Wednesday, September 12, 2018

On the track of living wonders


My positive review of the Fortean classic "Living Wonders", posted in 2012. 

Four years ago, I wrote a rather negative review of this book, which you can still read at its main product page. I'm too narcissistic to delete it. Besides, its ex cathedra pseudo-scepticism is great fun to read!

I read "Living Wonders. Mysteries and Curiosities of the Animal World" in a Swedish translation as a teenager, and was fascinated by it, but also somewhat repelled by the authors' occultist tendencies. I suppose I must have read it during my transition from young crackpot to responsible pseudo-sceptic. I recently looked through the book again. Sure, it's somewhat "out there" and definitely not something you should show your biology teacher in college, at least not if you want good grades! (Two other absolute no-nos are "Forbidden Archeology" and "Darwin on Trial".) Yet, in their own way, Michell and Richard are right on the spot.

The main section of the book deals with cryptozoology, that never-ending quest for the iconic beasts of our collective imagination: sea-serpents, hairy ape-men, surviving dinosaurs, etc. The authors point out that there are two schools within cryptozoology, the flesh-and-blood school founded by Bernard Heuvelmans and a more mystical school with John Keel as a typical representative. This split is similar to that within ufology between nuts-and-bolts ufologists and those of a more mystical bent (the authors mention Jacques Vallée).

While Michell and Richard are admirably objective in their descriptions of the various factions, their sympathies are clearly with the mystical wing of the movement. They point out that many of the creatures hunted by cryptozoologists are biologically absurd, such as big ape-men living in U.S. prairie states, or lake-monsters observed in local ponds. Physical evidence is always of the "almost but not quite" variety, such as ambivalent footprints or hair samples. This is similar to the physical evidence left behind by UFOs, which includes "UFO nests" on the ground, but never any actual pieces of the supposed space ship itself. Many reports of hidden animals sound paranormal: the creature might be impervious to bullets, have glowing red eyes, or communicate telepathically. Just as "serious" ufologists cannot get rid of the bizarre aspects of their chosen field (including hairy monsters!), cryptozoologists cannot get rid of the occult traits of the animals they are chasing. Cryptozoologists may hunt cryptids, but in return cryptids haunt cryptozoologists.

True to their source of inspiration, the epistemological anarchist Charles Fort, the authors don't claim to have any solutions to the problem. However, they do crack a few suggestions. One is that cryptids are really a kind of thought-forms conjured up by our collective consciousness. This explains both their fleeting nature and their seeming solidity when encountered. Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, Michell and Richards propose that perhaps Bigfoot-hunters could "create" Bigfoot if they chase the beast long and persistently enough. Another speculation has to do with morphic resonance, an idea borrowed from Rupert Sheldrake. Under this scenario, Nature repeats herself rather than create anything fundamentally new. Thus, we shouldn't be surprised if animals long extinct somehow "return from the dead" in a quasi-magical manner.

Well, I told you not to show the book to your teacher!

Other sections of "Living Wonders" deal with animals that are out of place (including the inevitable phantom cats), purported evidence for teleportation, intelligent animals such as Clever Hans, and old superstitions which the writers feel might just be true, such as the weird notion that swallows hibernate at the bottom of lakes during winter (OK, they went over the top with that one).

Whether or not you are a certified, card-carrying Fortean, or just as biology buff with a penchant for the outer edge, "Living Wonders" will make an excellent addition to your private library.

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