> There is also the famous case of Margaret Mead more or less making up a
> whole load of shit that influenced (especially leftist) sociology for
> years in her book "Coming of Age in Samoa".
and Michael Lorrey wrote:
> Sorry to make this a short reply, but do you have any dates on when she
> was debunked?? I remember clearly in school that my social studies
> teachers taught a lot based on her work in Samoa,and this was in the
> 1980-86 period.
Thanks for validating "something I'd read somewhere"...I'd also heard
something similar. However...I've a sister-in-law who is working toward a
Master's in one of those touchy-feely "disiplines"...counceling of some
sort....and she mentioned one day when I stopped by for a visit...that she was
studying the works of Madame Mead in her coursework. I causually mentioned
that I'd heard that Madame Mead was a fraud....and then ran for my
life...(figuratively...she wouldn't REALLY have used that butcher
knife...would she?)
And this was 1993-95 sometime. So I don't think that's it politically correct
for the truth to get out in this case....the proper ideology is Sooooo much
more satisfying.
Which brings me to another point....regarding "Coming of Age in Somoa" by
Mead, "Mutant Message Down Under" by Marlo Morgan, "the book, Ishmael, "...and
other various and sundry....bogus books...perhaps by Penrose...perhaps by
Einestein?
How you gonna tell?
As Will Rogers said (kinda) "It's not what you don't know that's gonna hurt
you...It's what you DO know that aint so that's gonna hurt you"..
So how to tell which of these books is valid ...they all sit nice and pretty
in the proper places in the bookstore.."Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenaince" sitting right down from Hawking's "A Brief History of Time".
...and just up a little from Gould's books..Drexler's books....and a biography
of Noklai Telsa....theyre not labeled "fraud" or "bogus"...they (some of
them). have nice book reviews in the major media....they're even <apparently>
being taught as "real science" in graduate school....
EvMick