The Hundredth Monkey

Kendrick Frazier

Prometheus Books, Mar 5, 2010 - Body, Mind & Spirit - 414 pages

The Hundredth Monkey takes its title from philosopher Ron Amundson's expose of the "Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon," a claim about collective consciousness. Forty-three essays by thirty-nine authors, including Isaac Asimov, Martin Gardner, Carl Sagan, Ray Hyman, Paul Kurtz, and James Randi, examine aspects of paranormal and fringe-science beliefs from an authoritative, scientific point of view. The penetrating and entertaining essays, many with timely postscripts, are grouped into nine categories: - Understanding Human Need - Examining Popular Claims- Encouraging Critical Thinking - Medical Controversies- Evaluating the Anomalous Experience - Astrology- Considering Parapsychology - Crashed Saucer Claims- Controversies Within ScienceScientists and scholars discuss the burden of skepticism and the delicate balance between a creative openness to new ideas and the relentless scrutiny of new claims. A classic source book for scientifically responsible explanations of controversies, hoaxes, bizarre mysteries, and popular cultural myths.

Contents

• ISAAC ASIMOV: 10
• SPRAGUE DE CAMP: 17
• Encouraging Critical Thinking: 31
• Evaluating the Anomalous Experience: 43
• BILL ELLIS: 70
• A Critical View: 78
• SARAH G THOMASON: 85
• BARRY BEYERSTEIN: 95
• JENSEN: 111
• Considering Parapsychology: 125
• ANTONY FLEW: 136
• KENDRICK FRAZIER: 143
• What About Parapsychology?: 149
• MARTIN GARDNER: 162
• Examining Popular Claims: 171
• BERNARD J LEIKIND and WILLIAM J McCARTHY: 182
• JOE NICKELL and JOHN F FISCHER: 194
• ADRIAN FURNHAM: 200
• ROBERT BASIL: 206
• A Study of the Kirlian Effect: 209
• Medical Controversies: 247
• FRANK REUTER: 256
• WILLIAM JARVIS: 262
• Astrology: 279
• FROM NEWS AND COMMENT: 320
• Part 1: 327
• Part 2: 336
• New Evidence of MJ12 Hoax: 347
• Controversies Within Science: 353
• MARTIN GARDNER: 364
• Recommended Reading: 381
• Contributors: 387

About the author

Kendrick Frazier is a veteran science journalist and the longtime editor of the Skeptical Inquirer: The Magazine for Science and Reason. A former Editor of Science News, he is author or editor of ten books, including the anthology Science Under Siege: Defending Science, Exposing Pseudoscience. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the American Geophysical Union. He is a recipient of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry's "In Praise of Reason" Award.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Hundredth Monkey
• Author: Kendrick Frazier
• Publisher: Prometheus Books, 2010
• ISBN: 1615924019, 9781615924011
• Length: 414 pages
• Subjects: Body, Mind & Spirit / Occultism; Body, Mind & Spirit / Parapsychology / General; Science / Philosophy & Social Aspects