In this episode of listenN, we speak with award-winning academic writer and social commentator Alan C. Logan. Highlights include:

How he stumbled onto the story of National Airline’s Flight 967 crash into the Gulf of Mexico in 1959, and his discovery that it was one of the world’s true aviation whodunits of the last century.

A discussion about his new book, Self-Styled: Chasing Dr. Robert Vernon Spears. Life Magazine described the news story as “A case so bizarre that even the most imaginative mystery writer would hesitate to use the plot.”

How through his research for the book he discovered that Dr. Robert Vernon Spears wasn’t just a colourful character, he was an historic conman with connections to a cast of characters and subject matter that includes: imposters, society romance, underground abortion rings, Hollywood connections, police corruption, forgery, aliases, artful dodgers and naturopathic quackery.

A hypothesis emerges: could hypnotism be at the root of this tragedy?

Alan C. Logan’s passion for truth telling and investigation, and respect for how research and critical appraisal helps move naturopathy forward led him to the character Dr. Robert Vernon Spears, who ironically is the man that becomes the death nail of naturopathic medicine and brings it to its knees.

FACT: In the early 1920’s, the naturopathic profession thrived in the United States, with a membership of over 40,000 professionals. Fast-forward to mid-century when the naturopathic profession was nearly outlawed, and barely 100 members remained. The revival of naturopathic medicine wouldn’t occur until the late 80’s and early 90’s.

Discussion and celebration about newspaper databases and genealogy banks as rich resources for researching history and uncovering who said what when and how.

FACT: There’s a real thirst for understanding critical appraisal in our post truth world. How understanding the ways and means is extremely important. Fascinating side effect: in this post-truth world there’s an increased craving for stories about conmen.

How today with social media a story like this would’ve been hard to live and get away with.

Discussion of Alcatraz Files: their importance and how they sealed the deal that would turn what he was learning into a book.

Discussion of the Dunning-Kruger Effect: how it’s playing out right in front of us around the world.

The importance of teaching critical appraisal skills early and often.

Placebo Response: the new research, and how this can help us navigate the sea of falsehoods that keep coming at us in this post-truth era.

The Era of Conmen: We need to understand how these corrupt people get into tremendous positions of power, how these conmen become leaders, and what needs to change in society for them to be stopped.

FACT: We are losing our ability to use critical appraisal (understanding the ways and means by which we can be tripped up by the conman), therefore we have to ask ourselves “how this is affecting society?”

WHAT WE KNOW: Published science confirms that via the internet, social media, and fake news the spread of falsehoods is by far and away easier and more rapid than truths.

FULL EPISODE NOTES  |  PDF