Why this blog? Everyone knows that just because something is posted on the Internet, that does not make it true. For example, there are several prominent Web sites that claim astronaut Neil Armstrong never landed on the moon. Similarly, there are sites claiming that the TM technique produces harmful results or that it is a religious practice or a cult.
Sites making unfounded assertions can gain prominence on the Internet because search engines collect information based on keywords and “relevant” content, not on accuracy. It’s not surprising, then, that search engines would yield a handful of disingenuous "anti-TM" sites posing as “objective” or “skeptical,” which, in fact, present untruths or misinformation about the TM program. (The same is often true for “Wikipedia,” which is an amalgam of shifting information assembled by a rotating group of “volunteer editors”—whether or not these editors or their sources have any expertise on a given subject.)
The blog is called "Skeptics On TM" because it presents the most common objections to the TM program raised by skeptics, but unlike the existing "skeptical" resources, here we present both sides: scientists, medical doctors, psychologists and scholars respond to the standard criticisms.
The blog is independent because it is personally maintained by individuals. Also, unlike some so-called "critical" Internet resources on the TM program, this blog is not driven by the extreme bias and negativity that typifies the "anti-meditation" mindset.
The blog is non-official because it is not affiliated with or overseen by any organization.
For the official Transcendental Meditation program websites, please visit www.TM.org or see the resources link on our home page.
Submissions, comments, questions and contrasting viewpoints are invited. ENJOY!
Site editor: Tom McKinley Ball
Skeptics on TM Advisory Board:
Jonathan Shear, PhD: Founding editor of the Journal of Consciousness Studies, and Affiliated Associate Professor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University
Peter Scharf, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Sanskrit, Department of Classics, Brown University
David Haight, PhD: Professor of Philosophy; Chairman, Dept. of Philosophy, Plymouth State UniversitySkeptics on TM Advisory Board:
Jonathan Shear, PhD: Founding editor of the Journal of Consciousness Studies, and Affiliated Associate Professor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University
Peter Scharf, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Sanskrit, Department of Classics, Brown University
Patrick Pomfrey, PsyD: Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Asheville, NC
Bridget Harwell, PhD: Clinical Psychologist, Cleveland, Ohio
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