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THE 1988. 195 THE MYSTERY LINGERS and to seek out your own critics, even your opponents, to listen calmly to what they say, and to reconsider your own facts and beliefs based on everything you have heard. That is tough medicine to swallow for the kind of ego-driven people who make it to the higher ranks of science, technology, and business: they tend to stay within the very narrow circle of associates and colleagues, constantly reinforcing, rather than ques- tioning, each other's prejudices. Such biases are exacerbated when the topic is classified because the data can only be shared within tiny groups of initiates. This explains the high failure rates of many secret technol- ogy projects. In the domain of UFO research, where even the most basic facts are subject to critical reappraisal, it is not surprising that delusion should be rampant. And the opportunity for intelligent debate is sorely lacking because every group of believers has its own narrow parochial view of the phenomenon and simply lashes out at the mere suggestion of any alternative view. The appearance of validation is seized upon and accepted as proof for the wildest theories, because the facts are often so fantastic that it is easier to accept the theory than to check the data. Another good example of this process is given by an extraordinary episode my French friends refer to as the Teesdale Inheritance. It shows that freewheeling fantasy is not limited to one-armed Swiss farmers, to Florida contractors, or to the high-tech pundits of Area 51. TEESDALE INHERITANCE It began like a detective story, with a curious advertisement in the Parisian magazine Nouvel Observateur for the week of March 11-17, Nouvel Observateur is a large-format weekly for elegant leftists. The articles cover the burning issues of the day: human injustice in the Third World, the destruction of the environment, and the plight of the poor. Between these generous and idealistic, or indignant, stories are lavish advertisements for luxury cars and expensive perfumes. The classified advertising section ranges from yoga training to an offer of private