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Psychometry, et al
Tree Ring Circus (FTMAL@AURORA.ALASKA.EDU)
Tue, 6 Dec 1994 17:36:40 -0900
NPR, and especially on Saturday Weekend Edition, toward fluff
stories will little content. I'm not sure what prompts this brand
of infotainment, but it's pretty disturbing.
However, the general response among "professional"
archeologists prompts the question, "Are we justified in dismissing
outright investigative procedures that seem unlikely or even absurd?"
I remember fondly the Psychic arecheology session at AAA in Mexico
City in the 70s. Many professionals dismissed it with a laugh, but
how many of us examined the evidence and have done follow-up
studies to see if there really is any empirical reality to the
claims?
Blood residue, dendroclimatological reconstruction, even
AMS dating seem pretty magical at times. What does it take
for a procedure to be accpepted as valid. Have we applied the
same criteria to those "procedures" we dismiss as absurd?
Just a thought...
Mike Lewis
University of Alaska Fairbanks
...but then, it's 37 below zero today!
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