Tomorrow night, Tuesday, November 16, from 10-11pm (check local listings) is the final episode of the first series of Exploring the Unknown, the skeptics' perspective on the paranormal and other mysteries. We are eagerly awaiting a reorder of another series of episodes (Fox Family ordered a pilot and six one-hour episodes to start) and your letters can make a difference. Networks really do care what viewers have to say, as they realize that the "ratings" obtained and used throughout the industry are not the only indicator of a show's popularity. Write in campaigns (e.g. Star Trek) and internet campaigns (Blair Witch Project) can and have made a difference, and now with e-mail it is easier than ever to send a message to let the network know how you feel. If you are so inclined I would be grateful if you would send an e-mail letter to the following e-mail address. There is no contact name. Just put "EXPLORING THE UNKNOWN" in the subject window and at the top of the letter. Then tell them how you feel about the importance of a show that has the courage to present the scientific and skeptical perspective. The VPs of programming love the show and support it, but they have people they have to convince, so the more data we give them the better. Thank you. Here is where to send your letter:
comments@foxfamilychannel.com
This Sunday, November 21, at 2:00pm at Caltech's Baxter Lecture Hall, we will be featuring on" where she got to meet the Pope), on:
HEAVEN: The Search for a Higher Plane From Dante to Cyberspace.
Margaret's new book is "The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace: A History of Space From Dante to the Internet." (We will have copies for sale and signing.)
I spoke too soon on the lack of reviews of How We Believe. Thanks to the astute readers of this internet column, there are actually two just out:
Natural History, Bookshelf, November, 1999, pp. 65-66:
"Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine and a historian of science, uses the results of surveys on religious faith to show that in this age of science and secularization, America's belief in God is as widespread as ever. His book addresses topics ranging from the evolution of religion to our apparently common need to find meaning in the universe. Impressed by the ubiquity of religious belief in many cultures, he brilliantly explores our propensity to be story-telling animals."
Scientific American, The Editors Recommend, December, 1999:
"Shermer marches bravely into the arena where theists, atheists and agnostics argue their views, usually without convincing anyone not on their side. As editor of Skeptic and director of the Skeptics Society and a man (trained in psychology) who has been successively a theist, an atheist, and an agnostic, he might seem to the religious to have a bias against their convictions. But he says his 'primary focus in addressing readers is not whether they believe or disbelieve, but how and why they have made their particular belief choice.' He has asked the question of many people, and he summarizes their reasoning. His discussion ranges eloquently and learnedly over broad areas of philosophy, theology and science. In the end, whatever the reader's own thinking, she will probably discover that she has learned a lot about the opinions other people have on 'the God Question' and why they hold those opinions."