The Unpersuadables: Adventures with the Enemies of Science (58 page)

perception

and the brain
72
,
76

of pain
41

and the placebo effect
41
,
42
,
43

of reality
27
,
72
,
76
–
77
,
80
,
81

see also
extra-sensory perception

peripeteia
303

Perkins, David
244

personality disorder
165

see also
multiple personality disorder

pesticides
211

Peter March’s Traveling Circus
274

Peters, Maarten
50

‘phantom limbs’
82

‘Pagasus’ awards
260
,
276
,
288

Pirahã tribe
312

placebo effect
41
–
43
,
45
–
46
,
50
–
51
,
53
,
72
,
107
,
113
,
134

and homeopathy
107
,
113
,
134

Playfair, Guy Lyon
280
–
82
,
287
,
293

political affiliation
205

political beliefs, and self-interest
217

political left
204
,
206
,
210
,
211

political right
204
,
205

Polonia Palace Hotel, Warsaw
219

poltergeists
280

Popoff, Peter
288

power, leftwing
211
–
12

Power, Joe
105
,
106

‘Pranayama’ (breath control)
32
–
36
,
38
,
40
,
41
,
45
,
56
,
134
,
196

prefrontal cortex
73

prejudice
29
,
53
,
84
,
86
,
90
,
100
,
181
,
248
,
305

Pressman, Zev
280
–
82
,
286
,
288
,
295

prophets
307

Prozac
42

psi phenomena
265
–
66

see also
parapsychology

psychiatry
28
–
29
,
42
,
71
,
120
,
130
,
136
,
137
,
140
–
41
,
142
–
43
,
145
–
46
,
150
,
152
,
162
,
183
,
189

psychic powers
253

animals with
258
,
260
,
261
,
265
,
266

testing
253
,
258
,
260
,
263
,
274
,
279
–
80

psychics
98
,
104

psychology

of evil
69
–
70
,
105
,
243
,
307

experimental
88
,
101
,
142
,
316

parapsychology
261
–
62
,
265
,
266
,
267
,
269
,
280
,
287

situational
69

see also
schizophrenia
157
,
180
,
310

Puthoff, Harold
279
,
280

racism
104
,
221
,
223
,
229
,
305

radiotherapy
35
, 401

Ramachandran, V.S.
75
,
81
,
82

Ramdev, Swami
31
–
41
,
43
,
134
,
182
,
306

Randi, Angela
291

Randi, James
98
–
99
,
107
,
108
,
109
–
110
,
112
,
260
–
61
,
269
,
270
,
271
–
98
,
306
,
309
,
310
,
312
,
313

blindness to his own cognitive biases
272

childhood
273

death threats
275
,
306

early adult life
274

emotional problems
292

homosexuality
292

interview with the author
291
–
98

psychic challenge prize
99
,
260
,
272
,
276
,
277
,
278
,
289

social Darwinism
296
,
297

views on drug users
296
–
97

see also
James Randi Educational Foundation

Rank, Otto
302

Rasputin study
88
,
103

rationalists, radicalised
9

reality, perceptions of
27
,
72
,
76
–
77
,
80
,
81
,
91

‘reality monitoring’, errors in
50

reason
26

inefficacy of
26
–
27

as not enough
309

recovered-memory therapy (RMT)
166
,
170
,
173
,
176

Rees, Laurence
311

‘regression to the mean’
45

religious belief, and happiness
197

religious conversion mechanisms of
8

repression
169

right, political
204
–
207

Robertson, Shorty Jangala
300

robots, alien
23
,
33

Rogo, Scott
279

Romme, Marius
137
,
140
,
143
–
45
,
148
,
154
,
155

Rosenbaum, Ron
245

Royal College of Psychiatry
154

Royal Free Hospital, Camden
136
,
139

Royal Institute of Philosophy
203

Royal Society
5

saccades
79

sacredness, irrationality surrounding
217

Sagan, Carl
266

Santayana, George
209

Satan
18

see also
Lucifer

santanic abuse
165
–
66
,
168
–
70
,
174
–
75
,
177
,
180

Saucer Smear
magazine
281

Savely, Ginger
126
,
127
,
130

Schizophrenia
51
,
136
–
37
,
140
,
141
,
143
,
145
,
148
,
150
,
154
,
162
,
169
,
178
,
183
,
309

as salience disorder
183

Schlitz, Marilyn
262

Schmidt, Stefan
262
,
265

Schwartz, Gary
287
,
188
–
89

science
8
–
9
,
95
–
96
,
255
–
59
,
268
,
273
,
310

scientific method
305

Scientologists
155

sectioning
137
,
140

Secular Student Alliance
290

Seeman, Mary
120

Segal, Stanley S.
172

self

ideal
148
,
313

multiple selves model
147

senses
77
–
91
,
190
,
196
,
258

sensory deprivation
78

sexism, unconscious
86

sexual abuse
145
,
146
,
156
–
57
,
162
,
180

sexual assault
145
–
46

sexual jeaoulsy
64
,
66
,
104
,
212

Shang, Aijing
112
,
113
–
14

Sheldrake, Rupert
255
–
61
,
262
–
70
,
272
–
73
,
276
–
77
,
287
,
289
,
293
–
94
,
307

Shermer, Michael
102

Silent Spring, The
(Carson)
211

sin
17
–
18
,
61
,
66
,
189

original
2

Sinason, David
171
,
175
,
179

Sinason, Valerie
170
,
171
,
178
,
180
,
304

Singer, Peter
304

situational psychology
69

Skeptic, The
(magazine)
104
,
108
,
169
,
271
,
288

Skeptics
9
,
95
–
112
,
115
,
120
–
21
,
134
,
142
,
162
,
260
,
265
,
271
–
73
,
276
–
79
,
290
–
91
,
298
,
309
–
310
,
313
–
14

and Morgellons
134

and psi phenomenon
265
–
66
,
279

and Sheldrake
260

‘The Amazing Meeting’ of
290

see also
Randi, James

sleep
195

smell, sense of
184

Smith, Greg
122
,
124
,
130
,
131

social Darwinism
296
,
297

social roles, and the production of evil
69
–
70
,
105

socialism
212

Sorel, George
304

‘source-monitoring error’
50

South Koreans
83

Soviet Union
212

sprinal tumours
129

spirituality
26

‘split-brain’ patients
190
–
92

spoon-benders
98

spotlight effect
89

Stalin, Joseph
234

Stanford Prison Experiment
69
–
70

Stern Review
310

Stipe, Catherine
6

storytelling
183
,
188
,
189
,
192
,
194
,
302
,
206
,
207
,
312

see also
confabulation; narratives

‘strip-search scams’
68
–
69
,
84

stroke patients
82

suicidal ideation
147

suicide
144

and voice-hearing
151
,
154

Summers, Donna
67

survival of the fittest
3
,
296
–
97

taboo violation scenarios, harmless
194

Targ, Russel
279
,
280

Tavris, Carol
84
,
88
,
194
,
243

Tea Party movement 204204

telepathy
257
–
59
,
266
,
269
,
280

terrorism
9

Thatcher, Margaret
174
,
204
,
208
,
212
,
215

theft
66
,
104

theory of mind
303

therapy
45
,
169

group
133

placebo effect
45

This American Life
(US radio show)
78

Thyssen
233

Time
magazine
102

Times, The
(newspaper)
263

‘tjukurpas’ (Aboriginal stories)
275

Toronto Evening Telegram
(newspaper)
274

Toronto Star
(newspaper)
293

totalitarianism
216

Tournier, Alexander
109
,
112
,
113

traumatic experience

repression
166

and voice-hearing
137
,
139
–
41
,
143
–
45
,
148
–
49
,
150
–
58

tribalism
84
–
85
,
133
,
171
,
196
,
217

truth
218

coherence theory of
218

and group pressure
44
–
45

and storytelling
312
–
13

Turing, Alan
266

Turner, Trevor
154
–
57
,
162
,
169
,
178

twin studies
205

UFOs
22
–
27
,
29
–
30
,
272
,
308