Friday 7 June 2013

Francis Hitching

I recall Francis Hitching giving a lecture in circa 1981 at Kensington Library for the Society of Psychical Research. RS
 
 
 
 
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Francis Hitching is a British author, journalist and filmmaker; he is also a parapsychologist and a dowser.[1]

Biography [edit]

Hitching has written on earth mysteries, dowsing, paranormal and ley lines. In his book Pendulum: the psi connection(1977) he came to the conclusion that dowsing is genuine, he listed a number of alternative explanations such as electromagnetism and psychic ability which he thought were associated with dowsing.[2] Stuart Fleming in the New Scientist gave Hitching's book Earth magic (1978) a positive review; the book linked many of the megaliths around Europe to groups of men whom he called "megalithic mathematicians" who - according to Hitching - could connect with a spiritual energy from the universe.[3]
Hitching also wrote The world atlas of mysteries (1981); an atlas which listed many earth mysteries from around the world. The book was criticised in the New Scientist for some of his conclusions such as linking animal extinctions to reversals in the earth's magnetic field.[4]
Hitching is a non-Darwinian evolutionist. He wrote the book The Neck of the Giraffe or Where Darwin Went Wrong (1983) in which he criticised both creationism and Darwinism, instead supporting a form of Neo-Lamarckism.[5][6] Richard Dawkins stated: "I know nothing at all about Francis Hitching. If you are uncovering the fact that he is a charlatan, good for you. His book, The Neck of the Giraffe, is one of the silliest and most ignorant I have read for years." [7]

Books published [edit]

  • Pendulum: The Psi connection (1977)
  • Earth Magic The Astounding Mystery of the Greatest of All Lost Civilizations (1977)
  • Earth Magic (1978)
  • Dowsing: The psi connection (1978)
  • The Mysterious World: An Atlas of the Unexplained (1979)
  • The World Atlas of Mysteries (1981)
  • The Neck of the Giraffe or Where Darwin Went Wrong (1982)
  • Boom Business of the 90s: Essential Start-Up Guide to Network Marketing (1992)

References [edit]

  1. ^ The Journal of parapsychology, Volume 42, Duke University Press, 1978, p. 325
  2. ^ New Scientist, 10 Nov, 1977 Online
  3. ^ New Scientist, 23 Sep, 1976
  4. ^ New Scientist, 8 Feb, 1979 Online
  5. ^ The Neck of the Giraffe or Where Darwin Went Wrong, Francis Hitching, 1983, Signet, ISBN 0-451-62232-4
  6. ^ Leonardo's Mountain of Clams and the Diet of Worms: Essays on Natural History, Stephen Jay Gould, 2011, p. 303
  7. ^ Alan Feuerbacher: "Francis Hitching: Commonly quoted by creationists"

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