The words Christian, quack, scientist, like others, can be used off-handedly
or about people who've shown they generally fit the description. The little
list was a list of ex-quacks--RS hasn't earned the "ex" yet. Some evidence
about that from James Randi, who's familiar with the difference--"The
Sheldrake Kerfluffle":
http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/795-the-sheldrake-kerfluffle.html
****
Let me briefly explain the grudge that Rupert Sheldrake has going against me.
First an article entitled "James Randi," located at sheldrake.org:
"The January 2000 issue of Dog World magazine included an article on a possi-
ble sixth sense in dogs, which discussed some of my research. In this article
Randi was quoted as saying that in relation to canine ESP, 'We at the JREF
[James Randi Educational Foundation] have tested these claims. They fail.' No
details were given of these tests."
Clever. This implies that I was referring to the specific tests that Sheldrake
claimed to have done. I was referring to general tests that the JREF has done
over many years involving animals, particularly dogs. To have gone into details
of all these tests would have been impractical, but a search of our site would
have supplied him with all the details he could possibly wish. Alternately, I
could have supplied them, if only he had issued a request. That's what we do at
the JREF.
Sheldrake continued:
"Randi also claimed to have debunked one of my experiments with the dog
Jaytee, a part of which was shown on television. Jaytee went to the window to
wait for his owner when she set off to come home, but did not do so before she
set off. In Dog World, Randi stated: 'Viewing the entire tape, we see that the
dog responded to every car that drove by, and to every person who walked by.'
This is simply not true, and Randi now admits that he has never seen the tape."
Not true. A colleague of mine in Europe told me that he'd seen the tape re-
cord, and that he and his colleagues presented a version of it to some students
who were asked to record each time the dog was activated. The dog never stopped,
reacting to passers-by in the street, cars, any unusual noise and any sort of
distraction. The only portion of tape that I was able to see was the section
that Sheldrake saw fit to publish, the limited sector that indicated -- to his
selective gaze -- the point he wanted to prove. Dr. Sheldrake, may we see the
entire video record, so that we may repeat that student evaluation with persons
who are, in your view, qualified to see it? I promise that I'll stay behind in
Florida, and I'll not put out those "negative vibes" that I'm sure you feel
would affect the test. Or are those tapes now lost, or perhaps not available for
legal reasons?
In closing, I'll add: When I was in the UK a few years ago, I asked Sheldrake
if I could test his wonder-dog, but I was told that the dog -- and its owners --
didn't want me around. I think that explains a lot about how willing Sheldrake
is to face real, independent, examination of his claims.
- J.R.
****
Maddox on Sheldrake
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maddox#The_Sheldrake_editorial_1981
