I wonder what this says about the two prominent physicists featured on the secret's website: John Hagelin and Fred Alan Wolf. Gee, they must be as legitimate as that famous psychologist also featured on the website: John Gray. See http://thesecret.tv/teachers.html
What is troublesome is how little the general public really knows about academia. For example, for Wolf it says that he has taught at many prestigious universities. I note by googling him that he was on the faculty at San Diego State from 1964 to 1977. From there he has had a number of minor appointments. Now, back in the 1960's when SD State was just a local "college" I would hardly have called it pretigious. In addition, he then has a list of several visiting professor AKA adjunct positions at other universities. One has to wonder, given the way that academia works, why he only lasted 13 years at SD State and why all the adjunct positions. And I want to know how he could hold these positions simultaneously: Associate Professor of Physics, University of Paris, Orsay, France, 1973-1974. Professor, Department of Physics, San Diego State University, 1971-1977. Associate Professor of Physics, University of Paris, Orsay, France, 1973-1974. Visiting Research Fellow, University of London, Birkbeck College, 1973-1975. Visiting Professor, Hahn-Meitner-Institut fur Kernforschung, Berlin, Germany, 1971. Visiting Professor, Department of Physical Chemistry, The Hebrew University. of Jerusalem, Israel, 1971. Visiting Professor, Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Rayonnements, Faculte des Sciences, Orsay, France. 1971. To the best of my knowledge academia doesn't work that way. "Associate Professor" implies some kind of tenured position....???? Simultaneous with "Professor" at another university. I know of a couple of people with joint appointments but this is very uncommon and not at the instructor level but at the very highest research levels only. SDSU would have been a teaching position back then. Sounds like he might have taken a sabbatical in Paris. I guess these positions ultimately were more important: Published Author of several books explaining physics to nonscientists. 1975- Popular Lecturer/Researcher on New Physics and Consciousness. 1977- Member of the Editorial Board, Contemporary Jungian Psychology. 1993- Assessing Editor, Journal of Mind and Behavior. 1993- Associate, Internet Science Education Project 1998- Editorial review Board of The Noetic Journal. 1998- President, Seminar Leader; Youniverse Seminars, Inc., La Jolla, CA. 1977-1985. I just don't know if I should be impressed or if red lights and clanging bells should be going off in my head... Annette Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 619-260-4006 [email protected] ---- Original message ---- >Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2009 05:29:54 -0400 >From: Allen Esterson <[email protected]> >Subject: Re:[tips] [Tips] The Secret >To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <[email protected]> > >Re Peter Birkenhead's article on Oprah's role in promoting *The Secret*, >thanks for the link, Stephen. > >> It might even have relevance to the teaching of psychology. > >But not, I hope, for elementary physics: > >"Of course, magnets do exactly the opposite - *positively charged magnets >attract negatively charged particles*." (My emphasis.) > >I think Birkenhead must have conflated his memories of school magnet >experiments with his teacher's demonstrations of electrostatic phenomena. >In those seven words he gets wrong just about everything it is possible to >get wrong in so few words! > >Allen Esterson >Former lecturer, Science Department >Southwark College, London >http://www.esterson.org > >************************************************* >Subject: The secret >From: [email protected] >Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:44:29 -0400 > >Another take on _The Secret_ phenomenon, this time on Oprah's role in it. >Not as amusing as Ari Brouillette's contribution, but thoughtful. It >might even have relevance to the teaching of psychology. > >http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2007/03/05/the_secret/ > >Stephen > >--- >To make changes to your subscription contact: > >Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
