{"id":1683,"date":"2024-07-03T13:38:21","date_gmt":"2024-07-03T20:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/?p=1683"},"modified":"2024-07-03T13:38:21","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T20:38:21","slug":"the-e-meter-scientologys-answer-to-the-magic-8-ball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/2024\/07\/03\/the-e-meter-scientologys-answer-to-the-magic-8-ball\/","title":{"rendered":"The E-Meter \u2026 Scientology\u2019s answer to the \u201cMagic 8-Ball.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\r\n
\r\n <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Imagine if we were to merge the technology of the Scientology E-Meter with the random decision-making ability of the Magic 8 Ball, the device would be a fortune-telling gadget like no other.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n

\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\n

When we think of technology, one of the latest topics of conversation is in the fast-evolving field of artificial intelligence.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A company at the forefront of this space is OpenAI<\/strong><\/a>, a machine learning, and artificial intelligence research laboratory, co-founded by Elon Musk and others in 2015. In 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), a natural language processing tool that can offer detailed responses and articulate answers across many domains of knowledge \u2026\u00a0a \u201cFortune-Telling Machine on steroids, if you will.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

In a news comment of remarkable irony (considering the subject matter of this blog post), Sophie Hackford, a technology advisor to equipment maker John Deere told CNBC on the subject of ChatGPT, \u201cWe have got to be very careful that we don\u2019t create a world where humans are somehow subservient to a greater machine future.<\/strong><\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\r\n
\r\n <\/p>\n

Take that for what it\u2019s worth my Scientologist friends.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div><\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to experiment on your own, you can access ChatGPT simply by visiting the OpenAI website<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and creating an account.\u00a0DISCLAIMER: You must prepare yourself for hours of entertainment. You have been warned.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking of entertainment, I asked ChatGPT to help me with this blog post, offering the following prompt:\u00a0Imagine a fictional scenario whereby we could merge the electronic technology of the Scientology E-Meter with the decision-making ability of the Magic 8 Ball into a single apparatus. Describe the new gadget as a modern fortune-telling device.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

ChatGPT:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>The new gadget would be a modern fortune-telling device that combines the electronic technology of the Scientology E-Meter with the decision-making ability of the Magic 8 Ball. It would be called the\u00a0\u201cE-Meter 8 Ball\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0would revolutionize the world of divination.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The device would look like a typical Magic 8 Ball, with a black sphere and white letters. However, it would have an electronic interface on the bottom that would connect to the user\u2019s fingertips. The user would hold the device in one hand and place their other hand on the interface, which would measure their galvanic skin response and transmit it to the device\u2019s microprocessor.<\/em><\/p>\n

The\u00a0E-Meter 8 Ball<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0would work by combining the user\u2019s physical and mental state with the mystical powers of the Magic 8 Ball. The user would ask a question, and the device would use the E-Meter technology to measure their emotional and mental state, as well as any subconscious signals that they may be giving off.<\/em><\/p>\n

Once the device has gathered this information, it would use its decision-making algorithm to provide an answer. The answer would be displayed on the Magic 8 Ball\u2019s white letters, and it would also be accompanied by a tone or vibration that would indicate the device\u2019s confidence in its answer.<\/em><\/p>\n

The E-Meter 8 Ball would be marketed as a modern, high-tech fortune-telling device that\u00a0combines the best of science and mysticism<\/span>.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>It would appeal to people who are interested in both new technology and ancient divination practices, and\u00a0it would be a popular item among spiritual seekers, New Age enthusiasts, and tech enthusiasts alike.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I don\u2019t know about you,
\nbut I certainly enjoyed that!<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The original Magic 8 Ball didn\u2019t have much \u201ctechnology\u201d going for it. Well, let\u2019s be honest \u2026 there was no \u201ctechnology\u201d whatsoever in the oversized black billiard ball.\u00a0But who needs \u201cTech\u201d when you\u2019ve got \u201cmagic?\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A well-sourced history of the Magic 8 Ball at\u00a0Mental Floss<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is definitely worth a look, but the most interesting chapter of its development took place right when the idea was born in the mind of Albert Carter, assisted by his cousin Abe Bookman. Carter\u2019s mother was a self-avowed \u201cprofessional\u201d clairvoyant and there was always a mystical aura that surrounded his childhood. Taking a cue from one of Mom\u2019s \u201cspirit writing devices,\u201d Albert came up with his own version \u2026 he called it\u00a0<\/span>\u201cSyco-Seer: The Miracle Home Fortune-Teller.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>It wasn\u2019t the planetary sphere that would become the Magic 8 Ball, and its early prototypes were complete failures,\u00a0but the magic would come.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

\"\"As the design evolved it eventually became a ball and was noticed in 1950 by Chicago\u2019s Brunswick Billiards who commissioned the new shape as a promotional giveaway. The toy would eventually be named by Time Magazine as one of the \u201cALL-TIME Greatest Toys,\u201d among those going back to 1923.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

The Wikipedia page for the Magic 8 Ball<\/strong><\/a>, like most of its other entries, includes a\u00a0\u201cSee also\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>listing with links to other pages directly related. Magic 8 Ball is in the same league with\u00a0Divination, Fortune Teller Machines, Ka-Bala, and Ouija<\/em>\u00a0\u2026 and with approved editing privileges, we ought to throw in\u00a0Retrocognition<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0as<\/strong>\u00a0the perfect segue into how the Scientology E-Meter and the Magic 8 Ball are uniquely connected.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

And \u201cYes, Virginia, there IS a relationship\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\ud83c\udfb1\u00a0\u2026 stick with me.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The E-Meter is essential to the practice of Scientology and is an indispensable feature in the auditing process. It\u2019s\u00a0mind-boggling<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0to think that without this off-brand \u201clie detector,\u201d as it is often called,\u00a0there would be no Scientology.<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>If you want to kick that \u201cboggle\u201d up a notch, consider that the device was actually \u201cborrowed,\u201d to be polite, by the church\u2019s founder L. Ron Hubbard \u2026 depending on which elusive version of the story you want to follow. There are a variety of interesting sources available if you\u2019d like to go down that rabbit hole \u2026\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>, and\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>. (Note: Hubbard obtained a U.S. patent on the \u201cScientology\u201d version of the device in 1966 \u2026 for what it\u2019s worth).<\/p>\n

Without exception, the best editorial content about the E-Meter is available at Jeffrey Augustine\u2019s\u00a0\u201cScientology Money Project.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Set aside your evening for a deep dive into, \u201cA Brief History of How Scientology\u2019s E-Meter Came Into Existence \u2013 Parts 1-10.<\/strong><\/em><\/a>\u201c<\/p>\n

INTRODUCTION:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>We take a wide systems approach in this series by reviewing the scientific history; academic and clinical sources; intellectual property issues; financial motives; the collapse of Dianetics; esoteric motifs; potential for psychological manipulation; and L. Ron Hubbard\u2019s other varied needs which led him to adopt Volney Mathison\u2019s e-meter and integrate it into Scientology. The story of how the e-meter became a central part of Scientology is more complex than realized. We build upon the work of other writers and add in our own original research and conclusions.<\/em><\/p>\n

FROM PART 2:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Prior to launching his book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health on May 9, 1950, L. Ron Hubbard refined his auditing techniques by experimenting on many people over a period of several years. As mentioned previously, Hubbard\u2019s original Dianetics methodology was based upon his fusion of hypnotism, Freudian psychotherapy, and Sargant\u2019s systematic trauma reduction. While there were other influences, Hubbard\u2019s early writing credits Freud and others, employs hypnosis, and Sargant\u2019s work can easily be inferred.<\/em>\u00a0There was never any psychogalvanometer present in Hubbard\u2019s original system of Dianetics.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Maybe we should just let Mr. Mathison speak for himself \u2026\u00a0January 17, 1963<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Click for larger view.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

US Food and Drug Administration
\n1521 West Pico Blvd.
\nLos Angeles, California<\/p>\n

Dear Sirs:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Some years past, we supplied Hubbard with a small model electrophychometer; but canceled the distributorship because of what I considered to be possible harmful and destructive interpretations of the instrumental registrations of the psychogalvanic reflex when used in Hubbard\u2019s classes and by his students. Hubbard subsequently began producing the spurious imitation of the patented electropsychometer which he called the \u201celectrometer.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I intend to take precautions to make sure that no Mathison electropsychometers are obtained by anyone for the purpose of promulgating or continuing the concepts and methods of Hubbard or his Scientology concern.<\/em><\/p>\n

Very truly yours,<\/em>
\nMATHISON ELECTROPSYCHOMETERS<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Like the ancients who penned the holy Qumran scrolls, the cave-dwelling Scientology scribes, whose only mission in life is to eternally preserve the esoteric recordings and scribblings of L. Ron Hubbard would find new evidence that refutes every detail of Mathison and his fellow detractors \u2026\u00a0but that\u2019s not my problem.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

As for the \u201cHow\u201d of the E-Meter\u2019s functioning, let\u2019s leave that to the expert\u2026<\/p>\n

Ex-Scientologist, Mike Rinder, shares some observations from an electronics expert, Bruce Ploetz, who was also a member of Scientology (25 years) in his blog post from July 3, 2017, \u201cWhat About the E-Meter?<\/strong><\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2026\u00a0many have also averred, just as strongly, that Hubbard was onto something. That they experienced life changing successes using Hubbard\u2019s techniques, especially the simpler early stages. And especially, they shout, what about the E-Meter? Doesn\u2019t the objective use of a measurement tool remove the misty speculations and replace them with tested factual results? Can\u2019t you \u201csee a thought\u201d or measure actual \u201cmental masses\u201d?<\/em><\/p>\n

I am familiar with the argument because only a decade ago I would have made a similar statement.<\/em><\/p>\n

As an electronics technician who started my career in the 70\u2019s, working my way up to engineer, I have some experience in electronics. And as a Scientologist who used the meter for hundreds of hours as an auditor, I have some idea what it is like to use one. And as Director of Research and Design for E-Meters in the Sea Org for three years, and contributor to several E-Meter related patents including the Drills Simulator, I can say that I have studied how it works.<\/em><\/p>\n

The E-Meter shows emotional arousal using physiological phenomena associated with brain activity. It does not show anything useful about the mind or spirit, considered separately from the body. If you are afraid of ghosts, and see one, the meter would show that something had happened that affected you emotionally. It would not prove or disprove that there are ghosts! It can\u2019t.<\/em><\/p>\n

You could argue that the meter is still useful in therapy. Similar instruments are used for bio-feedback and research.<\/em><\/p>\n

But you cannot argue that it gave L Ron Hubbard any useful special knowledge that would justify his claims to have found an empirical path to higher spiritual states. His claims to have discovered past lives and recovered lost knowledge using the E-Meter are similarly bogus.<\/em><\/p>\n

From invented \u201cmemories\u201d, Hubbard constructed supposedly lost knowledge in ever cascading fountains. Somehow he never \u201cremembered\u201d anything useful, like the location of the lost mines of Solomon or how to travel faster than light. But he disseminated speculations about everything from how to wash windows to baby formula to how to cure radiation sickness. It is almost like a religion invented by a hack science fiction and fantasy writer.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Sprinkled in with the false assertions he also used true information. Almost all of the facts he states as his own are derived from other authors without credit. And the information is usually distorted or given false significance.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hubbard built a mighty empire of fantastic assertions<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and claimed that he saw it all in a needle that waves about. Then he called it Sciency or Science-o-logical or something.\u00a0To this day there are those who claim that Hubbard\u2019s revelations do not require belief, that they are scientifically derived.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

But they are not science. They are Scientology.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Our interest in the E-Meter at this point is not its patent ownership, its construction, circuit boards, or even its technological evolution. What we want to understand is why the seekers of the \u201cBridge to Total Freedom\u201d<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0put their unquestioned faith in its use during those\u00a0auditing sessions<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 \u2026\u00a0which the church interestingly describes as \u201ctechnology.<\/strong><\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

There are no variables in the technology of auditing, no random results of haphazard applications. Auditing is not a period of vague free association. Each process is exact in its design and in its application and attains a definite result when correctly ministered. Scientology auditing can bring anyone from a condition of spiritual blindness to the brilliant joy of\u00a0knowing<\/strong><\/span><\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OUR QUESTION FOR THE SCIENTOLOGIST IS
\nPOIGNANTLY ASKED BY BART SIMPSON\u2019S DAD\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
\n