Mirabello's rebuttal: All knowledge is valuable
Letter to the editor
Issue date: 3/3/10 Section: Opinion
In the past, certain individuals declared that only sacred knowledge-knowledge found in the Bible or the Koran-was valuable, and all other books should be destroyed.
Today, some people want to ignore or ridicule ancient lore, myths and legends because they insist that only scientific knowledge-knowledge derived from our senses and our instruments-is legitimate knowledge.
In fact, all knowledge is valuable, from the techniques of a Twa hunting ritual, to the details of an Elizabethan necromantic ceremony, to the procedures of a Victorian séance.
Indeed, the study of the "beyond"-what Shakespeare called the "undiscovered country"-may be the most important intellectual pursuit of all.
Modern science may insist, in a dogmatic way, that death turns humans into ozone and fertilizer, and that there is no "soul" and no "survival."
But history is littered with certainties-certainties that are wrong.
--Prof. Mark Mirabello, Ph.D.
Today, some people want to ignore or ridicule ancient lore, myths and legends because they insist that only scientific knowledge-knowledge derived from our senses and our instruments-is legitimate knowledge.
In fact, all knowledge is valuable, from the techniques of a Twa hunting ritual, to the details of an Elizabethan necromantic ceremony, to the procedures of a Victorian séance.
Indeed, the study of the "beyond"-what Shakespeare called the "undiscovered country"-may be the most important intellectual pursuit of all.
Modern science may insist, in a dogmatic way, that death turns humans into ozone and fertilizer, and that there is no "soul" and no "survival."
But history is littered with certainties-certainties that are wrong.
--Prof. Mark Mirabello, Ph.D.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 9
Lance Kirby
posted 3/06/10 @ 10:04 PM EST
Unfortunately, like many who lack an understanding of the scholarly process, Professor Mirabello has not demonstrated that "ancient lore, myths and legends" are knowledge. (Continued…)
Stephanie Phillips
posted 3/07/10 @ 12:56 AM EST
So what you're saying is, if we 'ghost hunt' in Massie, it will ultimately lead to the next Holocaust?
And didn't Mirabello do this after class? It's not like he wasted precious class time to shove this "ancient lore" down the students' throat. (Continued…)
Amy the Black
Amy Clark-Barnhart
posted 3/07/10 @ 11:29 AM EST
What Mr. Kirby fails to realize is that not every single thing that happens on a university campus is scientific and conducted under the auspices of scholarly processes. (Continued…)
Lance Kirby
posted 3/08/10 @ 1:23 PM EST
When a teacher speaks they speak with the authority of an institution behind them, unless said institution makes plain they do not share that teacher's opinion. (Continued…)
Arestelle
posted 3/08/10 @ 9:55 PM EST
Sports are not a scholarly pursuit. True. But participating in sports does not require a person to suspend belief in the laws of nature. I think the point Lance is trying to make lies not so much in that a paranormal club is not a patently academic activity, as in that it could actively discourage people from seriously thinking through the claims and scenarios with which they are presented. (Continued…)
Phil
posted 3/09/10 @ 6:57 PM EST
Mirabello's response seems surprisingly ignorant about the scientific method, which is about providing demonstrative evidence and/or arguments in favor of a given claim about the natural world. (Continued…)
Adam Sheets
posted 3/11/10 @ 11:56 AM EST
As the author of the original article on the Other World Society that set this whole thing off, I was a little reluctant to comment on it. However, I will point out a few things. (Continued…)
Phil
posted 3/11/10 @ 5:02 PM EST
Adam: "4) Since all academic pursuits must be scientific are you advocating the University to stop the use of fiction and poetry in English classes? I think that science has its place, but so do human emotions and beliefs. (Continued…)
Heather Dumas
posted 3/11/10 @ 6:31 PM EST
Just to be clear, the "ghost hunt" this debate is about turned out to be not so much a "hunt" as we think of a paranormal investigation like on the popular television show "Ghost Hunters. (Continued…)
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