Meet the Forteans
October 18, 2004 3:48 PM Subscribe
The 38th annual conference on Anomalous Phenomena is just around the corner. Or, if you're in Europe, there's Unconvention 2004 in just a few weeks.
Forteans are the spiritual descendents of Charles Fort, free-thinkers with a sense of humour, open-minded skeptics (as opposed to these guys).
So open-minded = ignoring evidence, am I right?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 5:05 PM on October 18, 2004
posted by Pretty_Generic at 5:05 PM on October 18, 2004
Or not requiring any - both seem to work for the definition.
posted by John Smallberries at 5:24 PM on October 18, 2004
posted by John Smallberries at 5:24 PM on October 18, 2004
Not at all -- though there are certainly a lot of Forteans who are rather too open to new facts.
Charles Fort's methodology was to collect fairly bullet-proof evidence of anomalous phenomena and then poke merciless fun at other people's stupid explanations.
If a believer were writing about Betty and Barney Hill, they'd discuss how this was proof positive of aliens. A skeptic would dismiss the whole thing as completely lacking in firm evidence. A Fortean might well point out that the fact that this involved a "mixed race" (God, how I hate that term) couple, and is an ongoing theme in anomalous reports, perhaps going on to talk about "liminality". (RIP, Betty.)
While "truth" is certainly an important part of these reports, the sociological and aesthetic aspects are just as important.
The British have this suspension of disbelief particularly well mastered and that's why their Unconvention gets thousands of people whilst the American one gets hundreds.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 5:38 PM on October 18, 2004
Charles Fort's methodology was to collect fairly bullet-proof evidence of anomalous phenomena and then poke merciless fun at other people's stupid explanations.
If a believer were writing about Betty and Barney Hill, they'd discuss how this was proof positive of aliens. A skeptic would dismiss the whole thing as completely lacking in firm evidence. A Fortean might well point out that the fact that this involved a "mixed race" (God, how I hate that term) couple, and is an ongoing theme in anomalous reports, perhaps going on to talk about "liminality". (RIP, Betty.)
While "truth" is certainly an important part of these reports, the sociological and aesthetic aspects are just as important.
The British have this suspension of disbelief particularly well mastered and that's why their Unconvention gets thousands of people whilst the American one gets hundreds.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 5:38 PM on October 18, 2004
Here's a terrific book that's very fortean: The Trickster and the Paranormal. Check out the intro here.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 5:42 PM on October 18, 2004
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 5:42 PM on October 18, 2004
People who say they are open minded are usually actually describing a hole in their credibility. My intuition tells me this.
posted by srboisvert at 5:42 PM on October 18, 2004
posted by srboisvert at 5:42 PM on October 18, 2004
While "truth" is certainly an important part of these reports, the sociological and aesthetic aspects are just as important.
Just so. To a Fortean, the meme is of interest whether a phenomenon is physically real or some collective imagining. A typical Fortean topic would be something like fox-dumping, that has strong sociological factors whatever the evidence may be.
posted by raygirvan at 7:11 PM on October 18, 2004
Just so. To a Fortean, the meme is of interest whether a phenomenon is physically real or some collective imagining. A typical Fortean topic would be something like fox-dumping, that has strong sociological factors whatever the evidence may be.
posted by raygirvan at 7:11 PM on October 18, 2004
I've been a devotee of Fort's for years, and a regular subscriber to Fortean Times. It's refreshing to see him here in the blue. Thanks!
posted by moonbird at 7:38 PM on October 18, 2004
posted by moonbird at 7:38 PM on October 18, 2004
Yeah! Thanks for the link...my husband and I may very well be there.
For the record, I'm 100% skeptic. I pretty much believe in nothing supernatural. But the Forteans are a good group, with a sense of humor and a willingness to say that sometimes there is no explanation for things. Just because it isn't a UFO doesn't make it swamp gas by default.
posted by JoanArkham at 4:51 AM on October 19, 2004
For the record, I'm 100% skeptic. I pretty much believe in nothing supernatural. But the Forteans are a good group, with a sense of humor and a willingness to say that sometimes there is no explanation for things. Just because it isn't a UFO doesn't make it swamp gas by default.
posted by JoanArkham at 4:51 AM on October 19, 2004
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posted by lupus_yonderboy at 3:52 PM on October 18, 2004