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OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS I HAVE BEEN ADVISED by several of my readers that my acceptance of Sam Hams--author of The End ofFaith-might be unwise, not because of his writings about religion, but because of his apparent acceptance of some paranonral phenomena. To wit, the University of Central Lancashire professor of psychology Michael Eslea cautions: "When Harnis rails against theistic religions, The End ofFaith is a terrific read and a powerful argument, but when in the final chapter he turns approvingly towards Eastern mysticism and spirituality, he veers into woo-woo territory." Here is what Harris writes in this vein: There also seems to be a body of data attesting to the reality of psychic phenomena, much of which has been ignored by mainstream science. The dictum that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" remains a reasonable guide in these areas, but this does not mean that the universe isn't far stranger than many of us suppose. It is important to realize that a healthy, scientific skepticism is compatible with a fundamental openness of mind. An open mind, yes, but not a gaping hole through which reason leaks out and blind belief seeps in to replace it. In a footnote to the above paragraph, Harris refers us to Dean Radin's The Conscious Unitmre: The Scientific Truth ofPsychic Phenomena, Rupert Sheldrake's The Sense of Being StaredAt And OtherAspectsof the ExtendedMind and to other books, as his authority for having such a belief. Yes, "mainstream science" has ignored this material because it does not stand proper examination, as Mr. Harris can discover by looking into it in more detail. The fact that something gets published does not necessarily validate it. Mr. Harris adds to his comment this astonishing--certainly for him-suggestion: "There may even be some credible evidence for reincarnation." Let me here remind readers that if the Sheldrake and Radin declarations were really true and properly derived, then they would stand as good evidence for the reality of parapsychology and would make them eligible for the JREF million-dollar prize. But Sheldrake has directly refused to apply for that prize, and Radin has made the same decision by choosing to ignore it. One has to wonder why... That aside, it is evident to me that Mr. Harris has not

carefully examined either Radin's book, or anything written by Sheldrake. If he had subjected that material to the same proper scrutiny that he applied to religion and the "God" question he so well handled, I'm sure he'd have come to the same conclusions that I have-that there's nothing in it, that there's no "reality" to psychic phenomena, nor to reincarnation, other than the conviction of some incautious or seriously deluded individuals who can attract publishers who understand and thus exploit the naivety of the book market. Mr. Harris also has an attraction to mysticism, particularly to Eastern aspects of it, and appears to give credence to some of its tenets. To my mind, metaphysical claims and notions that result from mystical "experiences"which can take place entirely within the individual's minds-cannot be accepted without accompanying, supporting, strong, empirical evidence. Surely that is not too much to ask for? To be fair to Mr. Harris, however, if he does accept "psi" as real, we should not be too surprised. Many times following one of my lectures I've been approached by an academic who says something like: "While I agree with your assessment of Sylvia Browne, UFOs, and homeopathy, Mr. Randi, I saw a book written about the Bermuda Triangle, and it was very convincing! Surely they wouldn't publish an entire book about it if it weren't real!" Oh yes they would...
Sam Harris Responds

In response to this, my initial assessment of Harris' position on the paranormal in Swift, the weekly newsletter of JREF (randi.org/jr/2007-06/062207.html#i8) Harris was kind enough to promptly submit this response: You really haven't understood my point of view. I have never said that I believe in PSI, reincarnation, etc. I have taken a position that there seems to be data on these subjects which should be evaluated. You may think that the claims of Radin, Stevenson, et a. have been thoroughly vetted and demolished. If so, please tell me where this demolition occurred. (I remember the back and forth in Nature with Brian Josephson, which did not seem to lay the matter to rest). In any case, there has long been a clarification of my position on these and other controversial matters on my website:

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samharris.org/site/fulltext/response-tocontroversy2/ The relevant excerpts are these:

My vkms on the pamnoimalESP, rencnotaon,etcWhile there have been many frauds in the history of parapsychology, I believe that this field of study has been unfairly stigmatized. If some experimental psychologists want to spend their days studying telepathy, or the effects of prayer, I will be interested to know what they fird out. And if it is true that toddlers occasionally start
speaking in ancient languages (as Ian

Stevenson alleges), I would like to know about it. However, I have not spent any time attempting to authenticate the data put forward in books like Dean Radin's The Conscious Univense or Ian Stevenson's 20 Cases Suggestive ofReincarnation.The fact that I have not spent any time on this should suggest how worthy of my time I think such a project would be. Still, I found these books interesting, and I cannot categorically dismiss their contents in the way that I can dismiss the daims of religious dogmatists. (Here, I am making a point about gradations of certainty: Can I say for certain that the last hundred years of experimentation proves that telepathy doesn't exist? No. It seems to me that reasonable people can disagree about the data. Can I say for certain that the Bible and the Koran show every sign of having been written by ignorant mortals? Yes. And this is the only certainty one needs to dismiss the God of Abraham as a creature of fiction.)
My views on Eastern mysticism,

the metaphysical claims of others. There are several neuroscience labs now studying the effects of meditation on the brain. While I am not personally engaged in this research, I know many of the scientists who are. This is now a fertile area of sober inquiry, purposed toward understanding the possibilities of human well-being better than we do at present. While I consider Buddhism almost unique among the world's religions as a repository of contemplative wisdom, I do not consider myself a Buddhist. My criticism of Buddhism as a faith has been published, to the consternation of many Buddhists. I thank Mr. Harris for this prompt, informative, and very welcome outline

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Two (2) Amaz!ng Meetings in'081

Buddhism, etc. There is simply no question that people have transformative experiences as a result of engaging contemplative disciplines like meditation, and there is no question that these experiences shed some light on the nature of the human mind (any experience does, for that matter). What is highly questionable are the metaphysical claims that people tend to make on the basis of such experiences. I do not make any such claims. Nor do I support

of his thoughts on these matters. I'll say that concerning books on parapsychology, I, too, cannot "categorically dismiss their contents." I have given many years of my life to carefully examining the material they have offered, and I have published my findings in my own books. Attempted rebuttals of my work have not served to establish the parapsychologists' claims, to any extent. I believe that Sam Harris should find some time to examine my research, and I think he would agree with me: their claims are no better than Papal Bulls or Catechisms. Now, I know that Mr. Harris is adequately supplied with tasks that command his attention. He has even less time than I to spare for breathing and performing other vital functions. However, I shipped off to him-and he has now received-a selection of my books that I hope he might have an opportunity to look through. I'll not wait for the phone to ring announcing his expected epiphany, but I trust that he will eventually discover that the honeyed phrases of the paranormalists--even of the Nobel Laureates among them-turn sour when the evidence is in and is summoned up in opposition. Sam Harris is as interested in, and as dedicated to truth and logic, as I am, I'm quite sure. V

Special one-day event at the Best Western in Plantation, FL, near Ft. Lauderdale. We'll have the entire hotel to ourselves! Optional workshops and tours of the JREF office to round out the weekend. More intimate meetings-not to be missed!

The Amazing Meeting 6 will be held at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in delightfully decadent Las Vegas, NV. This time, TAM is right on the "strip,' and right in the middle of the action. We'll be doing things a bit differently this year, with new guest speakers and new activities. Prepare to be "amazed" once again...

7James

Educational Foundation 201 S.F, 12th Street F Lauderdale, FL 33316 ; ph: 954-467-1I112 'nwww.randi.org

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