Nickell and Watkins discuss cryptozoology at Dragon*Con 2009

Paranormal investigator Dr. Joe Nickell (Center for Skeptical Inquiry) and Cryptozoology expert Graham Watkins (formerly of the J. B. Rhine institute, author) and both alumni of University of Kentucky but journeymen of very different paths met at Dragon*Con in September 2009 to discuss cryptozoology. Nickell, a long time skeptic, and Watkins, a spirited proponent of parapsychology, effortlessly display a civil discourse on unknown and speculative animals.

Duration : 1:4:19


[youtube gjuJbvQEgXc]

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25 Responses to Nickell and Watkins discuss cryptozoology at Dragon*Con 2009

  1. adzug says:

    the oran/wild man , …
    the oran/wild man , is a perfect exp in that in the 1800s you can get away with not knowing based on then present data. big foot isnt found even tho today we have cams set up with motion detectors ect, and yet nothing. its a myth in that its a story not reality. we do find new species when we go down deep in the ocean for exp but theres nothing 8 ft tall wandering round the usa

  2. sb1127 says:

    Penn Gillette said …
    Penn Gillette said it best. “Zoology is the study of animals. Crypto means you made up.”

  3. DamonSin says:

    i know i realized …
    i know i realized that when i reread your comment halfway through this video. why am i watching a video of a guy describing something i can’t really see anyways. i’m going to stop watching this now. still rating this a 5 though because it’s on shermer’s channel.

  4. FoxDragon says:

    It would be nice to …
    It would be nice to at least be able to see the graphics that the guy in the beginning is showing to his audience….

  5. ruben18753 says:

    SETI
    SETI

  6. NegativeNick says:

    you leave Mr. …
    you leave Mr. Shermer alone now you here? and place nice

  7. NaturalUniverse101 says:

    supremechimp,,,,,,, …
    supremechimp,,,,,,,yeah man……they make money on this crap though

  8. MrEvidential says:

    Dr. Shermer,


    Dr. Shermer,

    It’s the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry not the Center for Skeptical Inquiry. People always get that wrong.

  9. ProcInc says:

    Cryptozoology is …
    Cryptozoology is mythology in a labcoat

  10. ABitOfBravado says:

    It’s definitely …
    It’s definitely Bertrand Russel’s teapot. Dawkins just uses it.

  11. SupremeChimp says:

    lol @ cryptozoology …
    lol @ cryptozoology … The study of animals that you can’t study. Magnificent.

  12. Sweetea666 says:

    Whaddaya mean, WAS …
    Whaddaya mean, WAS hot?? She’s still hot !!! Nerds are sexy!!!

  13. chazcov08 says:

    And also he refers …
    And also he refers to his idea that the Loch Ness monster could be a giant non-existing worm as a “theory”. Since there is absolutely NO evidence to support this position, he should refer to it as a hypothesis.

    I let this one slide at the time of the lecture, but I’m surprised no one else brought that point up.

  14. chazcov08 says:

    I was the one who …
    I was the one who asked about the worms being found in fresh water @40:28. He answer cracked me up. Just because we haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist!

    Isn’t this the same argument for Dawkins’ teapot, or the FSM?

  15. ivyshoots says:

    I’m your biggest …
    I’m your biggest fan I’ll follow you until you love me, papa, paparazzi…

  16. FractalHelix777 says:

    How pointless is it …
    How pointless is it to speculate about which animals might exist? Either they do and we will discover evidence of them or they don’t. Mythology is a separate study with its own value but shouldn’t be conflated with scientific pursuit. Much like the impossibility of the “supernatural”, either there are animals which exist as part of our ecosystem, operating under descriptive physical laws,or there aren’t. Enough of this “crypto-” bullshit.

  17. sugmegpls says:

    wth, cant see the …
    wth, cant see the pictures.

  18. do0me0nice says:

    i am Nessy and I …
    i am Nessy and I have no clue who you are.

  19. do0me0nice says:

    i bet she was hot …
    i bet she was hot when she was younger. I am absolutely in love with her

  20. Gwisss says:

    Eugene Scott was at …
    Eugene Scott was at this lecture, haha, awesome. They should have let her have more microphone time.

  21. burnhippiesforfuel says:

    am i the only one …
    am i the only one who can’t help laughing that graham watkins couldn’t even come up with decent pictures of real animals?

  22. shreddakj says:

    Cryptozoologists …
    Cryptozoologists fall under the same category as nutty conspiracy theorists.

  23. infidelguy says:

    Pahkasika, Joe …
    Pahkasika, Joe Nickell is a foremost expert in evaluating pseudoscientific claims and has been around long before Shermer. He’s amazing to listen to. Watch and learn.

  24. Bueller007 says:

    It’d be nice if …
    It’d be nice if cryptozoologists would turn their attention away from “animals that have not yet been discovered and don’t exist” to “animals that have not yet been discovered but do exist”.

    The world needs more systematists.

  25. ivyshoots says:

    I saw Nessy once.
    I saw Nessy once.