Science of Miracles: Investigating the Incredible

by Joe Nickell

An entertaining, comprehensive, and science-based study of miracle claimsIs the Shroud of Turin really the burial cloth of Jesus, produced by a miraculous burst of radiant energy at the moment of Resurrection? What happens at faith-healing services to provide apparently miraculous cures? Steering between the twin pillars of belief and disbelief, experienced paranormal investigator Joe Nickell examines these claims and more. Relying on his forty-plus years of experience in tracking down the solutions to mysteries, Nickell uses on-site examinations, lab experiments, and other detective methods to uncover the facts behind the most incredible claims. He evaluates the evidence in six major categories of miracle miraculous images (such as "weeping" icons); magical relics (like the Shroud of Turin and the Holy Grail); miracle healings (at Lourdes or at the hands of healers like Benny Hinn); visionary experiences (including near-death experiences); saintly powers (such as stigmata); and "the devil's work" (such as demonic possession).Conveying the sense of adventure surrounding the investigation of any mystery, this is both entertaining reading and a comprehensive, science-based study of miracle claims.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Religion

450 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Joe Nickell was an American skeptic and investigator of the paranormal.
Nickell was a senior research fellow for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and wrote regularly for their journal, Skeptical Inquirer. He was also an associate dean of the Center for Inquiry Institute. He was the author or editor of over 30 books.
Among his career highlights, Nickell helped expose the James Maybrick "Jack the Ripper Diary" as a hoax. In 2002, Nickell was one of a number of experts asked by scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. to evaluate the authenticity of the manuscript of Hannah Crafts' The Bondwoman's Narrative (1853–1860), possibly the first novel by an African-American woman. At the request of document dealer and historian Seth Keller, Nickell analyzed documentation in the dispute over the authorship of "The Night Before Christmas", ultimately supporting the Clement Clarke Moore claim.

Reviews

[Jan V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second sceptical book, the first being Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (brilliant). While the Goldacre book dealt almost exclusively with alternative medicine and drug companies, this book – by sceptical legend Joe Nickell – deals with supposed miracles.

It is divided in to 6 parts – miraculous effigies, magical relics, miracle healings, visionary experiences, saintly powers and a section called The Devil’s Work?

It was interesting. However, Nickell spends a bit too much time either debunking things I believe most people already believe to be a hoax. Much time is also spent on supposed miracles in the bible, and while this may be of interest to people who take the bible literally, it was run of the mill sceptical fodder for anyone who has spent any time in rationalist circles.

I think the biggest issue with this book is not the writing, or the anecdotes, or the debunk-ings, but the intended audience. Although Nickell would love for this to become a best seller, for one reason or another it will only be read by hard-core skeptics, and not the population at large. Instead of embracing this, he is writing for an uncritical wider population, boring those skeptics who have already gone through most of what he is writing about.

In all though, it was a pretty entertaining book, and will be great to have a look back on if I ever argue about the shroud of Turin with anyone.

[Vladimir Burtsev · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a good example of ignorant scepticism pretending to be a "scientific". Author is claiming to be a “science-based paranormal investigator”. But he seems to be a pathetic charlatan. Show me his publications in the peer-reviewed scientific journals, please. I did not find anything that proved his expertise in any science. He even does not have any scientific credentials (research expertise, peer-reviewed papers etc.). The majority of his arguments are based upon stupid dumb, toddler's level nonsense or a scientific dogmatism. He seems to believing in his own BS “arguments”. In the process of argumentation the author exposed his logical fallacies and his lack of knowledge of paranormal research methodology and his shallow understanding and misunderstanding of modern scientific approaches, assumptions and new theories related to investigation of paranormal events. For me this so-called "The Science of Miracles: Investigating the Incredible" looks like a complete fraud.

[Richard Hankins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful

This is a very informative work to rely on in evaluating claims by false teachers who prey on desperate people of faith. I believe God is bigger than anything these charlatans can ever imagine and this his daily Providence is sufficient. The perpetrators of these hoaxes will one day hear the words: “I do not know you.”

[Paññādhammika Bhikkhu · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst kinda debunker book. Just because it's possible to replicate a thing doesn't mean it's not supernatural in origin. Anyway, it's not as rigorous as I liked based on the title of the book.

To be fair, I agree with the author that most of the miracles he investigated are frauds.

[Gabriel Bacopa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I believe in miracles, reading this book gives an alternative view of it and can help keep a skeptical outlook on many "miracles."

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

თუ გაინტერესებთ რა ხდება სინამდვილეში, როცა საუბარია ე.წ სასწაულებზე,მაშინ ეს წიგნი ნამდვილად დაგეხმარებათ კრიტიკული და რაციონალური თვალით გადახედოთ უამრავ ნაცნობ თუ უცნობ მტკიცებას რელიგიური სასწაულების შესახებ.
აქ თითქმის ყველაფერია, მტირალი ხატები და სტატუები, უცნაური შემთხვევები რომლებიც რელიგიურ სასწაულებს მიეწერება, სტიგმატები, გაუხრწნელი ცხედრები, ტურინის სუდარა, ეგზორციზმი და ა.შ. მოკლედ ყველანაირ სასწაულს შეხვდებით, მხოლოდ აღოსავლურ მართლმადიდებლური სასწაულების ნაკლებობამ დამწყვიტა გული, განსაკუთრებით ცნობილი ცეცხლის გადმოსვლა იერუსალიმში და გველების თავმოყრა კაფელონიაში 15 აგვისტოს.
ჯო ნიქელი (წიგნის ავტორი) მრავალი წელია იკვლევს "სასწაულებს", ამ წიგნში კი სასწაულად მიჩნეულ ბევრ მოვლენას აღწერს. რა დასკვნებს და აღმოჩენებს აკეთებს ამას მკითხველს დავუტოვებ, მხოლოდ იმას ვიტყვი რატომ დაიმსახურა ამდენ საინტერესო ინფორმაციით სავსე წიგნმა მხოლოდ სამი ვარსკვლავი.
1.ბევრი საინტერესო შემთხვევის პარალელურად, ინფრომაცია თითოეულის გამოკვლევაზე და ახსნაზე ზოგჯერ ძალიან მოკლეა, ხშირად არის ვრცელი დისკუსიის გადამისამართება ავტორის წინა ნაშრომებზე.
2.მიუხედავად პირველ პუნქტში გამოთქმულისა, ძალიან ბევრ, სუსტ სასწაულზე დიდ ხანს ჩერდება ავტორი. როგორც ჩანს წიგნის დიდი ნაწილი გათვლილია ძალიან მიმნდობ, ანალიზის არ მქონე ადამიანებზე, რომელთაც ისე წამთ რომ ამ წიგნის წაკითხვა თუ დაიწყეს ისედაც მიატოვებენ პირველივე თავზე. თავისუფლად მოაზროვნეები კი ასეთ უაზრობებზე ნაკლებად დახარჯავენ დროს.
საერთო ჯამში საინტერესო წიგნია.

[Eric Wojciechowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Nickell remains my favorite investigator in the field of Woo-Woo. If I had a dream job, it would be his. And when I met him at the CFI Reason for Change conference summer of 2015, he told me to just go out and do it.

I've been reading his work in Skeptical Inquirer for over twenty-years, including several of his books. The present volume, "The Science of Miracles", is a collection of some old and some new (to me) material. If you want to know about weeping statues, Jesus on toast, the Fraud of Turin, Our Lady of Fátima, Lourdes, and con men in the role of faith healer, this is the book for you. This is an expansion on his 1993 "Looking for a Miracle".

It's amazing how many frauds are out there, capitalizing on the wishes of some very good people. It's only a shame there isn't a real Hell for some of them to go to.