Paranormal Borderlands of Science

edited by Kendrick Frasier

copyright 1981 - Prometheus Books

This book is a collection of essays that were originally published in The Skeptical Inquirer, the publication produced by the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP).  The essays appeared in the journal between approximately 1976 and 1980.  As such, the articles might seem to be slightly dated (e.g., the chapter on biorhythms which seem to have vanished from the occult scene).  However, the vast majority of the topics covered in these articles are still being discussed today such as UFOs and "psychic" powers of Uri Geller and others.  I especially liked the section on Immanuel Velikovsky's theories.  These theories, originally published in the 1950's are still circulating even today, although they have been shown to be ridiculous.  Having several articles on the subject lets the reader get a feeling for the theories being discussed as well as a good background in the scientific knowledge that is useful for refuting them.  For the simple reason that most of these topics haven't died down since this book was published, it is an invaluable addition to the skeptic's library.   

Below is a listing of all the articles in this book to give you an indication of the types of topics this book covers.

Abell, G.O. and Greenspan, B.  (1981).  The moon and the maternity ward.  pp. 263-271  

Alcock, J.E.  (1981).  Psychology and near-death experiences.  pp. 153-169  

Asimov, I.  (1981).  Asimov's corollary.  pp. 223-232  

Bainbridge, W.S.  (1981a).  Biorhythms: evaluating a pseudoscience.  pp. 191-207  

Bainbridge, W.S.  (1981b).  Chariots of the gullible.  pp. 332-347  

Bainbridge, W.S. and Stark, R.  (1981).  Superstitions: old and new.  pp. 46-59  

Bastedo, R.W.  (1981).  An empirical test of popular astrology.  pp. 241-262  

Bauer, H.H.  (1981).  The Velikovsky affair II: passions and purposes: a perspective.  pp. 409-412  

Bauslaugh, G.  (1981).  Science, intuition, and ESP.  pp. 24-31  

Cole, J.R.  (1981).  Anthropology beyond the fringe: ancient inscriptions, early man, and the scientific method.  pp. 357-366  

Feder, K.L.  (1981).  Psychic archaeology: the anatomy of irrationalist prehistoric studies.  pp. 367-378  

Frazier, K.  (1981).  The Velikovsky affair III: the distortions continue.  pp. 413-419  

Gardner, M.  (1981a).  Einstein and ESP.  pp. 60-65  

Gardner, M.  (1981b).  The extraordinary mental bending of Professor Taylor.  pp. 142-147  

Godfrey, L.R.  (1981).  Science and evolution in the public eye.  pp. 379-390  

Hines, T.M.  (1981).  Biorhythm theory: a critical review.  pp. 208-218  

Hyman, R.  (1981).  Cold reading: how to convince strangers that you know all about them.  pp. 79-96  

Klass, P.J.  (1981a).  NASA, the White House, and UFOs.  pp. 431-439  

Klass, P.J.  (1981b).  UFOs, the CIA, and the New York Times.  pp. 448-452  

Kurtz, P.  (1981).  Is parapsychology a science?  pp. 5-23  

Kurtz, P., Zelen, M. and Abell, G.  (1981).  Results of U.S. test of the 'Mars effect'.  pp. 272-279  

Kusche, L.  (1981).  Critical reading, careful writing, and the Bermuda Triangle.  pp. 283-287  

Marks, D. and Kammann, R.  (1981).  The nonpsychic powers of Uri Geller.  pp. 113-121  

McBurney, D.H. and Greenberg, G.K.  (1981).  Downfall of a would-be psychic.  pp. 148-149  

McGervey, J.D.  (1981).  A statistical test of sun-sign astrology.  pp. 235-240  

Morris, R.L.  (1981).  The case of the Amityville Horror.  pp. 170-178  

Morris, S.  (1981).  Believing in ESP: effects of dehoaxing.  pp. 32-45  

Oberg, J.  (1981a).  Astronaut "UFO" sightings.  pp. 440-447  

Oberg, J.  (1981b).  The Persian Gulf UFO: fiery end to drama.  pp. 461-463  

Oberg, J.  (1981c).  The Velikovsky affair I: ideas in collision.  pp. 401-408  

Oberg, J.  (1981d).  Tunguska echoes.  pp. 420-427  

Omohundro, J.T.  (1981).  Von Däniken's chariots: a primer in the art of cooked science.  pp. 307-317  

Padgett, V.R., Benassi, V.A. and Singer, B.F.  (1981).  Belief in ESP among psychologists.  pp. 66-67  

Randi, J.  (1981a).  A controlled test of dowsing abilities.  pp. 300-304  

Randi, J.  (1981b).  Cold reading revisited.  pp. 106-110  

Randi, J.  (1981c).  Examination of the claims of Suzie Cottrell.  pp. 128-134  

Randi, J.  (1981d).  New evidence in the Uri Geller matter.  pp. 122-127  

Ridpath, I.  (1981).  Investigating the Sirius mystery.  pp. 348-354  

Schwartz, R.A.  (1981).  Sleight of tongue.  pp. 97-105  

Scott, C. and Hutchinson, M.  (1981).  A test of 'psychic' photography.  pp. 135-141  

Sheaffer, R.  (1981).  Do fairies exist?  pp. 68-75  

Simpson, D.I.  (1981).  A controlled UFO hoax: some lessons.  pp. 453-460  

Standen, A.  (1981).  The semantics of UFOs.  pp. 464-465  

Stewart, J.R.  (1981).  Cattle mutilations: an episode of collective delusion.  pp. 288-299  

Story, R.D.  (1981).  Von Däniken's golden gods.  pp. 318-331  

Taves, E.H.  (1981).  Betty through the looking-glass.  pp. 179-187