Joe Nickell
From Philosopedia
- Nickell, not a believer in the Christian Trinity, is himself triune.
Nickell, Joe (1 December 1944 – )
An investigative writer, Nickell is described as being the world’s only full-time professional investigator of miracles and other paranormal claims. He is an enthusiastic proponent of the scientific method, philosophical naturalism, and secular humanism.
A former investigator for a world-famous detective agency, Nickell has also been a professional stage magician. He holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Kentucky, where he focused on literary investigation and folklore.
In 1995 he was named a senior research fellow of the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, New York.
Nickell signed Humanist Manifesto 2000.
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Magician and User of the Scientific Method
Nickell is the author of many books, starting in 1983 with Inquest on the Shroud of Turin, followed by a subsequent edition in 1998. His research, as described by Prometheus Books, found that few scientists with the requisite skills have examined the cloth (generally, those who did became sceptics) and that he concludes that this is "one of many suspicious circumstances in the cloth's known history of seven centuries. The so-called 'shroud' of Jesus can only be traced to about 1355, when it surfaced at Lirey, France. For the thirteen centuries from the reputed death of Jesus of Nazareth until that date, there is no evidence that his burial garments were preserved or that the 'shroud' was in existence. Even readers who do not believe in so-called holy relics will be fascinated by Nickell's methodical uncovering of the truth about the cloth. However, nothing in this book attacks the faith of Christians."
In Looking for a Miracle (1993), he examines miracle claims, weeping icons, relics, snake handling, speaking in tongues, stigmata, visions, and healing cures.
He also is author of Entities: Angels, Spirits, Demons, and Other Alien Beings (1995), in which he discusses the controversial claims of those who say they have experienced guardian angels, demonic spirits, and extraterrestrial visitors. In 2007, he wrote Relics of the Christ and Adventures in Paranormal Investigation.
He and his book Looking for a Miracle: Weeping Icons, Relics, Stigmata, Visions and Healing Cures (1993) served as a basis for the 2007 movie, The Reaping, starring Hillary Swank.
Books
- Inquest on the Shroud of Turin (1983, 1998)
- Secrets of the Supernatural (with John F. Fischer, 1988, 1991)
- The Magic Detectives (1989)
- Pen, Ink, and Evidence (1990, 2000, 2003)
- Wonder-Workers! (1991)
- Ambrose Bierce Is Missing (1992)
- Missing Pieces (with Robert A. Baker, 1992)
- Mysterious Realms (1992)
- Looking for a Miracle (1993, 1998)
- Psychic Sleuths (1994)
- Camera Clues (1994)
- Entities (1995)
- Detecting Forgery (1996)
- The Outer Edge (1996)
- The UFO Invasion (1997
- Crime Science (1999)
- Real-Life X-Files: Investigating the Paranormal (2001)
- The Kentucky Mint Julep (2003)
- The Mystery Chronicles (2004)
- Secrets of the Sideshows (2005)
- Lake Monster Mysteries (with Benjamin Radford, 2006)
- Adventures in Paranormal Investigation (2007)
- Relics of the Christ (2007)
- Real or Fake? (2009)
Media Appearances
He has appeared on numerous national TV shows, including CNBC's "News with Brian Williams," "Dateline NBC," "TLC's Best Kept Secrets," "Larry King Live," "Oprah," "Ricki Lake," "Jerry Springer Show," "Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe," "Unsolved Mysteries," "Politically Incorrect," "20/20," A&E's "The Unexplained," "48 Hours," and "Exploring the Unknown," in addition to several documentaries on the Discovery Channel (such as "The Science of Magic," "America's Haunted Houses," and the "Science Mysteries" series), History Channel, National Geographic Channel, and many others.
Nickell has been profiled in the New Yorker and on the Today show.
Personal
Nickell learned in 2003 that he had a daughter, Cherie, he had not known about, as well as grandsons Chase and Tyner. (He subsequently gained a granddaughter, Alexis Jo.) Nickell reconnected with Cherie’s mother, Diana Gawen Harris, Nickell’s college sweetheart, and they (both with failed marriages) wed on April Fool’s Day 2006. (On learning that Diana was a member of the Baha’i faith, famed magician James Randi quipped to Nickell, “Oh, a Baha’i and a Below!”).
(See Nickell's website: http://www.joenickell.com)
(See entry for Spontaneous Human Combustion.)
{WAS, e-mail 30 November 2009 and 9 December 2009}
