tried many years ago to discuss this work had never heard of it. And the dean of

a major medical school actually asked me, several years ago, if any of Pavlov’s

experiments were “repeatable” in experiments of other researchers. Obviously,

Pavlov is now a sort of forgotten hero in medical science.

 

I first found a description of Pavlov’s last work in a popular paperback,

written by some Rockefeller-financed psychiatrist, when I was trying to figure

out (1) how cults worked their horrible mischief and (2) what should the law say

about what parents could do to “deprogram” children who had become brainwashed

zombies. Naturally, main- stream law objected to the zombies being physically

captured by their parents and next subjected to stress that would help to

deprogram the effects of the stress they had endured in cult conversions.

 

I never wanted to get into the legal controversy that existed about this

subject. But I did conclude that the controversy couldn’t be handled with

maximized rationality without considering whether, as Pavlov’s last work

suggests, the heavy-handed imposition of stress might be the only reversal

method that would work to remedy one of the worst evils imaginable: a stolen

mind. I have included this discussion of Pavlov (1) partly out of general

antagonism toward taboos, (2) partly to make my talk reasonably complete as it

considers stress and (3) partly because I hope some listener may continue my

inquiry with more success.

 

Eighteen: Availability-Misweighing Tendency