My response to Marcus Svensson

There was recently an article in Smålandsposten about the medium Terry Evans conducting a seance in a public building he had rented. I was interviewed. An opinion piece was written by Marcus Svensson criticising the critique that I and some other people had of the decision to let Mr Evans rent an auditorium in a school building. This is my response, after Mr Svensson's critique:

Rätt att hyra ut till Terry Evans

Det spiritistiska mediet Terry Evans höll nyligen en storseans i Katedralskolans aula. Det har fått föreningen Vetenskap och Folkbildnings ordförande Martin Rundkvist att...

(This is my translation of the above text into English, it should give the general idea although I am sure it contains errors.)

Correct to rent to Terry Evans
The spiritist medium Terry Evans recently held a seance in the auditorium of Katedralskolan. This have lead the president of Vetenskap och Folkbildning, Martin Rundkvist to react: ”A school is a building where young students are taught how the world works”, he says to Smålandsposten and insinuate that Evans activities are now legitimized by the Municipality of Växjö
Vetenskap och Folkbildning has as it purpose to promote scientific methods to deal with myths, spiritual, or religious believes about how the world works. Therefore it is surprising that Rundkvist argues as if school buildings are sacred, in the sense of reserved for the profane. As if the building it self has a specific essence.
Not using a school building after the students gone home after the day should be considered capital destruction and mismanagement of taxpayers' money. To this must be added that a municipality always should base their decisions on freedom of assembly and equal treatment in matters of renting out property, not base it on the notion that it hovers some kind of magic over auditoriums in high schools.
History have taught us that there are limits to how intolerant a state can be toward religious movements. Therefore we don't need a modernised konventikelplakat at a municipality level, that forbids spiritual gatherings under a layman's management. Note that it is religious practices that are protected by the Constitution , since it is not possible to legislate precisely what is religion and what is not. This issue also have a bearing on how municipalities relate to established churches
Now, admittedly Vetenskap och Folkbildning is a small organisation , member wise about half as large as the smallest denomination Seventh Day Adventists , and therefore without much influence. But this example shows that even in an enlightened society there are pressure groups who challenge the freedoms of religion, speech and assembly. That we should be vigilant about.

My response to Marcus Svensson

Although Marcus Svensson's defence of Terry Evans right to use a public school building for his business is aimed at Martin Rundkvist and the Swedish sceptics (Vetenskap och Folkbildning) I feel myself entitled to respond since I am very much present in the article printed in Smålandsposten leading up to Mr Svensson's opinion piece.

In his opinion piece Mr Svensson argues from a complete misunderstanding of what a municipality can do, what kind of event was held at the school building, and what I, and I guess Dr. Rundkvist, think of religious freedom.

There are among some people a misunderstanding of what freedom of religion, speech and assembly actually means. But I am sure Mr Svensson don't believe that just because every individual has the right to speak their mind that implies that Smålandsposten has to print it. It should be equally clear that a municipality doesn't have to rent out their property to everyone that can pay them. What is discussed is where the municipality should draw the line.

(In case I am wrong and Mr Svensson is arguing for the indiscriminate use of school buildings I am sure we can start a strip club after school hours or maybe let HA rent it for working on their bikes.)

I believe that the essence of Mr Svensson's critique is that spiritism is a religion and should be given the same right of assembly as any other denomination, also the right to conduct services. It happens that I have visited a number of services for other denominations than spiritism, and I have never had to buy a ticket. According to Mr Svensson it is impossible to legislate what is religion and that is why it is the religious activity that is protected. So to what kind of event do you buy tickets? The critique from Mr Svensson seems to be based on the idea that what transpired at the seance was a religious practice. But if one see it as a business that line of arguing falls flat.

So what kind of businesses would Mr Svensson have the municipality make a profit from, renting out the public buildings? If any business at all, why not a multilevel marketing event or perhaps someone selling tree bark with a claim that it cures HIV? I think that the municipality actually has to make a judgement call concerning the scientific validity and the ethical merit before renting out their school buildings. It is not easy, and mistakes will be made, but that is no reason to give up on making judgements.

I believe that Mr Evans is running a business where he claims to deliver a service that he has no evidence for providing, except that people trust him, and it was wrong to let him rent the school building just based on that fact. Mr Svensson is unfortunately confused by the fact that Mr Evans business model is based on spiritism.

Now I happen to agree with Mr Svensson that spiritism is a religion. That doesn't imply that it can't be criticised, one thing that history has taught us is that exempting religion from criticism is very, very bad.
There are two different kinds of critique that you can direct at a religion, scientific and philosophical (theological). Many religions today avoid overt scientific statements and are of limited concern for Vetenskap och Folkbildning. Spiritism claim to be able to connect people with ”the other side”. That is a bold claim that can be tested and has been tested, so far the spiritist have not been able to conclusively show that they can do what they say they can.
This is what concerns me, and I believe Dr. Rundkvist, that unfounded claims are made that can be scientifically tested. It doesn't matter if it is made in the name of religion or not. A municipality should not be obliged to aid a religion, political party, business or other organisation that does that.
(I could expand on this point but it is probably best if I don't since this post is already long enough.)

Finally, it is true that Vetenskap och Folkbildning is a small organisation, that doesn't imply that they are wrong. If it did it would go without saying that Mr Svensson is wrong criticising Vetenskap och Folkbildning since he is only one individual.

What was printed

Unfortunately yesterdays interview is not online and not in English. But someone was nice enough to send me a picture of the article.

What I think I said

Today I got a call from a journalist at Smålandsposten regarding the appearance of the proclaimed medium Terry Evans in a public school. There is no need for undue alarm since he is not ”performing” for the school children. The reason for the interview is that the municipality (not sure which one since there are a few in that region) rented out a public school for Evans to conduct his séance. Apparently some people objected, and I was asked to comment. This is what I remember that I said, not necessary what will be printed.

I am not in favour of schools being rented out to activities like a séance since I would put it in the same category as renting out a school to a dubious political party or a multi-level marketing event. In my mind schools as institutions of learning should be reserved for educational activities even after hours.

It is true that a séance is a bit like a piece of theatre. The only difference being that after the play is over the actor playing Hamlet doesn't claim to be the prince of Denmark. That is quite a fundamental difference and that is why a lot of mentalists and magicians do not approve of mediums.

Can we really be sure that it is theatre? No of course you can't prove that a person is not talking to the dead and that they talk back. What we do know is that a lot of people have the skill to do the same things as a medium does and without claiming any supernatural powers. The skill set is called cold reading. The burden of proof lies on the people claiming to have a connection with the other side and they have so far failed to do so.

No, I don't think it should be forbidden to have séances. The freedom of speech is much more important than that. But I think that the public deserve to be informed about the fact that there is no evidence supporting the claims of the mediums. And I don't think that a municipality should let organisers of séances rent schools for their shows. Even if something is not forbidden to say it doesn't imply that you have to aid in the distribution of the message.

I might come with an update to this story if I find out where and when the news story is printed and/or online.

Myths and Legends of Prague

There are so many stories about Prague that you might be persuaded to think that some of them must be at least partly true, but I cannot promise anything of that sort. What I can promise is surprising and interesting tales that you are unlikely to have heard before.
This Wednesday (19th of February) at 18.30 I will be giving a lecture on the Myths and Legends of Prague at the office of Euro Resor (Kungsgatan 47, Uppsala).
This lecture is a part of the promotion of the trips I am arranging to The Magical Prague together with Euro Resor. Incidentally the 19th of February is actually the next to last day to register for the trip and there are not many places left. More about the trip here.

What can you expect from the lecture?
This is a sample:

The Founding Myth
The War of the Maidens
The Murdered Saint
At the Bridge
A Man of Clay
The Astronomical Clock
The Teleportation at Loretta
The Death of an Astronomer

For anyone interested to learn more about the myths and legends of Prague including about all the astrologers, alchemists and scoundrels in general, on location, the trips to Prague are planned for the 20th and 27th of March and are 6589:- all inclusive. We will also see a lot of the historical, romantic, and cultural side of Prague. In fact you will see all the things regular tourists sees, we just add a bit of magic to your trip. Visit Euro Resor to book your trip today and come to the lecture, or just come to the lecture.
More about the event here.

A matter of conflict

About two, three days ago it became clear that there are some deep conflicts within the university. A number of very senior people at the university declared that they had no confidence for the rectrix magnifica and asked for her resignation.
For a lot of people this came as a shock, it even made it to the tabloids, which is not usual for anything that has to do with academia. A lot of people speculate about what lies at the heart of this conflict. Because unfortunately the people that has asked for the resignation of the rectrix magnifica have not detailed their critique.
I know some people who stand by the rectrix magnifica and I know some people among the ”mutineers” and it is very difficult to decide who to support if any. But I have some thoughts about this conflict based on in my view, rational analysis of the data.
One theory is that there is a ”conspiracy” behind this protest against the rectrix magnifica and that it is based on the fact that she is not originally from Uppsala University, or that she is a woman. A second theory is that there are personal differences behind the protest. A third theory is that rectrix magnifica just isn't doing a good job.
Concerning the second theory I would say that it is unlikely that personal differences can result in such a broad opposition. Generally personal differences are between a small number of individuals. The personal differences between the different individuals can be problematic but most of the people are not concerned. If the reason of the conflict is personal differences the rectrix magnifica has been able to rub a lot of people the wrong way and it is unlikely that it is not her fault. We have a saying in Sweden: that it is not one persons fault if two people argue. But if twenty people are arguing with one person, it is actually likely to be the fault of that one individual. Even if it is only personal differences behind all of this it is bad enough to make me think that the rectrix magnifica is the wrong person for the job.
The first theory that there is some sort of conspiracy behind the opposition is interesting from a sceptical point of view. As a skeptic I have heard quite a lot of conspiracy theories and they are always interesting. The question that we have to ask ourselves is if it is likely that so many senior officials at the university would be involved in a conspiracy to remove the rectrix magnifica, because she is a woman or because she is not from Uppsala. I can't help but find it unlikely. So if it is not a conspiracy perhaps it is a structure? Maybe it is just the culture at Uppsala University that a female rectrix magnifica or an outsider is not accepted. It is true that culture form ideas and shape behaviour but it is hard to believe that this is the case here. I was not prepared to believe that she got the position because she is a woman and I am not prepared to think that people now ask for her resignation because she is a woman. Of course I would change my belief if some sort of evidence is presented for such a structural bias among the ”mutineers”.
The third theory, that rectrix magnifica is not doing a good job is difficult to consider without a presentation of the critique against her. The only thing that I can say is that it is not unheard of that the wrong person get a job. I have heard stories about all kind of bosses that have done a bad job just to be promoted or move on to a new better job, just so that people can get rid of them. I have the feeling that sometimes in Sweden incompetent people are not fired but moved about. That is if they reached a certain position in society. It probably also depend on the social skills of the individual. This is only an observation; some people that are not good at their job manages to move up all the same. You also have the theory that all bosses get promoted to their level of incompetence since as long as they do a good job they get promoted so once they stop moving up they are actually on a level where they are not doing a good job.
I am not yet prepared to say that she isn't doing a good job but it would be an easy solution.
A fourth theory is that she has a very different view on what is the purpose of the university and the politics of the role of the university. There has been a lot of discussions about making the universities independent of the state moving the universities toward private enterprises or foundations. This could indeed be a question worthy of a mutiny

First time Around the World

Last year I was the head organiser of the 15th European Skeptiks Congress in Stockholm and I thought that it was reward enough. It turned out that the city of Stockholm thought differently. The Stockholm Visitors Board was kind enough to invite me and other organisers of international conferences in Stockholm during the past year to a dinner at Millesgården.
We had a wonderful guided tour before the dinner and as a special treat I had a short performance before the dessert. I did a brand new effect that I have given the name ”Around the World”. Given a number of different cities in the world, some random shuffling and free choices the person involved in the effect ends up in Stockholm as is to be expected for an effect performed for the Stockholm Visitors Board.

Det magiska Prag

Prag är en av världens vackraste och mest romantiska städer, mitt i Europa med en historia fylld av legender och mystik. Nu finns möjligheten att uppleva astrologernas och alkemisternas Prag med mig.

Tillsammans med Euroresor har jag satt ihop en långhelg i Prag som presenterar denna kulturstad från ett lite annorlunda perspektiv. En exklusiv inblick i den mystik och magi som ännu lever bland de vindlande gränderna och de höga gotiska valven.
Samtidigt missar vi inget av det alla turister ser när de besöker staden, den fantastiska arkitekturen, kulturen, alla historiska platser, det tjeckiska köket och tjeckiskt öl.
Den första resan blir den 20:e mars och den andra och sista för i vår, blir den 27:e mars. För att fira att det är premiär så sparar ni 1200:- mot det ordinarie priset om ni åker på någon av de två första resorna. I priset ingår flyg till Prag, hotell, alla entréavgifter och lokala resor. Dessutom ingår det mesta utav maten; jag låter er få lite tid för er själva så på fredagen har vi ingen gemensam middag.
Vad som också ingår är illustrationer av de övernaturliga berättelser som förknippas med Prag, effekter som går utöver vad ni sett på tv eller på en stor scen. Jag har lagt ned mycket tid på att göra hela resan till en unik upplevelseresa som ger minnen för livet.
Vill ni följa med mig och se Prag som få människor har sett staden, så gå till Euroresors hemsida och anmäl er. Erbjudandet gäller oavsett var ni bor i landet. Gruppens storlek är begränsad till 16 personer så det är först till kvarn som gäller.

Ordinarie pris: 7798:- Premiärpris: 6598:-

Varför får man för sig att skapa en temaresa till Prag som handlar om legender och mystik?
Det finns två anledningar: dels är Prag en stad om vilken det finns många legender och som förknippas med magi, astrologi och alkemi. Och dels är det något som jag kan mycket om. Som mentalist är det mitt jobb att på olika sätt skapa övernaturliga upplevelser för min publik. Vad kan vara bättre än att kombinera de två sakerna?

Vad kommer man att uppleva på resan?
Först och främst kommer man att uppleva Prag. En av världens vackraste städer som inte bara är fylld av historia utan som också är en levande dynamisk stad. Jag har själv bott där i två år och känner till många av stadens olika ansikten. Vi kommer att besöka en del ställen som ”vanliga” turister inte ser och sedan kommer vi att ha experiment som utmanar föreställningarna vi har om hur världen fungerar. Mer säger jag inte.

Är det dyrt i Prag?
Nej, Prag är en med svenska mått mätt billig stad att besöka. Dessutom ingår redan hotell och det mesta av maten i priset för resan. Det som tillkommer är shopping och där är priserna lägre än hemma i Sverige. (Fördelen att resa med incheckat bagage är att man kan ta med sig en del saker hem som man av säkerhetsskäl inte kan ha i handbagaget, det kan vara värt att tänka på.)

Alla som har frågor om resan får gärna höra av sig till mig direkt eller till Euroresor.

Booking is open

Now it is actually possible to sign up for the trips to Prague. Four days in Prague, well perhaps more like three considering the travel from Sweden and back. But definitely three nights at a very suitable hotel for experiencing the magical and mysterious side of Prague.
We leave Sweden on Thursday and return back on Sunday with plenty of time for people that don't live close to an airport to get there and back. In Prague we will see all the historical sights: Charles bridge, the astronomical clock, and much, much more but unlike any ordinary tour we will also learn about the mysterious history of the city. Alchemists, astrologers, and the Golem are all part of the magical Prague (it is even in the tourist brochures). But we will see more, learn more, and experience more, that I can promise.

The special introduction price is 6589 SEK and that include the airfare, hotel, and all the meals except the dinner on Friday evening.

http://euroresor.se/det-magiska-prag/
http://euroresor.se/listtyp/ovriga-destinationer/