An excerpt:
After a successful hoax finally comes apart, those who unmask it commonly meet resistance from a coterie of true believers, still defending the indefensible. (Murray Eiland's essay which follows this article touches on this very point.) Clearly, there are mechanisms in human nature which make it easier for all of us to believe in things which simply are not true. On the other hand, any audience will only swallow so much. A purported Roman coin bearing the worn likeness of an emperor may be believable. A painting, cracked and soiled by a clever forger, may look convincingly like an earlier canvas, but a coin bearing the sharply struck date "151 B.C." or a painting on modern plywood are simply not credible. A hoax fails miserably when it drastically contradicts existing evidence, however, a hint of plausibility supported by influential backers can give a hoax real legs.
Posts
8 comments:
Oriental Rug Review? This thing is published in Oriental Rug Review?
Not in Living Bird Magazine? Such is the state of American ornithology.
Actually, it should have been published in Audubon Magazine.
That article was also published in the Aug. 2005 edition of American Belly Button Lint and Ear Wax Collector.
So...are you just out-and-out calling Cornell and Auburn hoaxers now?
"So...are you just out-and-out calling Cornell and Auburn hoaxers now?"
I think Cornell is guilty of both foolishness and fraud.
I don't think Auburn has advanced beyond the "foolishness" stage.
All universities that receive public money to conduct research are required to have an integrity officer who ensures compliance with federal guidelines. But policing its scientists can be a heavy burden for a university.
From the article "An Unwelcome Discovery" in yesterday;s NY Times on a case involving criminal scientific fraud.
Well if Cornell has an integrity officer I sure would like to know how they handled the IBWO publication and how they are handling it now.
Clearly there are people who will do all they can in the name of conservation. But if you want to maintain your integrity you may want to make claims that aren't as transparent as this IBWO fiasco has been.
This article saddens me. It means that www.fishcrow.com doesn't have to be a practical joke.
It could just be delusional.
I think I can see white secondaries on two of those fairies.
Post a Comment