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Legacy of Magical Ignorance |
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Kanthamani and Kelly’s research with special subject Bill Delmore (B.D.) produced extremely high scores and has received wide acclaim in the parapsychology literature. A number of leaders in the field have since lauded the procedures and controls. But B.D.’s behavior should have made the investigators more cautious. In fact, the formal tests were vulnerable to cheating in many ways. This and other problems have not been previously recognized. The technical shortcomings of the research are symptomatic of deeper difficulties. A few prominent parapsychologists are vocally promoting research involving known tricksters. These advocates have been aggressive in publishing their articles in professional forums, but they have no knowledge of conjuring. Several have trained many students and have thereby bequeathed a legacy of ignorance about magic. Priorities set by editors, educators, and managers of research facilities need to be reevaluated, and parapsychologists will need to become more familiar with conjuring. This article includes comments about researchers’ resistance to learning magic and magicians’ reluctance to explain their methods. Website |
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