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Under The Microscope

THE FRINGES OF REASON, ed by Ted Schultz, A Whole Earth Catalog; Harmony Books 1989; 224 pages; $45.00

The Whole Earth Catalogs are not the first books to spring to mind when looking for hard information on topics that lurk on the fringes of science. As the name suggests, however, this is exactly what The Fringes of Reason does.

UFOs, ESP, spiritualism, perpetual motion machines, crop circles, homeopathy --  they all get a going over with a fair degree of good-natured humour. This is not a debunker's book. It lacks the stridency and cynicism common to those. It provides a good grounding in many weird and wonderful pseudo-sciences and fringe sciences, from both the sceptic's point of view and that of the True Believer.

Along the way there are a number of interesting and thought-provoking commentaries on the nature of science and science coverage. Lyall Watson's story of the Hundredth Monkey -- which suggested that learning reaches a critical mass beyond which it is spontaneously transmitted far and wide -- provides a very useful and readable look at the differences between those operating within the pale of science and those outside. It's not all dissenting views, as Watson gets a chance to put his case for simian telepathy.

One of the most intriguing articles comes from the pen of Robert Anton Wilson, humorist and spreader of conspiracy paranoia. He provides a "sneaky quiz with a subversive commentary" that challenges the notions of truth and logic. Things we know to be true aren't necessarily so, and some things that were once true no longer are. Thought-provoking material.

In Whole Earth Catalog tradition, The Fringes of Reason provides extensive references for further reading, complete with spot reviews, excerpts and all the information you need to collect an extensive library. Who could resist ordering the Journal of Sympathetic Vibratory Physics or the Encyclopedia of the Strange or the...

Vicki Hyde