Some people think that some degree of skeptism is always healthy, however, in this case it is outrageous -- Carlos Castenada was on the faculty of a University and was presenting his books, at least the earlier ones, as genuine field research. This would make it a fraud.

Now, ordinarily people can speak their theories and discuss their practices and make their claims, but it is understood to be on the strength of their own experience tempered by what might be an element of self-interest -- we all know of New Age Gurus who exaggerate in order to hype their own product. But a University Researcher and Professor is supposed to be above and beyond all that. That is what Castenada had betrayed. Honestly, the University of California probably should have retaliated with the strongest possible measures. No one should ever get away with such a Crime against Truth.

It reminds me of an incident several hundred years ago when a British Admiral had in good conscience avoided an engagement with an enemy ship that went on to do some significant damage somewhere. The Admiral had thought it was not advisable to pick a fight where the wind, waves and other circumstances made it likely that he would lose. But the Parliament was all against using good sense in such deliberations, and equated caution with cowardice, and they voted to have the Admiral hanged, "as an encouragement to the other Admirals". Well, Carlos should have received also some commensurate punishment as "encouragement to the other professors". Civilization and the University Traditions simply should not tolerate such abuses. We have capital punishment for people for killing only other people, but people die anyway, and other people are born to take their place. But once the University System is not trusted, and people start talking about taking University Papers "with a grain of salt", then how much greater the loss to Civilization then a mere human life. Some crimes are worse than murder, and the punishment they entail should be worse also.