The Monkey and the Tetrahedron: Compelling Connections Between Mars, the UFO Dilemma and the Future of the Human Race [Paperback]

I'm not holding that against this book, since the author, in his introduction, does not claim to be more than an investigative writer who's giving a best-of of controversial science, and what sense he makes of it.

With that limitation in mind, this is a five-star book that I can recommened to any novice who is interested in getting a comprehensive overview of the vast field of controversial science before studying some of the source material in detail. Jinks has woven a lucid narrative that should convince anyone but the most hardened "sceptic" that mainstream science is in a state of deep crisis. The very sciencists who pride themselves on being close to a "theory of everything" remain profoundly ignorant of whole realms of nature, disparaging investigation of "anomalous" phenomena as unscientific and outright foolish. In doing so, they perpetuate the "sceptical" myth that certain subject areas - such as the ones covered by this book - are *inherently* unscientific, and that established theories always override actual evidence.

As Dan Drasin put it, "faced with provocative evidence of things undreamed of in their materialist philosophy, many otherwise mature scientists revert to a kind of skeptical infantilism characterized by blind faith in the absoluteness of the familiar". Jinks gives abundant examples of this sad state of affairs, from NASA's denial of solid research that indicates that some of the Cydonia objects are artificial, to the distortions and outright propaganda produced by the Leader of the Holy Inquisistion of Scientific Orthodoxy, the late Carl Sagan.

Jinks makes a good case that some of the knowledge currently suppresed by the scientific establishment, zero point energy in particular, is vital to the continued survival of the human race. He shows that humanity stands at a historical crossroads; one path leading to a virtual paradise on Earth thanks to the miracle of unlimited vacuum energy, the other to self-anihilation.

Don't misunderstand: "The Monkey and the Tetrahedron" is a decidedly speculative book. But Jinks, unlike many authors who attempt rational narratives on similar subject matter, keeps his discussion refreshingly free from intellectual dishonesty. As such, it has the potential of gaining a readership even among our self-proclaimed skeptical elite (though, in all seriousness, I don't see CSICOP offering Jinks any endorsements).

Ambitious and well-wrought, Jinks' book, a kind of "unified theory of the strange," inspires and is occasionally transformative. Just when I thought I was familiar with just about every perspective on fringe and paranormal phenomena, "The Monkey and the Tetrahedron" arrives, bristling with intelligence, honesty and--above all--wonderful new ideas we'll have to wrestle with in on way or another as we step forward into the 21st century. Superb!