Sunday, June 04, 2006

Ufology's Generation NOW - #4, Greg Bishop

Greg Bishop has been around the "UFO scene" for quite a while now, but it's only in the past few years that he has really stepped out into the limelight.

His book, Project Beta, was the best UFO-related book in 2005, bar none. The fact that most ufologists ignored it said more about them, and their singular unwillingness to confront some of the harsh truths contained within the book, than it did about Greg or the quality of his research / writing. (By the way, his new book, Weird California, while not about ufology, is definitely worth a look).

At his website, The Excluded Middle, Greg describes himself as follows:

"Author of the new book Project Beta, Los Angeles Radio Host, Excluded Middle Magazine Editor, Project Censored Award Winner, Conspiracy Zone contributor, Regional Representative for the Centre for Fortean Zoology, Author of Numerous Magazine Articles, Professional Judge Ito Impersonator, and ... Kook."

I would add - "Greg Bishop is a reasoned, and reasonable, researcher into the paranormal, and a no-holds-barred commentator on all things strange. He does his work with a sense of humour, and a realization that we don't know all of the answers - which means the frequently tough questions he asks are definitely worth asking."

Ufology could use a few more guys like Greg Bishop - articulate, impassioned, free-thinking, and hard-working, he's one of the best there is currently working the "excluded middle", which Greg describes thusly:

"Still wondering what "excluded middle" means? Consider the language of computers--binary--meaning on or off. Real humans must learn to reject the dichotomous, Aristotelian thought of the last 2000 years as apocryphal, and reconsider it as the only way of reaching solutions. The political posturing prevalent in this country illustrates this only too well. We don't have to be milquetoasts just because we listen past our personal shells. It's a razor's edge to walk, but it's all too easy and unprofitable to cling to old paradigms. The Excluded Middle bridges the on/off yes/no believe/don't believe chasm."

Bingo!

Paul Kimball

No comments: