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From: gwyn@brl-tgr.ARPA (Doug Gwyn <gwyn>)
Newsgroups: net.physics,net.misc,net.research
Subject: Re: Joseph Newman's Energy Machine
Message-ID: <2269@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 19-Oct-85 21:43:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.2269
Posted: Sat Oct 19 21:43:18 1985
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> If nobody accepts this offer in the near future, then I will explain
> the principle of operation of any one of these devices for the sum of
> US$1,000, paid in advance.

Hey, I'll explain the devices for only $999 each.

I appreciate Matt's point but am afraid that the
gullible people typically have a deep psychological
need to believe in a conspiracy on the part of the
scientific establishment to suppress good ideas from
backyard inventors.  Giving three examples of devices
that look just like the bogus inventions but that have
solid scientific explanations won't prove a thing to
these people; they'll believe the next hoax for which
they haven't yet seen the explanation.  I think the
root of the problem is that the general public can no
longer tell the difference among fact, opinion, dogma,
knowledge, etc. due to systematic undercutting of
epistemology by intellectuals over several decades.
This makes them skeptical about all claims to
knowledge, with the inevitable result that they give
as much credence to unfounded claims as to genuine
scientific knowledge.