Episode 82 Dr. Joe Nickell OCT 28, 2012

Dr. Nickell received his MA and PhD from the University of Kentucky, concentrating on folklore and on literary investigations. He is a well-known skeptic and investigator of the paranormal with a career going on 40 years. The main character in the 1997 movie The Reaping starring Hilary Swank is loosely based on Dr. Nickell– indeed, he consulted on set for the filmmakers. He has made multiple appearances on Point of Inquiry, has been on numerous television programs including Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect, CNBC’s News with Brian Williams, Dateline NBC, Larry King Live, and many more, and has been profiled by The New Yorker magazine. Dr. Nickell is the Senior Research Fellow for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and an Associate Dean of the Center for Inquiry Institute. He is the author of several books including Entities: Angels, Spirits, Demons, and Other Alien Beings and Looking for a Miracle: Weeping Icons, Relics, Stigmata, Visions & Healing Cures. We asked Dr. Nickell join us to talk about his newest book, The Science of Ghosts: Searching for Spirits of the Dead. We talked about what it means to investigate paranormal claims scientifically versus the silliness appearing on ghost-hunting television shows, the scientific method, and scientific naturalism. Join us!