since that paper was published.  So first I want to ask you, do you still think that what you saw has anything to do with near-death experience? Dr. Lakhmir Chawla: Obviously all of the patients in our study passed away so there’s really no way for us to truly know if what these people were experiencing is, in fact had they survived, being the signature of a near-death experience. What we did notice which was very striking is that in all these patients--and in this study we reported on seven patients on which we had very good documentation. We’ve seen these electrical surges, EEG activity, at the end of life in over 100 patients and what we basically have, I hypothesize that when people pass away something occurs in their neural structure. We have a hypothesis for why this may be happening, that causes this large intensity of electrical energy. Alex Tsakiris no 40:13 http://www.skeptiko.com/139-are-ghosts-real-guy-lyon-playfair/ http://www.skeptiko.com/139-are-ghosts-real-guy-lyon-playfair/#comments Tue, 31 May 2011 16:05:24 +0000 Alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1224 http://www.skeptiko.com/139-are-ghosts-real-guy-lyon-playfair/feed/ 7 Noted parapsychology investigator and author Guy Lyon Playfair discusses poltergeists, after-death communication and the telepathy of twins. - Join Skeptiko guest host Steve Volk for an interview with Guy Lyon Playfair.  During the interview Mr. Noted parapsychology investigator and author Guy Lyon Playfair discusses poltergeists, after-death communication and the telepathy of twins. Join Skeptiko guest host Steve Volk for an interview with Guy Lyon Playfair.  During the interview Mr. Playf... Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/healing-prayer-expert-mark-sheehan/ http://www.skeptiko.com/healing-prayer-expert-mark-sheehan/#comments Tue, 17 May 2011 16:46:16 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1218 http://www.skeptiko.com/healing-prayer-expert-mark-sheehan/feed/ 10 Dr. Mark Sheehan discusses his book, Healing Prayer on Holy Ground and the impact of prayer on his patients. Dr. Mark Sheehan discusses his book, Healing Prayer on Holy Ground and the impact of prayer on his patients. Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/religious-cults-expert-on-spiritual-experiences/ http://www.skeptiko.com/religious-cults-expert-on-spiritual-experiences/#comments Tue, 10 May 2011 15:57:41 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1215 http://www.skeptiko.com/religious-cults-expert-on-spiritual-experiences/feed/ 16 Cult expert Joe Szimhart discusses how genuine spiritual experiences can be exploited by religious cults. Cult expert Joe Szimhart discusses how genuine spiritual experiences can be exploited by religious cults. Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/hazel-courteney-understanding-spiritual-awakening/ http://www.skeptiko.com/hazel-courteney-understanding-spiritual-awakening/#comments Wed, 04 May 2011 16:12:04 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1209 http://www.skeptiko.com/hazel-courteney-understanding-spiritual-awakening/feed/ 21 Journalist and author Hazel Courteney describes her spiritual awakening and the science it led her to. Journalist and author Hazel Courteney describes her spiritual awakening and the science it led her to. Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/135-dr-andrew-newburg-on-god-of-the-fundamentalist-atheist/ http://www.skeptiko.com/135-dr-andrew-newburg-on-god-of-the-fundamentalist-atheist/#comments Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:53:15 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1202 http://www.skeptiko.com/135-dr-andrew-newburg-on-god-of-the-fundamentalist-atheist/feed/ 4 Neurotheology researcher, physician and author, Andy Newberg explains how fundamentalists Christians and Atheists share a minority view of God. Neurotheology researcher, physician and author, Andy Newberg explains how fundamentalists Christians and Atheists share a minority view of God. Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/134-rupert-sheldrake-on-richard-wiseman-deception/ http://www.skeptiko.com/134-rupert-sheldrake-on-richard-wiseman-deception/#comments Tue, 19 Apr 2011 18:18:35 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1169 http://www.skeptiko.com/134-rupert-sheldrake-on-richard-wiseman-deception/feed/ 63 Biologist and author Rupert Sheldrake expresses dismay at latest claims made by Skeptic Richard Wiseman in his recent book, Paranormality. Biologist and author Rupert Sheldrake expresses dismay at latest claims made by Skeptic Richard Wiseman in his recent book, Paranormality. Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/stuart-hameroff-on-quantum-consciousness-and-singularity/ http://www.skeptiko.com/stuart-hameroff-on-quantum-consciousness-and-singularity/#comments Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:59:29 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1162 http://www.skeptiko.com/stuart-hameroff-on-quantum-consciousness-and-singularity/feed/ 9 Human consciousness researcher Dr. Stuart Hameroff describes how discoveries are revealing more brain complexity than artificial intelligence (AI) experts suspected. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Stuart Hameroff. Dr. Human consciousness researcher Dr. Stuart Hameroff describes how discoveries are revealing more brain complexity than artificial intelligence (AI) experts suspected. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Stuart Hameroff. Dr. Hameroff is Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Psychology at the University of Arizona, where he also serves as the Director of the Center for Consciousness Studies. During the interview Mr. Tsakiris and Dr. Hameroff discuss whether DMT-based psychedelic experiences provide evidence that our consciousness exists outside of the brain: Alex Tsakiris: Your understanding of the quantum mechanics of the neuron really stirs up a lot of angst among the AI singularity crowd. Tell us a little bit about that controversy. Dr. Stuart Hameroff: To look at our brain as 100 billion simple switches -- to look at a neuron as a switch or gate -- it's an insult to neurons. It's just not that simple. If you study biology you realize this.  But a lot of biologists get bogged down with the details and lose the big picture. They see the information processing in the cell as a minestrone soup of chemicals when they're ignoring the solid state system in the microtubules. The bit with the AI and the singularity, there's actually a couple of points of friction here. As I said, I spent 20 years studying microtubule information processing. The AI approach would be, roughly speaking, that a neuron fires or it doesn't. It's roughly comparable to a bit, 1 or 0. It's more complicated than that but roughly speaking.  I was saying no, each neuron has roughly 10-8 tubulins switching at roughly 10-7 per second, getting 10-15 operations per second per neuron. If you multiply that by the number of neurons you get 10 to the 26th operations per second per brain. AI is looking at neurons firing or not firing, 1,000 per second, 1,000 synapses. Something like the 10 to the 15th operations per second per brain... and that's without even bringing in the quantum business. So that alone was pushing the goalpost way, way downstream into the future. Dr. Stuart Hameroff's website Play it: Download MP3 (34:00 min.) Read it: Today we welcome Dr. Stuart Hameroff to Skeptiko. Dr. Hameroff is Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Psychology at the University of Arizona, where he also serves as the Director of the Center for Consciousness Studies. Dr. Hameroff, thank you so much for joining me today on Skeptiko. Dr. Stuart Hameroff: You're welcome, Alex. It's nice to be here. Alex Tsakiris: You know, there are so many interesting topics I want to talk to you about, but I thought we might start with your credentials. As I was looking through some of your research in preparation for this interview, I ran across a comment from a blogger along the lines of Isn't this guy just an anesthesiologist who's playing around with quantum mechanics and consciousness stuff as a strange sort of hobby? So I just laughed that off because you have a distinguished academic career, a list of publications as long as my arm with some of the world's leading physicists. But then I ran across a similar comment again, and it got me thinking about the deeper issue of consciousness studies and the problem that I think a lot of folks have in figuring out who's really qualified to talk about this stuff. We see philosophers throwing in their opinions, neurologists, physicists, so do you want to talk a little bit about this field in terms of who's really qualified to venture into this area and say what consciousness is all about? Dr. Stuart Hameroff: Well, I don't presume to judge anybody. I think a ditch-digger might figure it out just out of luck or because he or she is motivated, so that's not the point. I think if you have a good approach you should use it. Now, my approach has been two-fold.  I got interested in microtubules inside cells when I was in medical school. Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/132-deborah-blum-on-the-taboo-of-paranormal-science-reporting/ http://www.skeptiko.com/132-deborah-blum-on-the-taboo-of-paranormal-science-reporting/#comments Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:19:58 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1150 http://www.skeptiko.com/132-deborah-blum-on-the-taboo-of-paranormal-science-reporting/feed/ 8 Pulitzer Prize winning author Deborah Blum discusses the challenges of science reporting and the paranormal taboo. - Skeptiko guest host Steve Volk welcomes Deborah Blum author of, Ghost Hunters - William James and the Hunt for Scientific Proof of Lif... Pulitzer Prize winning author Deborah Blum discusses the challenges of science reporting and the paranormal taboo. Skeptiko guest host Steve Volk welcomes Deborah Blum author of, Ghost Hunters - William James and the Hunt for Scientific Proof of Life After Death. During the interview Ms. Blum discusses her approach to covering the paranormal: Steve Volk: This is one of the hardest things. Who do we believe? Who do we trust? I want to see somehow people in the middle pick this stuff up and look at it, but that's a very, very rare occurrence. Deborah Blum: I agree. Like I said, I'm a mainstream science journalist and daughter of a chemist. But what was fascinating to me when I started working on Ghost Hunters is that I'd go and give talks at different universities. I mean literally, I was at the University of Florida and they said, 'Oh, let us tell you about our haunted laboratory.' Or I was at a meeting with a bunch of animal researchers and I was sitting next to a very respected scientist from Stanford who immediately started telling me about the telepathic experiences she'd had with a friend of hers who is a scientist at Southwestern University. I thought to myself, 'This whole world exists that really those of us in the skeptic/science community never see because people just don't tell you about it. Steve Volks's website Fringe-ology Trailer Deborah Blum - Ghost Hunters Play it: Download MP3 (58:00 min.) Read it: Welcome to Skeptiko, where we explore controversial science with leading researchers, thinkers, and their critics. I'm your host, Alex Tsakiris. On this episode, as you just heard, there's a new voice behind the interview so before we get started I thought we'd take a minute and introduce that voice, that being the voice of journalist and author, Steve Volk, who's joining me right now. Steve, hi and welcome to Skeptiko. Steve Volk: Alex, thanks for having me. Alex Tsakiris: I love this interview that you have for us today. Why don't you tell us a little bit about your background and why you wanted to talk to today's guest, Deborah Blum? Steve Volk: Well, she had gone down a path before me that I'd wanted to go down myself and ultimately did with my book, Fringe-ology, which doesn't come out until June. But the issue for me is that I've always covered traditional topics in journalism. I've started off covering music. I was a music critic and I ultimately veered into writing lots of narrative non-fiction about politics and crime and courts. You know, just traditional journalistic subjects. But what was always sort of at the back of my mind-it would be raised from time to time when something would bubble up in pop culture that would make me think of it-is this family ghost story that I had grown up with. There was supposedly a ghost that haunted my house when I was a kid. I have some memories of it myself. I just felt like as a reporter, though, that that subject was taboo-that I couldn't cover it for the obvious reasons that you always get into on this show. It would undermine my own credibility to even entertain the idea that such things as ghosts exist. Over time, though, I started realizing that when we talk about paranormal subjects, we're really talking about the big existential questions that people find themselves asking at 3 a.m., right? What does it mean to be human? Who are we? Is there life after death? Is there a God? All these kinds of issues--are we alone in the universe?-come up through paranormal topics whether it be UFOs or telepathy or ghosts. So I really admired Deborah Blum because here she is, a Pulitzer Prize winning science reporter where the taboo against covering these sorts of topics would be even stronger, and yet she went for it. She covered William James and the scientific search for the afterlife in her book, Ghost Hunters. So I felt like I really wanted the chance to visit with her and see what her motivations were. Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/rick-strassman-psychedelic-drugs-prove-we-are-more-than-our-brain/ http://www.skeptiko.com/rick-strassman-psychedelic-drugs-prove-we-are-more-than-our-brain/#comments Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:39:50 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1142 http://www.skeptiko.com/rick-strassman-psychedelic-drugs-prove-we-are-more-than-our-brain/feed/ 9 Noted DMT researcher Dr. Richard Strassman describes how DMT allows consciousness to enter an out-of-body, freestanding, independent realm of existence. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Rick Strassman, author of, Noted DMT researcher Dr. Richard Strassman describes how DMT allows consciousness to enter an out-of-body, freestanding, independent realm of existence. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Rick Strassman, author of, DMT - The ... Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/gary-renard-and-robert-perry-on-channeling/ http://www.skeptiko.com/gary-renard-and-robert-perry-on-channeling/#comments Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:29:06 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1137 http://www.skeptiko.com/gary-renard-and-robert-perry-on-channeling/feed/ 14 Two teachers of A Course in Miracles have differing views on the validity of channeled wisdom. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Gary Renard, author of, The Disappearance of the Universe, and Robert Perry, Two teachers of A Course in Miracles have differing views on the validity of channeled wisdom. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Gary Renard, author of, The Disappearance of the Universe, and Robert Perry, author of Signs: A New Approach to Coincidence, Synchronicity, Guidance, Life Purpose, and God's Plan.  During the interview Mr. Tsakiris and Gary Renard discuss verification of his work: Alex Tsakiris: One of the points in your book where I really had to stop and go -- wait a minute -- is when you say that you had these two beings, "ascended masters" show up in your living room. Amazing, amazing. But not unique in that other people have claimed similar kinds of things. So I'm not willing to dismiss that out-of-hand, but Gary, they showed up 17 times... you don't have a photograph?  You don't have videotape? You don't have any kind of record of this? Gary Renard: Well actually, they're still showing up today. We're going to do a fourth book together. They do show up and they said that for me to try to prove that they existed would be entirely missing the point. Yes, I could take pictures of them but what would prove, Alex, that those weren't two actors in the pictures? If I recorded them, what would prove that those weren't two actors speaking on the tape? Gary Renard's website Robert Perry's website Play it: Download MP3 (41:00 min.) Read it: Welcome to Skeptiko, where we explore controversial science with leading researchers, thinkers, and their critics. I'm your host, Alex Tsakiris. On this episode, I'm going to tell you why I'm a skeptic. You know, this show's been pretty critical of the skeptical community and the skeptical position on a lot of topics, but lost in all of that sometimes can be the fact that I really am a skeptic in a lot of ways. From that position I do understand, I think, why folks are skeptical. This show is going to give you all the reasons you need to understand why people become skeptical and why people even cross over a little bit and become dogmatically skeptical. I hope to also get at a larger, deeper question that's really been rattling around in my head for a while and that's that if we accept the science that's been presented on this show, psi science, near-death experience science, parapsychology science-the best of it-that really leads us to understand that our world is quite a bit different than we normally experience it. That consciousness does seem to survive death. That things like telepathy and interconnectedness are real. Well, if we accept all that then how do we deal with all these very strange accounts we have and how do we adjust our filter to let some of it in but keep some of it out? And that's going to lead us to Gary Renard, my first interview today, who's the author of several best-selling books based upon A Course in Miracles. Then we're going to have a follow-up interview and even more interesting interview with Robert Perry, who's quite an interesting guy, and who has written some very interesting books but is also approaching things from this A Course in Miracles perspective. I think you're going to find it very interesting to see how all of this plays out. Here's my interview with Gary Renard: Alex Tsakiris: Today we welcome Gary Renard, whose best-selling books document his spiritual experiences with two ascended masters who, as we discover, appear to him in physical form to tell him the true meaning of Jesus's teachings and that you, Gary, in a previous life, walked with Jesus as the Apostle Thomas.  Gary, thanks so much for joining me today on Skeptiko. Gary Renard: Thank you, Alex. Alex Tsakiris: I want to go back and say I wasn't quite sure how to handle that introduction. You know, of course, that's going to be jarring to a lot of folks, especially my listeners who are scientifically minded. First of all, did I get it all right, and secondly how do you handle introducing yourself, Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/karen-stollznow-on-psychic-science/ http://www.skeptiko.com/karen-stollznow-on-psychic-science/#comments Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:23:36 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1134 http://www.skeptiko.com/karen-stollznow-on-psychic-science/feed/ 21 Co-host of Point of Inquiry, discusses how Skeptics approach psychic science. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with skeptical writer and blogger Dr. Karen Stollznow. During the interview Mr. Tsakiris and Dr. Co-host of Point of Inquiry, discusses how Skeptics approach psychic science. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with skeptical writer and blogger Dr. Karen Stollznow. During the interview Mr. Tsakiris and Dr. Stollznow discuss to role of science in skeptical investigations: Alex Tsakiris: I do feel you, especially as an intellectual... and I know you're a linguist and not trained as a parapsychologist... but you have somewhat of an obligation to build off of the original research or the best research that we have in the field. So, Gary Schwartz does medium research. Then, Julie Beischel picks up the gauntlet and is going forward in publishing work with mediums. So you can like that or you can not like it, but it really to me seems to get to the core issue which is does this kind of anomalous cognition between a "medium" and a deceased person really exist?  So, why aren't you familiar with the research? Dr. Karen Stollznow: Well, once again, I think I've worked in so many different areas with so many different themes and topics within the paranormal and pseudo-science and often I'm writing an article that might be 1,000 words. I'm limited; I've got a word limit that I can't go over so I need to condense anything that I write and if I'm going to a psychic fair and writing about my experiences there, I don't need to necessarily reference the research of these people. If I was writing about the research of these people then that would be a different matter, obviously. I'd need to keep my finger on the pulse of everything that is being done in that industry. But if I'm looking at individuals out there on the street who are practicing this and given again, it's just one small area of what I study and research, then I'm not necessarily obliged to know what these people are doing within that context. Dr. Karen Stollznow's website Play it: Download MP3 (34:00 min.) Read it: Welcome to Skeptiko, where we explore controversial science with leading researchers, thinkers, and their critics. I'm your host, Alex Tsakiris. As you know, one of the things we like to do on Skeptiko is engage the skeptical community. If you go back through the past shows you'll see that we've had on many, many of the leading skeptical figures, skeptical writers, publishers of skeptical magazines, hosts of skeptical shows, and certainly people who have viewpoints that are different from the guests that we normally have on-the proponents, the researchers, the thinkers about psi and parapsychology. It always surprises me that that willingness to look at both sides isn't reciprocated by skeptics very much. You just won't see that on skeptical shows. You'll never see Dean Radin or Rupert Sheldrake or Jeff Long-I could go on and on-Roger Nelson, or any of the people that we've interviewed here that are scholarly, publishing in peer-reviewed papers, writing books, you'll never see them on those skeptical shows. That's one of the topics I touch on in my interview today with Dr. Karen Stollznow, who is the host of one such show, Point of Inquiry. She's very open about a certain need to preach to the choir, and while I applaud Karen's openness, it really got me thinking, I guess. And it got me riled up about a couple other things that seem to keep cropping up in this journey that is Skeptiko. One example of that came up when she referenced a couple of interviews and a joint investigation I did with skeptical science writer, Ben Radford. Now, if you've been around the show long enough to remember the psychic detective work that I did with Ben Radford then I really want to thank you. You're a long-time, loyal listener. But that investigation with Ben was really somewhat of a turning point for me because I went into it thinking that if I could just get skeptics to look at the data and to hear it the same way that I'm hearing it, then we could bridge this gap. The way I tried to do that with Ben Radford was, Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/james-fetzer-survival-of-consciousness-nde/ http://www.skeptiko.com/james-fetzer-survival-of-consciousness-nde/#comments Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:20:43 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1128 http://www.skeptiko.com/james-fetzer-survival-of-consciousness-nde/feed/ 83 The author of, Philosophy of Cognitive Science, discusses why NDE evidence doesn't measure up. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with philosophy of science and human consciousness scholar, Dr. James Fetzer. During the interview Mr. The author of, Philosophy of Cognitive Science, discusses why NDE evidence doesn't measure up. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with philosophy of science and human consciousness scholar, Dr. James Fetzer. During the interview Mr. T... Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/david-eagleman-explores-afterlife/ http://www.skeptiko.com/david-eagleman-explores-afterlife/#comments Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:21:50 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1111 http://www.skeptiko.com/david-eagleman-explores-afterlife/feed/ 8 The author of, Sum: 40 Tales From the Afterlife, discusses his work as a neuroscientist and author. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Baylor College of Medicine Neuroscientist and author, Dr. David Eagleman. The author of, Sum: 40 Tales From the Afterlife, discusses his work as a neuroscientist and author. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Baylor College of Medicine Neuroscientist and author, Dr. David Eagleman. During the interview Dr. Eagleman  discusses why survival of consciousness and near death experience (NDE) research isn't a prominent topic among neuroscientists, "I think it should be front and center. I mean, my impression is that scientists have different personalities and some are quite conservative and they like to stick with the party line. Now, I should specify that what the party line is at this moment in history is reductionism or materialism, which means you are just built out of your pieces and parts and that's it. When those pieces and parts break and go away, then you go away. That's a perfectly reasonable hypothesis and may well be right. I'm not criticizing that hypothesis, but I am saying that there are other possibilities, as well." Eagleman continues, "I go all around and give talks to my colleagues at universities all around, and what I see in some universities in some places is you're not even allowed to talk outside of that paradigm. Anything that gets said is really pooh-poohed. So I really admire these guys who are looking for the paradigm-busters." Dr. David Eagleman's website Play it: Download MP3 (18:00 min.) Read it: Welcome to Skeptiko, where we explore controversial science with leading researchers, thinkers, and their critics. I'm your host, Alex Tsakiris. On this episode of Skeptiko, I have an interview with someone I've been trying to get on Skeptiko for a couple of years. Dr. David Eagleman, as you'll learn, is a neuroscientist from the Baylor College of Medicine who wrote a book a couple of years ago all about the afterlife, but the book was a novel. The book got quite a bit of publicity. I actually heard about him first on NPR, the National Public Radio here in the U.S. The book became a best-seller and he went on to do all sorts of amazing stuff. But what always got me about his book is as a neuroscientist, how can you write a book about the afterlife and never mention afterlife science, near-death experience science, reincarnation science, any of that stuff? It's like the only way we can approach this topic is fictional because there isn't anything really here. I mean, that's the kind of implication. So I really wanted to talk to this guy. It took a little bit of pounding and persisting, but eventually he was able to give me a short interview. I wish the interview was longer but it was all the time he had and I'm grateful for it. In the process of doing the interview and doing the research for the interview, I guess my frustration or anger kind of diminished a little bit, especially when I read his book. It's really well-written. It's poetic. It's just a beautiful book in many ways. But when I got to the core issue in terms of how science can approach this topic, I ran head into The Big Lie. When it comes to psi research in general and near-death experience science in particular, the Big Lie goes something like this-it was first articulated on this show on one of the very early episodes by Dr. James Alcock who's a psychologist and a well-known skeptic, a public guy, who's recently been in the news, by the way, as somebody they trotted out to give some outrageously exaggerated counter-argument to Daryl Bem's article, just an interesting little side note there. But anyway, very early on in Skeptiko, I had Dr. Alcock on and here's his version of The Big Lie: "If we could come up with good data that showed there's something to the paranormal, parapsychologists would be trampled by psychologists and physicists and so on rushing to the study of it." Now, it was actually kind of fun digging up that quote from James Alcock because it reminded me just how naïve I was three years ago when I had that interview. Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/andy-paquette-precognitive-dreams/ http://www.skeptiko.com/andy-paquette-precognitive-dreams/#comments Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:28:44 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1103 http://www.skeptiko.com/andy-paquette-precognitive-dreams/feed/ 2 The author of, Dreamer: 20 Years of Psychic Dreams and How They Changed My Life, discusses his psychic and precognitive experiences. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview discussing precognition and the psychic dreams of author Andy Paqu... The author of, Dreamer: 20 Years of Psychic Dreams and How They Changed My Life, discusses his psychic and precognitive experiences. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview discussing precognition and the psychic dreams of author Andy Paquette. During the interview Mr. Paquette discusses the differences between real life precognition expereinces and labratorty experiments on ESP like those of Dr. Daryl Bem, "Well, the funny thing about asking me a question like that is that while I am aware of some of those things, I became aware of them after I already knew that precognition happens because it happened to me in much more dramatic ways than was ever recorded in the lab. On the other hand, the reason he is studying it in the first place is because there are people like me who've had more dramatic examples of precognition. We've recorded them or passed them on to other people and this eventually makes researchers curious." Paquette continues, "Now the problem with testing in the lab as I see it, is that you're trying to duplicate an effect that has a very specific reason for coming into being without knowing what that reason is and without having any way to recreate those conditions because you don't understand the reason to begin with. This, in my mind, is the reason why laboratory results tend to be very weak. It's because they're not really duplicating the right circumstances that cause these kinds of things to happen. So what happens is they kind of nick the edge of this thing that they're researching, and even that little tiny slice they get is enough to support a hypothesis of precognition. However, it's not as dramatic as the kind of real-life, spontaneous examples such as the ones that occurred with me." Visit Andy's website Help pilot Dr. Rupert Sheldrake's telepathyexperiment.com Play it: Download MP3 (31:00 min.) Read it: Welcome to Skeptiko, where we explore controversial science with leading researchers, thinkers, and their critics. I'm your host, Alex Tsakiris. Before we get started with today's interview I just want to make a quick little announcement here. Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, whom many of you know through his work, his many books, his very interesting website, and his appearance on the Skeptiko show, is launching a telephone telepathy experiment here, available in the U.S. and Canada. He's looking for some folks to help him pilot this study. So if you're interested in doing some telephone telepathy experiments and helping out in getting this project off the ground, please visit telepathyexperiment.com, or you can visit the link on our website and hear more about that. It's actually a slight bit of a lead-in to today's interview because today we welcome Andy Paquette, whose book Dreamer is a fascinating account of his experience with precognitive dreams and all the associated strangeness that goes with them. Andy is a frequent contributor to the Skeptiko forum and if any of you visit there I'm sure you've read some of his posts. But this book of this I thought really deserves the only kind of attention we can give it in a full episode. So here's my interview with Andy Paquette. Alex Tsakiris: Well, this book of yours is really quite amazing. I found it very, very interesting but also challenging. It reminded me of reading the autobiography of a Yogi many years ago. I walked away thinking that either this guy, Yogananda, is a complete liar and that seemed quite unlikely, or that this personal account was going to radically shift how I thought about the world. So I kind of felt the same way with this book, in a way. The way I want to try and pull it apart in this interview is to go down two paths. They're the two paths that we've been exploring on this show and one is the "Is it real?" path. Does precognition really occur and maybe more specifically, did it occur in your case? The second path is "What does this mean? Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/atheist-debates-existence-of-soul-with-near-death-experience-believer/ http://www.skeptiko.com/atheist-debates-existence-of-soul-with-near-death-experience-believer/#comments Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:23:03 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1091 http://www.skeptiko.com/atheist-debates-existence-of-soul-with-near-death-experience-believer/feed/ 54 Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris and atheist blogger Greta Christina square-off for a debate on near Death Experience (NDE) science. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview discussing the existence of the soul and the science of Near Death Expe... Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris and atheist blogger Greta Christina square-off for a debate on near Death Experience (NDE) science. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview discussing the existence of the soul and the science of Near Death Expe... Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/near-death-experience-science-in-bereavement-rescue/ http://www.skeptiko.com/near-death-experience-science-in-bereavement-rescue/#comments Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:16:00 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1084 http://www.skeptiko.com/near-death-experience-science-in-bereavement-rescue/feed/ 7 Father Rod Walton author of, Bereavement Rescue with Near Death Experience, discusses the evidence for and uses of NDE science. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview discussing the use of near death experience science in dealing with the... Father Rod Walton author of, Bereavement Rescue with Near Death Experience, discusses the evidence for and uses of NDE science. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview discussing the use of near death experience science in dealing with the loss of a loved one. During the interview Father Rod Walton explains why science is important to his work, "I think people really want evidence. Most people, once you give them evidence, it changes them. I often use Ken Ring's book, Mindsight, about people who have been born blind.  They don't even see in there dreams... they only can smell, taste and touch... but when these people have a near death experience they do see for the first time.  When the bereaved realize that this doesn't add up, it affects them. It makes them willing to listen. They're getting hope based on facts rather than just perhaps and ifs and pie in the sky." Father Walton also discusses the Christian churches unwillingness to accept this new science, "Many Christian communities have great tunnel vision. They're only looking in a straight line. They don't look left; they don't look right. I don't think they're searching. I don't think they're seeking. I think they're just following tradition and dogma." Father Rod Walton's Bereavement Rescue Play it: Download MP3 (18:00 min.) Read it: Welcome to Skeptiko, where we explore controversial science with leading researchers, thinkers, and their critics. I'm your host, Alex Tsakiris. This show, Skeptiko, has always been about following the data. That's kind of been our tagline. Just follow the data and you'll find your way through these controversial, unsettling, breakthroughs in science and you'll come to a new understanding about who you really are. That's the theme of this show, if you will. But today's interview with Rod Walton got me thinking about what it really means to follow the data. In particular, the data behind near-death experience science, a topic we've covered a lot on this show. As you know, we've spoken with some of the world's leading researchers and we've spoken with some of the leading critics, as well. I guess when I follow that data, at the end of the day I don't see how a reasonable person can look at that body of data and just say, "Gee, it's all delusion. It's all fraud. It's all misreporting." I mean, blind people seeing, patients reporting with crystal clear consciousness what happened to them while they were clinically dead and doctors and nurses confirming that. There are hundreds and hundreds of cases like that, and I think if you take the position that "Hey, that isn't really happening," or it's somehow fraud or delusion, well then you're not even following the data and the rest of this probably won't mean much to you. What's interesting to me is what if you do follow the data to that point? What if you've read some of the research? Read some of the books, the accounts, and you've gotten to the point where you say, "Wow, you know it sure does seem like there's something there. There is something to this near-death experience. It is happening. It is medically unexplainable. It does seem to suggest that consciousness survives death." What about then? Are you following the data? Or does following the data in this case, in the case of talking about consciousness surviving death, you not really dying when you think you die, does that kind of data and following of that kind of data require something more? Well, it did and it does for today's guest, Father Rod Walton. As you'll hear in this interview, Rod was familiar with the near-death experience research, but it wasn't until he hit a bump in the road in his life-in this case, the loss of a loved one, and experienced deep, profound bereavement-that he used the knowledge, the data, to dig himself out of that hole and then to go on and try to help others follow in the same course of recovery that he did. Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/randi-prize-exposed-in-new-book/ http://www.skeptiko.com/randi-prize-exposed-in-new-book/#comments Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:25:28 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1070 http://www.skeptiko.com/randi-prize-exposed-in-new-book/feed/ 18 Author Robert McLuhan examines the psychology and hidden purpose behind the modern skeptical movement pioneered by James Randi. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with the author of, Randi's Prize: What Sceptics Say About the Paranorm... Author Robert McLuhan examines the psychology and hidden purpose behind the modern skeptical movement pioneered by James Randi. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with the author of, Randi's Prize: What Sceptics Say About the Paranormal, Why They Are Wrong, and Why It Matters, Robert McLuhan. During the interview Mr. McLuhan discusses the possible motivation of skeptics, "...we complain an awful lot about people like James Randi who apparently subvert what seems to be a perfectly good data and rather deceptively distort perceptions... but I think we have to start thinking beyond that and start thinking about what it is exactly that these guys are trying to protect? Is it a rational thing they're doing? Perhaps I can make the point more succinctly in terms of psychokinesis, just imagine the effects of science declaring psychokinesis is real. If you really think this through you see we are in a very changed environment if we say human minds can interact with matter. That raises all sorts of very difficult implications." McLuhan continues, "If we think some people can hex other people, or interfere with the brakes when they're driving -- it doesn't even have to be true -- but if science says something like that is feasible and possible, it might happen, then what sort of situation are we in? I suspect, and I'm not sure if this is a conscious idea skeptics have... but I think what I'm trying to say in a nutshell is we have to think about the wider implications of psi endorsed and accepted by a central authority like science." Rob McLuhan Blogs at Paranormalia Play it: Download MP3 (47:00 min.) Read it: Alex Tsakiris: Robert McLuhan is an Oxford-trained freelance journalist who's authored Randy's Prize: What Skeptics Say About the Paranormal, Why They're Wrong, and Why it Matters. Robert, welcome to Skeptiko. Robert McLuhan: Thanks, Alex; I'm glad to be here. Alex Tsakiris: I'm glad you're here, too. Thanks for joining me. You've written an interesting book here that really goes way beyond James Randi and sets out the whole argument for paranormal effects like psi and near-death experience and so many of the things we've talked so much about here on Skeptiko. So let's start by talking about the argument that supports the claim for the paranormal and why the gravitational pull of orthodoxy, as you say, means that all those those claims might not matter anyway. What is the argument for the paranormal? Robert McLuhan: What I was trying to say about the-I came up with this term, "rational gravity" and by that I meant the sort of pull of orthodoxy. It's a psychological process. We're used to the world working in certain ways. That's our everyday reality. When something comes along that doesn't fit with that reality, then I suspect there's a psychological process that kicks in in many cases, not in all. Some people will unconsciously find some way of resolving the dilemma posed by this apparent anomaly and in the process of doing that they will come up with all sorts of explanations. Having arrived at explanations of what's happened or what somebody has claimed, no matter how speculative it may be, they will feel that the whole matter has been resolved successfully and they don't have to think about it anymore. I think that's a process that one sees going on quite a lot in the skeptical community. Alex Tsakiris: Right, because you think the evidence that you lay out in the book is actually quite strong, at least in some areas, right? Robert McLuhan: I do, yes. But I think how one responds to it is very much a question of temperament. I mean, take something like telepathy, and personally I'm not particularly phased by the idea. It doesn't bother me. It doesn't frighten me. I'm intrigued about it, curious about it, but I don't automatically think something like that is impossible and could never happen. I'd want to see evidence of it, Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/122-reincarnation-of-apostle-paul-nick-bunick-scrutinized/ http://www.skeptiko.com/122-reincarnation-of-apostle-paul-nick-bunick-scrutinized/#comments Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:26:07 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1062 http://www.skeptiko.com/122-reincarnation-of-apostle-paul-nick-bunick-scrutinized/feed/ 13 Popular author Nick Bunick claims past-life regression provided remembrances of Jesus, but biblical scholars have doubts. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with bestselling author of, Time For Truth, Nick Bunick. Popular author Nick Bunick claims past-life regression provided remembrances of Jesus, but biblical scholars have doubts. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with bestselling author of, Time For Truth, Nick Bunick. During the interview... Alex Tsakiris no http://www.skeptiko.com/chris-carter-tackles-near-death-experience-science/ http://www.skeptiko.com/chris-carter-tackles-near-death-experience-science/#comments Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:29:22 +0000 alex http://www.skeptiko.com/?p=1057 http://www.skeptiko.com/chris-carter-tackles-near-death-experience-science/feed/ 54 Author Chris Carter discuses how Near Death Experience Science is misunderstood and misrepresented by mainstream science. - Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Chris Carter, author of, Science and the Near Death Experience. Author Chris Carter discuses how Near Death Experience Science is misunderstood and misrepresented by mainstream science. Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Chris Carter, author of, Science and the Near Death Experience. During the interview Carter explains how the acceptance of paradigm changing science like near death experience and telepathy wouldn't change science as we know it, "...I do not agree with you that the acceptance-say of telepathy, or the acceptance of the near-death experience as a genuine separation of mind from body, I do not think that would challenge any aspect of science. I don't think it would change the way that neuroscientists come in and do their jobs. I think that everything would be exactly the same. They'd continue looking for the same chemicals, the same neurotransmitters, the same areas of the brain that light up. They'd still be trying to work with split brain patients and patents who have damaged brains. I don't think that anything would change. Except, yes, their conversations down at the pub on weekends would change. Absolutely. The philosophical conversations would change. But I really don't think that it would impact anything in science simply because modern neuroscience is completely neutral as to whether the brain produces the mind or whether the brain acts as a receiver/transmitter for the mind." According to Chris Carter the real dividing  point between mainstream science and the breakthroughs of near death experience science lie in conventional view that everything we experience can be reduced to just brain activity, "Materialists like to claim successes in modern science have been due to a Materialistic outlook. You've probably heard that before. But this is nonsense. The three men most responsible for the scientific revolution, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, were not Materialists. One of the reasons Galileo recanted his views is because he feared the Church would excommunicate him. Newton spent the last half of his life writing on theology. I mean, Materialism is an ancient philosophy that basically asserts that everything has a material cause. Therefore, the brain produces the mind. This dates back at least to Democritus in ancient Greece. It was thought to gain support from the physics of Isaac Newton, although Newton himself did not agree. Newton himself instead followed the Dualism of Renee Descartes. It was really the 18th century philosophers such as Diderot and Voltaire who spread the doctrines of Materialism and Mechanism. They did this in order to combat the religious fundamentalism and superstition, and the persecution that were common in their time." Chris Carter Play it: Download MP3 (39:00 min.) Read it: Alex Tsakiris: Welcome to Skeptiko, where we explore controversial science with leading researchers, thinkers, and their critics. I'm your host, Alex Tsakiris. Before we get to today's interview with Chris Carter, I want to take a minute and tell you about something that happened to me this week. One of the benefits of doing Skeptiko and having it achieve the little bit of success that it has is that I now get books sent to me on a regular basis. Little surprises in the mail. A new book. A new movie to review. Last week I received a request like that from a guy who had heard my interview with progressive Christian and self-proclaimed heretic, Spencer Burke. This guy had heard my interview with Spencer and he'd written a book on reimagining the Gospel in a new way, in a scientific way. He wanted to see if maybe we would do a Skeptiko show on it. So the first thing I did was email him back and say, "Hey, have you listened to some of my other shows? You might not really like my take on the "Gospel narrative." Well, this launched about a two day email exchange back and forth between this author and myself about essentially what boils down to the topic I want to talk about a little bit, and that's Apologetics. Now, Alex Tsakiris no