Joe Nickell - Humanistic Skepticism - a podcast by Center for Inquiry
from 2008-07-19T05:00
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The world’s leading paranormal investigator, Joe Nickell is a regular
contributor to Skeptical Inquirer science magazine. He is the author or
editor of more than twenty books, including Looking for a Miracle, Inquest on the Shroud of Turin, and most recently The Relics of the Christ.
In this discussion with D.J. Grothe, Joe Nickell expounds on his
unique kind of paranormal investigating, which is neither "mystery
mongering," nor "debunking." He emphasizes how his humanist values
carry over into his skeptical work, and how his notion of "doing good"
is applied to skepticism as a movement. He criticizes many in the
skeptical movement who seem not to care to honor claimants with
on-the-ground investigations, instead dismissing from the "armchair"
that a supernatural claim is impossible. He also challenges those with
the "ghost hunter" mentality, who lack effective training in
investigation and instead just promote belief in unsupportable
paranormal claims, even while engaging in important field
investigations. Nickell ends discussing the future of the skeptical
movement and the odds he thinks it has to adopt the kind of "humanistic
skepticism" he promotes.
unique kind of paranormal investigating, which is neither "mystery
mongering," nor "debunking." He emphasizes how his humanist values
carry over into his skeptical work, and how his notion of "doing good"
is applied to skepticism as a movement. He criticizes many in the
skeptical movement who seem not to care to honor claimants with
on-the-ground investigations, instead dismissing from the "armchair"
that a supernatural claim is impossible. He also challenges those with
the "ghost hunter" mentality, who lack effective training in
investigation and instead just promote belief in unsupportable
paranormal claims, even while engaging in important field
investigations. Nickell ends discussing the future of the skeptical
movement and the odds he thinks it has to adopt the kind of "humanistic
skepticism" he promotes.
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