Best Evidence

Journal of Parapsychology, The, Spring, 2004 by Jeffrey Mishlove

BEST EVIDENCE, 2nd ed., by Michael Schmicker. San Jose, CA: Writers Club Press, 2002. Pp. xiii 324. $20.95 (paperback). ISBN 0-595-21906-3.

Journalist Michael Schmicker endeavors to put forth the best available evidence for a variety of phenomena of interest to parapsychologists. These include ESP, PK, dowsing, faith healing, deathbed visions, NDEs, OBEs, ghosts, poltergeists, mediums and channelers, and reincarnation. This, most parapsychologists would agree, is a useful project--provided that it be done conscientiously.

In his preface, Schmicker defines four categories of potential readers: the comfortable disbeliever, who is convinced that paranormal claims are false; the skeptic, who insists on tightly controlled experimental evidence; the cautious believer, who is prepared to weigh many types of evidence; and the true believer, who requires little or no evidence. Schmicker acknowledges at the outset that his book will primarily be of value for the cautious believer. And, in fact, he does an excellent job of delivering on a useful book for this audience.

Interestingly, the book's title is also the title of the second of the book's two parts. Part I bears the title "PSIentific Facts." It deserves special attention, since it sets the stage for the presentation of the evidence itself. Here, Schmicker addresses some of the more global issues raised by skeptics and debunkers of parapsychology. Chapter 1 is titled "Nobody Really Believes This Stuff, Right?" and covers survey data showing that approximately two-thirds of the population are inclined toward paranormal beliefs. Chapter 2 emphasizes the distinguished credentials of many psi researchers and proponents. Chapter 3 begins to take on skeptical claims by pointing out a dozen different scientific discoveries that initially met with strong opposition. It also critiques the strategies used by CSICOP and argues that the Society for Scientific Exploration offers a better model of open-minded skepticism.

Chapter 5 is titled "The Times They Are A-Changing." Like the Bob Dylan song from which the title is borrowed, this chapter feels a bit dated. The purpose of the chapter seems to be to demonstrate that paranormal claims have achieved considerable public acceptance. It opens by pointing out that in 1940 Pratt and Rhine's classic book Extra-Sensory Perception After Sixty Years became assigned reading for introductory psychology classes at Harvard. Many other facts are cited, such as the CIA's use of remote viewing, the U.S. patent issued for the Mindsong random event generator, and NIMH funding for research studies on distant mental influence. I felt, however, that this chapter was one-sided in its presentation. No mention was made of the various laboratory closures, funding problems, and decline of educational programs that have afflicted the field in recent decades. I think it is a mistake not to acknowledge the devastating social impact that the skeptics have had upon parapsychology--even though the continually improving research provides ongoing evidence of psi. This is a problem that must be addressed, and I wish that Schmicker had taken it upon himself to do so.

Part II is where Schmicker actually presents his "Best Evidence." It is divided into 10 chapters. The first of these, appropriately, deals with ESP. Like each of the chapters in this section, it begins with a historical overview of the topic followed by the author's selected best evidence cases. For ESP he cites the ganzfeld studies, the government-sponsored remote viewing program, and the Louisa Rhine database of spontaneous ESP experiences. These are interesting choices. However, most of the government-sponsored remote viewing studies are still classified and thus not accessible to interested readers. On the other hand, the many published non-classified studies merit careful consideration and, had I been the author of this book, would have figured more prominently. Also, from an evidential perspective, the spontaneous cases researched in the 19th century by the Society for Psychical Research in England are generally stronger than those collected by Louisa Rhine. To his credit, Schmicker includes Dean Radin's book The Conscious Universe and Richard Broughton's Parapsychology: The Controversial Science as "highly recommended reading."

The next chapter covers PK. This chapter is a bit troublesome for me. Schmicker does not spend time on alternative hypotheses. He begins the chapter by referring to the "PK parties" of Jack Hauck that, interesting as they may be, have not (to my knowledge) resulted in publishable observations. Schmicker claims that he himself produced a psychokinetically bent spoon at such an event. He maintains that anyone attending such an event would "disagree" with skeptical interpretations. However, as someone who has attended spoon-bending events, I instead disagree with Schmicker. As the author of The PK Man, I am probably more open to evidence for spontaneous PK than most parapsychologists. I wish I could be more convinced by evidence produced at spoon-bending parties. But I am not. Despite this, to give Schmicker credit, he does not include these events as his official best evidence.