Revealed uncovers the science behind mysteries of nature and secrets of frauds who have been fooling us for centuries. Beginning at the Greek oracle in Delphi, author Loren Pankratz, PhD. guides us through the mysteries of the ancient world, the rituals of the Renaissance Church, and the readings of early mystics and spiritualists of the modern world to expose the deception of those claiming to tap into supernatural realms. Quite often these deceptions were the product of powerful institutions, like Roman Oracles or the Church of the Enlightenment, used to suppress free-thinking and maintain a tight grip on power. From Galileo's scientific discoveries of the cosmos to Bernard Fontenelle's popular philosophical dialogue that helped common people understand the sun-centered universe, Pankratz profiles those who used reason to challenge the authority of their time. Soon after, mesmerists and hypnotists paraded subjects who demonstrated insensitivity to pain and powers of clairvoyance. One such clairvoyant, a Frenchman named Alexis Didier, was so compelling as to provoke claims that if a case for clairvoyance could not be made for him, then no case can be made for anyone. This declaration has not been previously challenged, and Didier's secret methods are unraveled here through information in rare documents and privately printed pamphlets for the first time. Modern spiritualism started with simple rapping noises created by the Fox sisters, but these quickly escalated into an arms race of psychic manifestations like levitations and mysterious writing on slates. Scientists like Michael Faraday conducted clever experiments with magnets to show the deception at work -but the captivating power of the spiritualists was too much to overcome, and his results were shrugged off. We follow more individuals who devised tests to debunk these hucksters, even as mediums did everything possible to avoid exposure. Each story in Revealed captures the tension of mysterious conflict, the thrill of discovery, and the power of science to unmask frauds and fakes.
Loren Pankratz, Ph.D. has written and lectured on a wide variety of skeptical topics such as dancing manias, spiritualism, Greek oracles, ghosts, plagues, historical enigmas, mesmerism, moral panics, con-games self-deception, faith healing, self-surgery, miracles, ethical blunders, quackery, and renaissance science. Formerly a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Oregon Health Science University, Pankratz specialized in the assessment and management of unusual medical and psychiatric syndromes, especially those related to deception in the medical setting, After retirement he maintained a forensic practice, testifying across the country on topics like insurance fraud, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and recovered memory complaints. He is the author of Patients Who Deceive, and has a personal library covering the broad history of deception that provided the foundation for this book.
"In this era replete with unquestioned beliefs, Mysteries and Secrets Revealed could not be timelier. Loren Pankratz provides fascinating accounts of individuals who ask uncomfortable questions about easy-to-acquire-but-difficult-to-discard beliefs and then engage in thoughtful searching for answers to those questions. Appropriately conceived. Well researched. Deftly written." - Dr. Charles M. Wynn Sr., Professor Emeritus, Eastern Connecticut State University and co-author of The Human Side of Science "Pankratz delves deeply into history to dig up fascinating examples of deception through the ages, from the Oracle at Delphi to modern mind readers. Each account is an unputdownable detective story as he explains how critical thinkers approached questionable claims and devised ingenious methods to test charlatans, tricksters, and frauds, to distinguish between reality and falsehood, and to throw light on the psychological mechanisms that allowed the deceptions to succeed. A gripping story and an education in how not to be fooled." -Harriet Hall, M.D., Contributing editor to Skeptic magazine, Skeptical Inquirer, and the Science-Based Medicine Blog, as well as the author of Women Aren't Supposed to Fly: The Memoirs of a Female Flight Surgeon. "Remarkable... an outstanding examination of an important part of the ragged path that Western civilization has followed across the centuries in its efforts to understand the world in which we live. Pankratz brings psychological knowledge and experience as well as devotion to the history of both science and deception, backed up by his unparalleled personal library, providing readers with a unique vantage point." -James E. Alcock, PhD. Professor of Psychology, York University and author of Belief: What it Means to Believe and Why Our Convictions are So Compelling
