Sheaffer has frequently been quoted in the news media regarding UFOs and psychic predictions.[2][3][4]
On July 7, 2010 a flight crew preparing to land in Hangzhou's Xiaoshan Airport in China reported a UFO. As a precaution 18 flights were "delayed or redirected". Sheaffer's article in Skeptical Inquirer magazine's November/December 2010 issue is a discussion of how photographs and videos are used. "Reporters want an exciting story, and UFOlogists want to win converts. They will typically grab onto any photo or video that is supposed to represent the object and report as fact practically any claim that is made regardless of its source or veracity." In the case of the Xiaoshan Airport, most of the footage shown was actually taken a year previous to the July 2010 incident.[5]
Ufologist Kevin D. Randle was interviewed by Sheaffer for Skeptical Inquirer magazine's January/February 2011 issue: looking to "explore their points of agreement and disagreement, finding that Randle gives more weight to 'eyewitness testimony' than skeptics typically do."[6]
Envy and resentment are terribly corrosive passions. To suffer at the sight or even the thought of others' enjoyment of life makes one a committed enemy of human happiness. Such people end up being practically a curse upon the human race. They vandalize life, exerting themselves not in the pursuit of gain or pleasure, but to hinder others' enjoyment.
Interviewed by the Toronto Sun newspaper December 20, 2010, Sheaffer is asked by columnist Thane Burnett to debate UFO enthusiast Chris Rutkowski to "debate the known realities". When asked "Is it reasonable to conclude a UFO – something that was beyond our comprehension and understanding – has ever crashed on Earth?" Sheaffer replies "No, because no one has ever produced any proof of any extraterrestrial technology being retrieved, despite many claims. Talk is cheap, show us the evidence."[8]
On the August 4, 2012 episode of the Skeptic Zone podcast, Sheaffer was interviewed by Richard Saunders. When asked about the UFO phenomenon, Sheaffer said, "The Fortean researcher Hilary Evans has said that the UFO mythos looked at in its fullness is the richest set of contemporary myth when you consider all that has come from it.... The Men in Black, saucer crashes, Roswell, aliens, alien abductions, alien hybrids, it just goes on and on from there. It's not just something narrow like Bigfoot.... UFOs have evolved into this enormous richness as a social phenomenon." He also discussed the fallacy of the trained observer. "Pilots, surprisingly, make relatively poor observers, when they're hit with some surprise, unusual stimulus. Their thought is not, 'Gee let me analyze what that thing is.' Their thought is, 'I'm going to collide with that thing, I'd better go into a bank,' etc."
On January 10, 2014, a series called Close Encounters debuted on the Discovery Canada channel. The episode recounted a UFO incident that happened at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana on March 24, 1967. As Sheaffer summarizes it on his blog, "A bright, glowing orange UFO is allegedly seen over the base by security men, and then the Oscar Flight missiles were said to start going off-line, one by one."[9] Sheaffer's investigation concluded that what the base security men probably saw was the planet Mars. "Whenever witnesses report a bright object in the sky that is red or orange, the first thing to check is whether Mars might have been the culprit.... Mars was only about 3 weeks away from its opposition of April 15, 1967, when it would be directly opposite the sun, and at its maximum brightness."[9] As for the base's missiles going off-line, Sheaffer could find no evidence or paper trail to support that, only the claim of (then) Air Force Lieutenant Robert Salas. Noted UFO researcher Robert Hastings responded to Sheaffer's investigation by dismissing the possibility that the glowing object was Mars. Former SAC missile crew commander Tim Hebert goes further than Sheaffer, stating on his blog "At this point in time there is no supporting documentation or statements from security personnel corroborating the claims for what, if anything, was observed out in the field."[10]
Called "one of the—if not the—world's top experts on the subject of unidentified flying objects and claims of extraterrestrials" by paranormal investigator Ben Radford in a review of Sheaffer's book Bad UFOs: Critical Thinking About UFO Claims, Radford states that Sheaffer has "encyclopedic knowledge of a surprisingly diverse topic" and uses it in the book. The book is ten chapters long and nearly 300 pages, and covers '"classic"' as well as "high profile reports and sightings [that] are decades old". Radford writes that when a UFO claim has been debunked clearly and completely they rarely update their writings or "acknowledge their mistakes. ... Sheaffer performs a huge—and largely unappreciated—public service ... keeping his audience current on old and new claims".[11]
Robert Sheaffer presenting at the IIG awards 2012
Conspiracy theories
In an interview by Karen Stollznow on Point of Inquiry for May 16, 2011, Sheaffer was asked, "Have any conspiracy theories ever turned out to be correct, or is a 'true conspiracy theory' really something else?" He replied, "Conspiracies occur all the time. Organized crime is a conspiracy... there was a conspiracy to kill President Lincoln.... Real conspiracies do exist but not grand conspiracies [in which] The Masons are planning this, or there's always some shadowy group that you can't really point to or say who's involved."[12]
Climate change
Sheaffer rejects the science of global climate change, writing in 2008 that, "when a prominent theory is opposed by scientists of the caliber of Richard Lindzen of MIT, Reid Bryson of the University of Wisconsin, Freeman Dyson of the Institute for Advanced Study, and many others, it is disingenuous to speak of a 'consensus.'" And concludes, "given that unknown factors have caused previous climate changes, how can we be certain that these same unknown factors are not active today?"[13]
Feminism
Sheaffer has been an outspoken critic of contemporary feminism since the late 1980s. His article, "Feminism, the Noble Lie" was published in the Spring 1995 issue of Free Inquiry Magazine. In it, he criticizes feminist crusades against "satanic cults", and the use of "repressed memories" to uncover supposed "forgotten incest".[14] On his debunker blog, Sheaffer calls modern (post-1960s) feminism a con, and compares it to astrology and parapsychology in its lack of academic peer review, poor scholarship, and prevalence of false and inaccurate information and claims.[15] Sheaffer states that anyone who criticizes the "rampant misinformation" that is prevalent in modern feminism, including feminist scholars such as Christina Hoff Sommers, Camille Paglia, and others, are labeled "enemies of women" and drummed out of the feminist movement.[15] On his website, Sheaffer summarizes his criticism of feminism:
Various feminists proclaim that women are "under siege", that a monstrous social bias against them, if not a virtual war, is going on, that women have little respect or power...it is much more realistic to suggest that women have cleverly seized the upper hand by pretending to be helplessly trapped below! Looking at the full picture, and not the tiny, distorted one that feminists and those they have duped present, we see a very different picture: The American woman emerges as perhaps the most privileged large group in history...supported by the work, discipline, and self-effacing, life-destroying exertions of a group they have bamboozled – their men – into believing their cries of "victimization."[16]
Christianity
Sheaffer has been a vocal critic of creationism, or the belief that God or a Supreme Being created the universe and humanity, and that the Biblical book of Genesis is an accurate account of creation: "Creationists claim they are proving the Genesis account of Creation 'scientifically', but to do so they must violate scientific methodology willy-nilly...so-called 'Scientific Creationism' is just new, modern packaging for that 'Old-Time Religion.'"[17] In his 1991 book The Making of the Messiah, Sheaffer argues that Christianity developed "from the envious anger of the lower classes" towards "Roman power and wealth."[18] Sheaffer disputes the divinity of Jesus Christ, arguing that his mother Mary was not a virgin, but an adulteress, and that Jesus was an illegitimate child.[18] Sheaffer writes that Christ's claim to operate under a "higher law" came from his resentment at being "despised and rejected" in Jewish society due to the circumstances of his birth.[18] Sheaffer argues that Jesus was not crucified, nor did the resurrection take place, but that the story of the Romans crucifying Jesus was created to win converts among those who resented Roman power and rule across their empire.[18]Booklist, while praising Sheaffer for writing a "stern critique" of the rise of Christianity, also notes that "In his eagerness to prove his point, Sheaffer places more value in the documents contradicting the Gospels than in the Gospels themselves, though clearly both sources contain large amounts of propaganda for their respective sides."[19]
Other writings
In his book, Resentment Against Achievement: Understanding The Assault Upon Ability, Sheaffer describes two systems of morality, the pride of achievement, and the resentment sometimes felt by those who have not achieved success toward those who have.[20] Sheaffer contends that resentment towards achievement is seen in "a hostile suspicion towards "greedy capitalists", who are depicted as exploiters rather than what they really are - the creators of jobs and wealth...We see it in a surly animosity towards managers and owners, who are reviled as enemies...Instead of seeing employers as powerful economic allies, the resentful scorn their values, then blame the "system" for them not being able to find work."[18] He argues that poverty among the lower classes is an inevitable consequence of their flawed values, which emphasize hatred and jealously towards achievement and successful people, and that "people do not steal because they are poor, they are poor because they steal."[18] Sheaffer advocates for a new system of morality based on achievement and success rather than religious morality, which he argues celebrates weakness; he "excoriates religion for romanticizing, and hence perpetuating, economic incompetence...[Sheaffer] urges the impoverished to break away from a slave morality that encourages passivity."[21] A review praises Resentment Against Achievement by stating that "for all its harsh denunciation of the resentful, this book is a positive call to action not to harm people but to help them succeed", and that Sheaffer contends that people "who adopt higher-class values and ethics will gradually find themselves accumulating so much money that no one will doubt their status any longer."[18]
X-Files
The twentieth episode of the third season of the X-Files television series, entitled "Jose Chung's From Outer Space", referenced Robert Sheaffer. The plot featured US Air Force test pilots, dressed as aliens, who flew a secret military aircraft designed to resemble a UFO. One pilot was named "Jacques Sheaffer" and the other "Robert Vallee". According to Sheaffer, Chris Carter, the creator of the X-Files series, decided to name the characters after ufologist Jacques Vallee, and debunker Sheaffer, as a joke. Sheaffer further states that "The M.P. [military policeman] who later arrested them (the test pilots) was Sergeant Hynek", a reference to prominent ufologist J. Allen Hynek.[22]
Speaking engagements
Sheaffer was one of the leaders of a workshop on "Preserving Skeptic History" at The Amazing Meeting in 2013.[23]
He spoke at the "UFOs: The Space-Age Mythology" CSI workshop in 2009.[26]
He spoke at the "Animal Mutilations, Star Maps, UFOs and Television" session of the "Science, Skepticism and the Paranormal" conference put on by CSICOP in 1983.[27]
He spoke at the "Where Are They" symposium at the University of Maryland, November 1979.[28]
Personal life
Sheaffer has had a passion for opera since the age of six,[29] and has been taking voice lessons since 1991.[30] He is a tenor and regularly performs in professional opera productions.[31][32]
Sheaffer is a member of Mensa International, having been introduced to it by Robert Steiner (1934–2013, fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, president of the Society of American Magicians from 1988 to 1989).[30]
Sheaffer, Robert (1998). UFO Sightings: The Evidence. Buffalo, N.Y: Prometheus Books. ISBN1-57392-213-7.
Sheaffer, Robert (1991). The Making of the Messiah: Christianity and Resentment. Buffalo, N.Y: Prometheus Books. ISBN0-87975-691-8.
Sheaffer, Robert (2011). Psychic Vibrations: Skeptical Giggles from the Skeptical Inquirer. Create Space. ISBN978-1-4636-0157-7.
Sheaffer, Robert (2016). Bad UFOs: Critical Thinking About UFO Claims. CreateSpace Independent Publishing. p.292. ISBN978-1519260840.
Related Research Articles
The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the U.S. non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to "promote scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims." Paul Kurtz proposed the establishment of CSICOP in 1976 as an independent non-profit organization, to counter what he regarded as an uncritical acceptance of, and support for, paranormal claims by both the media and society in general. Its philosophical position is one of scientific skepticism. CSI's fellows have included notable scientists, Nobel laureates, philosophers, psychologists, educators, and authors. It is headquartered in Amherst, New York.
Majestic 12, also known as Majic-12, and MJ-12 for short, is a purported organization that appears in UFO conspiracy theories. The organization is claimed to be the code name of an alleged secret committee of scientists, military leaders, and government officials, formed in 1947 by an executive order by U.S. President Harry S. Truman to facilitate recovery and investigation of alien spacecraft. The concept originated in a series of supposedly leaked secret government documents first circulated by ufologists in 1984. Upon examination, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) declared the documents to be "completely bogus", and many ufologists consider them to be an elaborate hoax. Majestic 12 remains popular among some UFO conspiracy theorists and the concept has appeared in popular culture including television, film and literature.
Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American general-audience magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) with the subtitle: The Magazine for Science and Reason.
The Roswell incident is a collection of events and myths surrounding the 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon, near Roswell, New Mexico. Operated from the nearby Alamogordo Army Air Field and part of the top secret Project Mogul, the balloon's purpose was remote detection of Soviet nuclear tests. After metallic and rubber debris was recovered by Roswell Army Air Field personnel, the United States Army announced their possession of a "flying disc". This announcement made international headlines but was retracted within a day. Obscuring the true purpose and source of the crashed balloon, the Army subsequently stated that it was a conventional weather balloon.
Ufology is the investigation of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by people who believe that they may be of extraordinary origins. While there are instances of government, private, and fringe science investigations of UFOs, ufology is generally regarded by skeptics and science educators as an example of pseudoscience.
The Travis Walton incident was an alleged alien abduction of American forestry worker Travis Walton on November 5, 1975, while he was part of a logging crew in the Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests near Heber, Arizona.
A debunker is a person or organization that exposes or discredits claims believed to be false, exaggerated, or pretentious. The term is often associated with skeptical investigation of controversial topics such as UFOs, claimed paranormal phenomena, cryptids, conspiracy theories, alternative medicine, religion, or exploratory or fringe areas of scientific or pseudoscientific research.
Green fireballs are a type of unidentified flying object (UFO) that has been reported since the early 1950s. Early sightings primarily occurred in the southwestern United States, particularly in New Mexico. Although some ufologists and ufology organizations consider green fireballs to be of artificial extraterrestrial origin, mainstream, non-pseudoscientific explanations have been provided, including natural bolides.
James Edward Oberg is an American space journalist and historian, regarded as an expert on the Russian and Chinese space programs. He had a 22-year career as a space engineer in NASA specializing in orbital rendezvous. Oberg is an author of ten books and more than a thousand articles on space flight. He gave many explanations of UFO phenomena in the popular press. He is also a consultant in spaceflight operations and safety.
Philip Julian Klass was a preeminent American aviation/aerospace journalist and UFO researcher, best known for his skepticism regarding UFOs. In the ufological and skeptical communities, Klass inspires polarized appraisals. He has been called the "Sherlock Holmes of UFOlogy". Klass demonstrated "the crusader's zeal for what seems 'right,' regardless of whether it brings popular acclaim," a trait he claimed his father instilled in him. "I've found," said Klass, "that roughly 97, 98 percent of the people who report seeing UFOs are fundamentally intelligent, honest people who have seen something—usually at night, in darkness—that is unfamiliar, that they cannot explain." The rest, he said, were frauds.
Jon-Erik Beckjord was an American paranormal investigator, photographer, and cryptozoologist interested in UFOs, crop circles, the Loch Ness Monster, and Bigfoot. Throughout his life, he owned three separate, small-scale museums that featured displays, mostly photographs, of alleged UFO, Nessie, and Bigfoot sightings. He made guest appearances on national radio and television shows, but was criticized by skeptics and fellow cryptozoologists alike for not providing substantive evidence to back up his claims of the existence of paranormal beings.
The Lonnie Zamora incident was an alleged UFO sighting that occurred on April 24, 1964 near Socorro, New Mexico when Socorro police officer Lonnie Zamora claimed he saw two people beside a shiny object that later rose into the air accompanied by a roaring flame. Zamora's claims were subject to attention from news media, UFO investigators and UFO organizations, and the U.S. Air Force's Project Blue Book listed the case as "unknown". Conventional explanations of Zamora's claims include a lunar lander test by White Sands Missile Range and a hoax by New Mexico Tech students.
Joe Nickell is an American skeptic and investigator of the paranormal.
Benjamin Radford is an American writer, investigator, and skeptic. He has authored, coauthored or contributed to over twenty books and written over a thousand articles and columns on a wide variety of topics including urban legends, unexplained mysteries, the paranormal, critical thinking, mass hysteria, and media literacy. His book, Mysterious New Mexico: Miracles, Magic, and Monsters in the Land of Enchantment, was published in the summer of 2014 and is a scientific investigation of famous legends and folklore in the state of New Mexico. In 2016 Radford published Bad Clowns, a 2017 IPPY bronze award winner, and he is regarded as an expert on the bad clowns phenomenon.
Kevin Douglas Randle is an American ufologist, science fiction and historical fiction writer and a military veteran. Within the UFO community, he is often regarded as one of the preeminent experts on the reported crash of a UFO near Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947.
The McMinnville UFO photographs, also known as the Trent UFO photos, were taken by a farming couple, Paul and Evelyn Trent near McMinnville, Oregon, United States on May 11, 1950. The photos were reprinted in Life magazine and in newspapers across the nation, and are often considered to be among the most famous photographs ever taken of a UFO. Most UFO skeptics consider these photographs a hoax, although many ufologists continue to argue that the photos actually depict a genuine three dimensional unidentified flying object in the sky.
Robert Allen Baker Jr. was an American psychologist, professor of psychology emeritus of the University of Kentucky, skeptic, author, and investigator of ghosts, UFO abductions, lake monsters and other paranormal phenomena. He is the editor of Psychology in the Wry, a collection of satire, and was formerly the co-editor of Approaches, a quarterly journal of contemporary poetry. His satirical and humorous verses have appeared in Vogue, Saturday Review, The Journal of Irreproducible Results, Worm-Runners' Digest, and other journals. He wrote 15 books and is a past fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
Ernest Henry Taves was an American psychiatrist, author of three books, two on Mormonism and one on UFOs. He was a scientific skeptic and was a Technical Consultant for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Taves served in Yokohama, Japan after WWII as a Captain in the US Army Medical Corps, chief of the neuropsychiatric section.
↑ Sheaffer, Robert (November 2010). "Hovering UFO Closes Chinese Airport". Skeptical Inquirer. 34 (5). Committee for Skeptical Inquiry: 27–29.
↑ Randle, Kevin (January 2011). "UFOdom's Most Prolific Author? A Conversation with Kevin Randle". Skeptical Inquirer. 35 (1). Committee for Skeptical Inquiry: 9–13.
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