Henry H. Bauer

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For the baseball player, see Hank Bauer.

Henry H. Bauer (born Austria, 1931[1]) is an emeritus professor of chemistry and science studies, and emeritus dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ("Virginia Tech").[2] Bauer earned his Ph.D. in 1956 from the University of Sydney. He became editor in chief of the Journal of Scientific Exploration, a publication devoted to fringe science, after his retirement in 1999. [2] He is an AIDS denialist and a vocal opponent of affirmative action.

Contents

[edit] Research

Dr. Bauer is an AIDS denialist [3] and asserts in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (journal of the conservative Association of American Physicians and Surgeons) that it is not morally reprehensible to doubt the HIV-AIDS link. He claims that there are "substantive grounds for doubting that HIV is the necessary and sufficient cause of AIDS and that antiretroviral treatment is unambiguously beneficial."[4].

In his book, "Beyond Velikovsky: The History of a Public Controversy," Henry Bauer criticizes the research of Immanuel Velikovsky, author of the pseudoscientific and pseudohistoric New York Times bestseller Worlds in Collision (1950). Time magazine refers to Bauer's book as "the definitive treatise debunking Immanuel Velikovsky."[5] Bauer's work on Velikovsky is also cited in a Science (journal) article on Velikovsky[6] and by C. Leroy Ellenberger, editor of Kronos (journal) (a publication founded to explore Velikovsky's work) in another paper on Velikovsky. [7] Bauer's book is praised as "(a) very valuable contribution to the literature on a major controversy" by NASA Institute director Robert Jastrow,[citation needed] and Marcello Truzzi says that "Bauer's remarkable book will be viewed, even by Velikovskians, as a great improvement over previous critical studies."[citation needed]

Bauer maintains a website arguing that there is strong evidence for the Loch Ness Monster that the media refuse to report. [8][5]

Bauer's papers and articles have appeared in the Journal of Scientific Exploration, Skeptical Inquirer, Isis, Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Perspectives on Science and International Journal for Philosophy of Chemistry.

Bauer's "Scientific Literacy and the Myth of the Scientific Method" has been listed on the bibliography for several university courses.[citation needed]

His book "The Enigma of Loch Ness" was reviewed in The University of Chicago's Isis journal. [9]

[edit] Opposition to affirmative action and diversity programs

Bauer says he left the Dean’s office "when political correctness arrived" at Virginia Tech.[2] He joined the anti-affirmative action National Association of Scholars, starting a newsletter for the conservative group's Virginia branch.[10][11] In "The Virginia Scholar," Bauer blames what he views as a decline in academic standards on the implementation of diversity programs, which he characterizes as promoting "feminoid sexists calling men sexist" and "racist black fanatics calling others racist."[10] Bauer also faults students for the perceived decline in standards.[12][13]

Bauer opposed the formation of a police "Sensitive Crime Unit" meant to deal with sexual assault and hate crimes at Virginia Tech, suggesting that these issues were not a sufficiently serious problem on campus to merit special attention and calling the unit a threat to free speech.[14][10] He criticized Virginia Tech’s creation of a new administrative position for multicultural affairs in response to racial incidents at the university in the mid-1990s as a wasteful allocation of resources. Bauer found fault with Virginia Tech’s policy of excusing student absences for attending religious or ethnic observances. As black enrollment at Virginia Tech declined during the 1990s, Bauer stated that the University was already doing too much ("pulling out all the stops") to attract minority students [15] and should instead concentrate on raising academic standards.

[edit] Career

According to Henry Bauer's website,[1] Bauer earned his PhD from the University of Sydney in Australia and was awarded the degree in 1956. He conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Michigan in the USA, returning to a teaching position in Sydney in 1958. Beginning in 1965, Bauer spent another year as a "visiting lecturer and researcher" in Michigan. In 1966, he moved to a faculty position at the University of Kentucky. Interspersed in his time at Kentucky, Bauer also taught at the University of Southampton. In 1978, Bauer became dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Virginia Tech, a position he held until 1986. Bauer was a professor of Science Studies and Chemistry until his retirement in 1999.

Bauer also taught in Japan with a program of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science: in the summer of 1956 at the University of Kyoto and in 1974 at Sophia University and Rikagaku Kenkyusho.

Although trained as a chemist, Bauer's interests shifted in the late 1960s from electrochemistry to fringe science studies, and he began to focus his research on the Loch Ness Monster, Immanuel Velikovsky, and other topics in the 1970s.

[edit] Publications

[edit] Books

  • Bauer HH (2007). The Origin, Persistence and Failings of HIV/AIDS Theory. McFarland ISBN 0-7864-3048-6
  • Bauer HH (2001). Science or Pseudoscience: Magnetic Healing, Psychic Phenomena, and Other Heterodoxies. University of Illinois Press ISBN 0-252-02601-2
  • Bauer HH (2001). Fatal Attractions: The Troubles with Science. Paraview Press ISBN 1-931044-28-7
  • Bauer HH (1992). Scientific Literacy and the Myth of the Scientific Method. University of Illinois Press ISBN 0-252-06436-4
  • Bauer HH (1988). To Rise Above Principle: The Memoirs of an Unreconstructed Dean. University of Illinois Press (under nom-de-plume ‘Josef Martin’) ISBN 0-252-01507-X [16]
  • Bauer HH (1986). Enigma of Loch Ness: Making Sense of a Mystery. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-01284-4
  • Bauer, Henry H. (1984). Beyond Velikovsky: The History of a Public Controversy, Univ. of Illinois Press. ISBN 025201104X

[edit] Papers

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Henry H. Bauer's personal website
  2. ^ a b c Biomedical Seminars: "Truth Stranger Than Fiction: HIV is Not The Cause of AIDS". Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (2007-09-12). Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
  3. ^ Henry Bauer. The whole world "knows" that HIV causes AIDS. But is that compatible with the facts? NO!. Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
  4. ^ See "Questioning HIV/AIDS: Morally Reprehensible or Scientifically Warranted?" on the list of papers
  5. ^ a b Michael D. Lemonick/Gainesville (2005-05-24). Science on the Fringe. Time magazine. Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
  6. ^ John W. Patterson (1985-06-14). "Lessons of a Controversy: Beyond Velikovsky.". Science (journal) 228 (4705): 1304-1305. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). doi:10.1126/science.228.4705.1304-a. 
  7. ^ Leroy Ellenberger (Summer 1986). A lesson from Velikovsky 380-381. Skeptical Inquirer, reprinted from Kronos (journal). Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
  8. ^ Genuine facts about "Nessie", the Loch Ness "monster" (2007-09-07). Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
  9. ^ Ron Westrum (March 1988). "Reviewed work(s): The Enigma of Loch Ness: Making Sense of a Mystery by Henry H. Bauer". Isis 79 (1): 145-146. The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science Society. 
  10. ^ a b c Ian Zack, Associated Press, "Rush Limbaugh has nothing on him Professor's opinions - and he has many - have put him at odds with his bosses at Tech," The Roanoke Times, 16 August 1998.
  11. ^ Back copies of the Virginia Scholar. American Association of University Professors (AAUP). Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  12. ^ Henry H. Bauer (10 September 1996). The New Generations: Students Who Don’t Study, presentation to the conference of the OAOC International in Orlando, Florida. E.J. Ourso College of Bussiness. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  13. ^ John Leo. "Dumbed Down; Amusement culture produces problems in the classroom", US News and World Report, 1996-09-12. 
  14. ^ Ian Zack. "Virginia Tech police start unit for ‘sensitive’ crimes", Washington Times, source Associated Press, 1995-09-08. 
  15. ^ Ian Zack. "Study shows Va. Tech as ivory tower more than ever: Despite recruiting, fewer blacks enroll", The Roanoke Times, source Associated Press, 1999-04-08. 
  16. ^ ED295548 - To Rise above Principle: The Memoirs of an Unreconstructed Dean. Education Resources Information Center ERIC. Retrieved on 2008-06-03.

[edit] External links