Chris French Interview Part 1

Interview with Goldsmith's Professor Chris French. This was filmed after our first Skeptics in the Pub lecture in March 2009 at Nicol Edwards Pub, Niddry Street Edinburgh. I have been alerted to the fact there may be sound issues. sadly there is little we can do to rectify this. We are sorry for any inconvenience.

More information can be found at www.edinburghskeptics.info

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• chris
• french
• goldsmiths
• parapsychology
• anomalous
• ghosts
• aliens
• skeptics
• pub
• nicol
• edwards
• edinburgh
• alex
• pryce
• buque
• atheist

[mik99D]

He gave us a talk in the pub last year. Merseyside Skeptics Society. (MSS). CHECK OUT OUR PODCAST "Skeptic's with a K" free from iTunes

[edinburghskeptics]

HAHAHA! You cheeky self promoting bugger :0

[80sOGRE]

4 people standing on the side of the road see a red ford sedan with tinted windows drive past, now given that all 4 people were accually paying enough attention, you will find that the basic facts about the car, it's type,colour will be common if asked to describe. observing a chair violently move by it's self is no different. we all seek the truth and nobody likes to be had. does Dr chris French need to believe that most of us are idiots so he can remain in a bubble of superiority. POP!!!

[edinburghskeptics]

But how long after the incident was it reported? What was the lighting conditions, what were the conditions of the viewees. Also, how accurately are they describing it? The human memory is not the great wonder some people think it is. People may indeed remember vividly the chair violently moving, but that does not mean because they remember it clearly that the only explanation is supernatural, or that they are all remembering it exactly and not filling in gaps based on what others say.

[80sOGRE]

I cant tell you what I had for dinner this day, last week. but I can tell you much about the first time I fell in love, the death of a best friend or the night me and my brother were forced to endure the violent bangings on our wall and presense of some unseen force in our bedroom back in 2003.

[edinburghskeptics]

How can you be so vivid about this and be CERTAIN the events took place as you remember. Though, even if they did take place as you describe, the answer is not necessarily supernatural. You experienced banging and felt a presence. These are two separate occurrences and are not necessarily linked nor paranormal. The presence is something many people experience and there are numerous non paranormal explanations- infrasound is a good one.

[edinburghskeptics]

As for the banging, did you investigate what was causing it or just assume it was paranormal? Where were you, what type of room was it, what was the layout like, where was the water heater stored, how close to the road were you, what type of "violent banging"?

If it truly is unexplained then that's all it is- unexplained, you can't say its unexplained THEREFORE I can explain it by saying its supernatural. The unexplained is just that, unexplained and not automatically supernatural.

[Jamie4Michaela]

there pub have been change name Nicol Edwards Pub to Most Haunted Pub. been there for first time am totally freak out coz there keep footsteps and keep bangs then loud BANG from front of me and my pal at pool room underground there just two of us and no one there.

[def51100]

This guy would get totally owned by David Icke!  French totally sucks!

[proff180]

@80sOGRE

No worries my friend, thanks :), you may not be completely wrong actually, I have a tremendous respect for Chris but even he will admit that he's flawed, we all are and that's the point really, he certainly tries to be as objective and fair as possible, tries much harder than many which is what is so admirable, he did unfortunately come a bit of a cropper once with David Icke when he wasn't very well prepared, challenging David about a book he wrote when he hadn't actually read it.

[80sOGRE]

@proff180 well put. i don't know the man. thank you for your respective reply. I might have come across alittle disrespectful, if i did i'm sorry. we are all in the same boat on the same quest for answers.

[proff180]

@80sOGRE

Chris is intelligent but I've never got the impression of someone who thinks of himself as superior, after all, he was a believe himself once so if he was trying to say that believers are idiots he would be saying HE is an idiot as well :D, all he is doing is questioning our interpretation of what we see, Chris is not saying he definitely thinks it's all rubbish, he is just being skeptical, I keep an open mind about it myself so I'm also a skeptic, like him I need hard evidence.

[SantomPh]

haha this guy was my tutor in Uni! him and his alien mug...

[UncleGenghis]

ok French I am telling you your future. you will have a very nasty Anuerysm due to your evil deeds, you dont want us to treat ourselves or to get NHS treatment using homeopathic alternatives? then you are in the pay of the drug companies. your death will be very painfull.