Craig Weiler

{{bronze}}[[File:Craig Weiler.jpg|165px|thumb|right|Craig Weiler]]
{{conspiracynav|1}}
{{Psychic|1}}
{{cquote|I regard [[skepticism]] as a form of [[bigotry]] that most people can cure themselves of. But some people are hard core bigots and they cannot be cured.|||Craig Weiler<ref>See [http://archive.ph/JEiyg Archive].</ref>}}
'''Craig Weiler''' is an American [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theorist]] and [[parapsychology]] activist, known for posting anti-skeptic rants on the internet. He describes himself as a "[[psychic]] healer".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130509024943/http://www.tedxwesthollywood.com/craig-weiler Biography for Craig Weiler] Also see [https://web.archive.org/web/20131010045553/http://www.realitysandwich.com/user/craig_weiler Biographical information at Reality Sandwich]</ref><ref>In October 2013, he warned someone on Wikipedia: [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Rupert_Sheldrake&curid=3787014&diff=576344470&oldid=576341837 "if you ever attach the word -psychic- to my name you are to never put it into quotations. That is a personal insult, it is bigotry and I will not tolerate it."]</ref>

==Background==
Weiler has no education or qualifications in [[science]]. His current occupation is working as a handyman.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150413124033/http://forum.mind-energy.net/member/3149-craig-weiler/about Craig Weiler User Profile] "Handyman: the favorite profession of drunks, drug addicts and serial killers."</ref><ref>[https://weilerpsiblog.wordpress.com/2014/10/05/heres-a-look-at-my-day-job-expert-handyman/ Here’s a Look at My Day Job: Expert Handyman]</ref>

{{cquote|I, myself am an older white guy who is psychic, but don't do it professionally. I am currently in transition from being in construction to a career in speaking and writing and I am working on my first book. If you are psychic too, I want you to know: you are not alone.<ref>[http://weilerpsiblog.wordpress.com/about/ About The Weiler Psi]</ref>}} 

Weiler admits he hasn't read many books on parapsychology, but that hasn't stopped him from giving lectures on the subject.<ref>[http://vimeo.com/64867110 Craig Weiler at Brother, Can You Spare a Paradigm?]</ref>

==Beliefs==

Weiler claims that [[psi]] and all kinds of [[woo]] have been scientifically proven<ref>[http://weilerpsiblog.wordpress.com/evidence-for-psi/ The Scientific Evidence for Psi] Weiler's Wordpress blog. ([http://archive.ph/lORWg Archived]).</ref> but ignores most of the skeptical literature on it.<ref group=note>Weiler does not mention notable publications which have debunked psi claims such as C. E. M. Hansel. ''ESP: A Scientific Evaluation''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1966. Rev. ed. as ''ESP and Parapsychology: A Critical Re-evaluation''. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus, 1980. Leonard Zusne, Warren H. Jones. (1989). ''Anomalistic Psychology: A Study of Magical Thinking''. Psychology Press. Terence Hines (2002). ''Pseudoscience and the Paranormal'' (2nd ed. ed.). Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books. Jonathan Smith. (2009). ''Pseudoscience and Extraordinary Claims of the Paranormal: A Critical Thinker's Toolkit''. Wiley-Blackwell.</ref>  He also claims [[Dean Radin]]'s ''The Conscious Universe'' (1997) contains evidence that psi exists, but if he'd done any research he might have found Radin did not manage the [[Publication bias|file-drawer effect]] correctly, made fundamental errors in his calculations, and ignored possible non-paranormal explanations for his data.<ref>Victor Stenger. (2002). [http://www.csicop.org/sb/show/meta-analysis_and_the_filedrawer_effect ''Meta-Analysis and the Filedrawer Effect'']. ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]''. Volume 12.</ref> Weiler is supportive of the bogus [[mediumship]] experiments of [[Gary Schwartz]],<ref>[http://weilerpsiblog.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/evidence-for-the-afterlife/ Evidence for the Afterlife] ([http://archive.ph/luutJ Archived]).</ref> and has even defended the fraudulent medium [[Sylvia Browne]].<ref>[http://archive.ph/22XJM Sylvia Browne Dead]. Skeptiko.</ref>

Weiler has worked with Dean Radin, [[Abd ul-Rahman Lomax]] and Ben Steigmann in promoting paranormal studies on Wikiversity.<ref>The [https://web.archive.org/web/20171104165653/https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Parapsychology Parapsychology] article on Wikiversity was written by Craig Weiler, [[Dean Radin]], [[Abd ul-Rahman Lomax]] and Ben Steigmann. Also see the [http://archive.ph/FwN90 talk page].</ref> These studies were later deleted.

===9/11 conspiracy theories===
{{main|9/11}}
Weiler is a proponent of 9/11 conspiracy theories: 

{{quotebox|I've seen these videos of the towers collapsing for years and all of a sudden I realized that I was looking at something that is impossible by everything I know. Nothing that big comes apart in a cloud of dust like that. Nothing. Never. Ever. It's not possible for structures to fail like that by any known means… look at some videos of controlled demolitions and tell me if truly enormous plumes of dust suddenly erupt from everywhere as the building completely disintegrates before your eyes. Show me any destruction of a large building that looks anything like what happened on 9/11… I'm in construction and I know how buildings are built and how they normally come down.}}

In 2014, Weiler commented:

{{quotebox|For me, the "oh shit" moment came when I watched the [[Judy Wood]] video and looked at the collapse of the towers again. With an additional 12 years of construction experience I saw it a lot differently. I got this really awful feeling in my stomach when I realized that there was something really weird about the collapse of the towers that defied absolutely everything I knew about construction. What I was seeing was not caused by any demolition or any other means that I knew of. That is what is so difficult for me to accept. That sort of collapse, the way they just disintegrated right before our eyes, can't be done by any ordinary means, including demolition. Some destructive mechanism, beyond mere demolition had to have been involved. But I don't know of anything that can do that. What happened to those two towers should be impossible.<ref>[http://www.skeptiko-forum.com/threads/9-11-discussion-thread.1443/page-7#post-47003 9/11 Discussion Thread]. ([https://archive.fo/rhm7T Archived]).</ref>}}

… Because 9/11 was comparable to a controlled demolition.

==Conspiracies of skeptics‎==
Weiler is notorious for posting anti-skeptic rants to the [[Skeptiko forum]], the [[SCEPCOP]] website, and his own blog, ''The Weiler Psi'' accusing skeptics of being [[atheist]]s, [[materialist]]s and "pseudoskeptics", especially if they disagree with him.<ref>[http://weilerpsiblog.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/a-critical-look-at-csi-formerly-csicop-a-pseudo-scientific-skeptic-organization/ A Critical Look at CSI, (formerly CSICOP), a Pseudo-Scientific Skeptic Organization]</ref><ref>[http://www.debunkingskeptics.com/forum/index.php Weiler posts abuse against skeptics in the "PseudoSkeptic Fallacies" section of the forum]</ref> 

In March, 2013,<ref>[http://weilerpsiblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/the-psi-wars-come-to-ted/ "The Psi Wars Come To TED"]</ref> Weiler accused the [[TED Talks]] of being run by "atheists" and engaging in "[[censorship]]" after they moved videos of controversial talks by [[Rupert Sheldrake]] and [[Graham Hancock]] from the TEDx YouTube channel to the TED blog.<ref>[http://blog.ted.com/2013/03/19/the-debate-about-rupert-sheldrakes-talk/ The debate about Rupert Sheldrake’s talk]</ref> The TED staff issued a statement explaining, "The reason people are upset is because they think there has been censorship. But it's simply not true. Both talks are up on our website."<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/ted-conference-censorship-row-8563105.html TED conference censorship row]</ref>

===Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia===
{{main|Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia#Conspiracy theory|Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia}}

In October 2013 Weiler published a blog post titled "The Wikipedia Battle for Rupert Sheldrake’s Biography", claiming that Sheldrake's Wikipedia bio was being targeted by a group called Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia.

It wasn't. 

===''Psi Wars: TED, Wikipedia and the Battle for the Internet''===
In November 2013, Weiler released '' Psi Wars: TED, Wikipedia and the Battle for the Internet''. The book promotes his [[conspiracy theory]] that atheist skeptics have taken over mainstream media, universities, scientific organizations and are working together to promote their skeptical views on [[Wikipedia]].<ref>Craig Weiler, ''Psi Wars: TED, Wikipedia and the Battle for the Internet''. White Crow Books, May 22, 2020. {{isbn|1786771179}}.</ref> The book was negatively reviewed by the paranormal investigator Hayley Stevens who concluded "The only recommendation I can make for this book is to leave it on the shelf unless you want a headache. No amount of reasoning will make a difference here."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131226055538/http://hayleyisaghost.co.uk/review-psi-wars-ted-wikipedia-and-the-battle-for-the-internet/ Review: PSI Wars: TED, Wikipedia and the Battle for the Internet]</ref>

In 2014, the parapsychologist [[Tom Ruffles]] reviewed Weiler's book for the [[Society for Psychical Research]] and supported his conspiracy theories. Ruffles complained that [[RationalWiki]] had tried to denigrate Weiler by claiming he works only as a handyman.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150413124050/http://www.spr.ac.uk/publication/psi-wars-ted-wikipedia-and-battle-internet Psi Wars: TED, Wikipedia and the Battle for the Internet Reviewed by Tom Ruffles].</ref> While a lack of a background in science doesn't discount Weiler's work, it ''does'' show a lack of scientific training, which could ''potentially'' lead to incorrect testing procedures and results.

==See also==
*[[Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia]]
*[[Michael Prescott]]
*[[Bruce Siegel]]

==External links==
*[http://weilerpsiblog.wordpress.com/tag/craig-weiler/ The Weiler Psi]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiler, Craig}}
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:Internet kooks]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Paranormal]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[Category:Psychics]]
[[Category:9/11 truthers]]

Categories: Conspiracy theorists, Internet kooks, Living people, Paranormal, Pseudoscience promoters, Psychics, 9/11 truthers