From the Skeptical Literature—1919: We are often asked—not only by Spiritualists, but by open-minded inquirers—how we can account for the fact that so many famous scientists have given their adhesion to Spiritualism if there is no truth in it, and if it is founded upon fraud? This is a legitimate question, and deserves a reasoned answer. It is an undoubted fact that many scientific men have become convinced of the truth of Spiritualism. … [Several notable examples.] … Here we have an imposing array of names, and Spiritualists make the most of them. No one will deny that they were really great men in the department of science to which they had dedicated their lives. There are, however, many proofs that a man may reach the highest eminence as a scientific investigator, and yet go deplorably astray in matters outside his special studies. As Professor [Joseph] Jastrow has well observed: There is a very broadspread notion that anybody can go to Spiritualistic séances and give a reliable opinion as to whether what he or she may chance to see is explicable as conjuring or not; but it is probably not an exaggeration to maintain that most such claimants are about as competent to form a trustworthy opinion on such a subject as they are to pronounce upon the genuineness of a Syriac manuscript. And he concludes that it is not at all to the discredit of any one’s powers of observation or intellectual acumen to be deceived by the performances of a conjurer, and the same holds true of the professional part of mediumistic phenomena. Until this homely but salutary truth is impressed with all its importance upon all intending investigators, there is little hope of bringing about a proper attitude towards these and kindred phenomena.”” —Walter Mann. The Follies and Frauds of Spiritualism. (London: Watts & Co., 1919.) pp. 3–4 —This book is available for free in multiple formats from Archive.org https://archive.org/details/folliesfraudsofs00manniala
Posted on: Sun, 04 May 2014 00:27:44 +0000
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