Daily Grail Publishing’s Darklore 7 was released today, and in it you’ll find my contribution, and updated and revised version of my eBook, The Origins of the Space Gods. (Be sure to pick up a copy today!) But more importantly, now that the book is out I can reveal the identity of the alternative archaeologist who has openly embraced the reality of magic powers.
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A little while back I posted on Andrew Collins’ claim that the constellation of Cygnus was (a) known to Paleolithic people, (b) assumed by them to be the source of cosmic radiation, and (c) the subject of a 35,000 year cult dedicated to the same. I’ve received some criticism for failing to address the complex web of assumptions Collins uses to support his belief that Cygnus was known in Paleolithic times and treated as an object of veneration.
Note: The headline is meant sardonically, not literally.
This week’s cover story in Newsweek is a first person account of a neurosurgeon’s visit to “heaven,” which he claims to have seen after entering a coma in 2008 that lasted seven days. Dr. Eben Alexander, who is using his vision of heaven to sell his new book, claims that his experience differs from all others in human existence because he experienced his vision while medical science documented (in data not provided in the article) that the parts of his brain responsible for consciousness were inactive. The internet is still aghast at House science committee member Paul Broun’s claims that evolution and the Big Bang are “lies” from the “pit of hell.” However, Broun is not the first and won’t be the last politician to subordinate science to ideology. William Jennings Bryan was Secretary of State and nearly president of the United States before he went on to prosecute John Scopes for teaching evolution in Tennessee. Ignatius Donnelly was a congressman before almost single-handedly sparking the Atlantis genre of pseudoscience. President Andrew Jackson used the false myth of a lost race of white mound builders to justify the Trail of Tears.
Today is Columbus Day here in the United States, though you wouldn’t know it by talking to many Americans, for whom Christopher Columbus is little more than a name on the calendar. This morning, I stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few things, and I remarked to the young cashier that the store seemed especially quiet for the holiday.
Since Ancient Aliens pundit Philip Coppens feels that I have a hateful obsession with him, it would hardly be fair of me to fuel his delusion by continuing to write about him. And yet, I feel compelled to point out Coppens’ hypocrisy when it comes to epistemology and intuiting the motives of the subjects one writes about. With luck—and assuming he has no new nonsense to promote this week—this will be the last I speak of him for a good long time.
Warning: This post contains mild profanity some readers may find objectionable.
Rep. Paul Broun (R-Georgia) made headlines this weekend when a videotape shot Sept. 27 showed him claiming that evolution and the Big Bang were “lies straight from the pit of Hell.” While this may seem a standard issue belief for certain segments of the American population, this was especially distressing because Broun chairs the oversight and investigations panel of the House Committee on Science. (Before readers start commenting and emailing about my alleged political bias because Broun is Republican, please note that I also criticized President Obama and Sen. Harry Reid, both Democrats, last month for their efforts to grant national status to a Nevada museum promoting Roswell UFO conspiracy theories.) Authors of extraordinary claims have two modes when under attack for their false claims. They either lash out wildly like a cornered animal, or they retreat into their shells to ride out the storm like a tortoise or a snail. I have previously documented how alternative authors like Erich von Däniken, Robert Temple, and Graham Hancock have imagined conspiracies to suppress the truth of their claims. Even Philip Coppens this week accused me of a hate-filled “obsession” with him because I dared criticize but a single claim of his.
I worked overtime yesterday to present Philip Coppens’ effort to “tear apart” my September 30 blog post “line by line” with my corresponding fact-based commentary (read it here), so today I’m going to try to run a bit shorter. Coppens complained my posts were too long for him anyway, so I hope this will be more to his liking.
Coppens complained that I “nitpick” by examining individual claims for factual accuracy instead of evaluating the broad, overarching philosophical approaches to the past where he feels the truth actually hides. So, let’s indulge him. Earlier today I invited Philip Coppens to email me the response to my blog post about his claim that Imhotep receive "non-human" assistance in building Djoser's step pyramid for publication on my blog. Instead, Mr. Coppens posted his lengthy statement as several comments to my previous blog post. (Perhaps he does not trust me to copy and paste his words correctly?) Since this requires much more work on my part to format for the blog, I have decided to forgo my original plan to run his comments and my own as separate posts. Instead, I will run them in parallel as two columns. Mr. Coppens' comments appear at left, and my comments are in green at right. Please read my original post first to understand what follows.
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AuthorI am an author and researcher focusing on pop culture, science, and history. Bylines: New Republic, Esquire, Slate, etc. There's more about me in the About Jason tab. Newsletters
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