Michael Cremo
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Michael Cremo (1948–) is a Hare Krishna creationist responsible for perpetuating much woo and fodder for conspiracy theorists, particularly through his book Forbidden Archaeology, which he co-wrote with Richard L. Thompson, another Vedic creationist. He believes that modern humans, i.e. Homo sapiens, have lived on the earth for billions of years with little or no alteration to their biological characteristics. He sometimes writes books on Hindu spirituality under the pseudonym of Drutakarma Dāsa.
One of the core notions in Cremo's Forbidden Archaeology is the assertion that a system of knowledge filtration exists within archaeology (and by inference, the greater scientific community). This "explanation" conveniently makes it possible for Cremo to reject the (literal and literally) mountains of evidence contradicting his pseudohistorical and pseudoscientific claptrap.
However, this system of "knowledge filtration" does echo the dynamics behind the "conceptual continuity" that define vast periods of science and are described in Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
These periods are only interrupted with the rise of a new paradigm where scientists warm to new questions of old data and map new lines of research. Unlike Cremo's knowledge filtration, however, conceptual continuity is not conspiratorial but is conducted in the open using the scientific method.
Credentialism[edit]
According to his own autobiography, Cremo has no scientific education.[1] His website though proudly lists his membership in several professional associations. Looking into the admission criteria of these organizations, it is clear that membership is not tied to expertise:
- the History of Science Society admits everyone willing to pay the annual fees;[2] they have also produced a statement on evolution that contradicts Cremo's ideas[3]
- the Philosophy of Science Association has three types of members - "full", "associate" and "student".[4] Only full membership requires any professional credentials. The PSA also shares an online membership directory with the HSS, but as of November 2010, Cremo is not listed in it as a member of any of the two organizations.[5]
- the World Archeological Congress is open to everyone willing to pay the annual fees[6]
- the European Association of Archaeologists accepts both "full" and "associate" members.[7] Only professional archaeologists can be full members. Cremo's autobiography does not specify what kind of membership he has and there is no online members directory.
Cremo is also a "associate member of the Bhaktivedanta Institute specializing in history and philosophy of science."[1] The BI is "the scientific research branch of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness", according to his own website.[8] 'Nuff said.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Creationism: The Hindu View, a review of Forbidden Archeology
- Hidden History, Hidden Agenda, a review of The Hidden History of the Human Race
- Forbidden Archaeology: Antievolutionism Outside the Christian Arena, Wade Tarzia
- Vedic creationism in America, Meera Nanda
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.mcremo.com/cremo.htm
- ↑ http://www.hssonline.org/about/society_statutes.html#membership
- ↑ http://www.hssonline.org/about/society_evolution.html
- ↑ http://philsci.org/about/bylaws.html, ARTICLE II. Membership and Dues
- ↑ https://subfill.uchicago.edu/Societies/HSS-PSA/HSS-PSAMembership.html
- ↑ http://www.worldarchaeologicalcongress.org/site/join.php
- ↑ http://www.e-a-a.org/memcats.htm
- ↑ http://www.mcremo.com/bi.html