Del Mar, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/30/2015 -- Join Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris for an interview with Dr. Michael Shermer, founder of Skeptic magazine, and author ofThe Moral Arc. During the interview Dr. Shermer discusses how his interpretation of a peer-reviewed near-death experience research paper outraged the researcher:
Alex Tsakiris: In the article you cited [Dr. Pim van Lommel's] work and you said his research "delivered a blow to the idea that the mind and the brain could be separate." Do you remember this whole thing?
Dr. Michael Shermer: Yes, of course and he wrote me and said, "I disagree. That is not what [the original] research means…" So we agreed to disagree. That's how I read it.
Alex Tsakiris: But how can you "agree to disagree"? If you said his methods were wrong or that his conclusions were faulty, but what you did…
Dr. Michael Shermer: It's not in the methods it's in the interpretation of what [his research] means…
Alex Tsakiris: … but that's his research…
Dr. Michael Shermer: … and I am skeptical of some of the methods of how they interpret experiences that people report having.
Alex Tsakiris: …but I think this gets at the issue a lot of people have with the skeptical/atheist community…it feels like there's this pattern of disinformation/misinformation… when a guy reports research [findings] you can either say, I agree with the research, or I disagree… but you can't say the research says [something different than what the researchers concluded]."
The Skeptiko interview with Dr. Michael Shermer (audio and transcript) is available at:
http://www.skeptiko.com/269-michael-shermer-skeptical-science-reporting/
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Skeptiko.com is the #1 scientifically oriented podcast exploring new research into controversial areas of science such as telepathy, psi, parapsychology, near-death-experience, psychics, medium communication, reincarnation, and after-life encounters. Each episode features open, honest debate on new scientific discoveries. The show includes interviews with top research scientists and their critics.
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