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Subject: Co$ & Totalitarianism----Technology 3/5
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Technology

"The E-Meter sees all, knows all. It is never wrong."

-L. Ron Hubbard, Electropsychometric Auditing Operator's Manual, 1953.78

The Hubbard Electro-psychometer, or E-Meter, has become an indispensable
part of Scientology. The E-meter is a device which measures the changes in
electrical conductivity of the skin that occur at moments of even slight
excitement or emotional stress.79 It is  similar to the machine used in
giving lie detector tests. The rather crude device consists of two tin cans
held by the subject or "preclear."80 The cans are attached to an apparatus
with several dials and a small window in which a needle moves, indicating
responses by registering the change in electrical resistance of the
subject's skin. Scientologists claim the E-meter allows people to "see a
thought."81 Originally invented by early Dianetics enthusiast and
chiropractor, Volney Mathison, Hubbard eventually patented the device,
which proved to be quite a profitable venture.82 Every Scientologist wanted
to have his own E-meter and the only place to buy them was from the Hubbard
Association of Scientologists. The little gadget would later prove to be an
essential tool in Scientology
processing.

Scientology processing, or auditing, is a central element of the cult's
practices. Auditing usually involves two people: an auditor and a preclear.
An auditor is someone trained in applying Scientology techniques and has
been through Dianetics processing themselves. The preclear pays to be
guided by the auditor through a series of techniques involving the E-meter,
which are used to uncover areas of mental distress. The auditor asks
questions of the subject, and the movement of the meter's needle is
apparently used as a check of the emotional reaction to the questions.
According to complex rules and procedures set out in Scientology
publications, the auditor can interpret the movements of the needle after
certain prescribed questions are asked. These reactions are then used in
diagnosing the mental and spiritual condition of the subject.83

During the auditing session, only the auditor sees the movements of the
needle. The preclear's role is to answer questions and work to remember
painful experiences that have occurred in the past. Interpreting the
motions of the needle, the auditor then coaxes the subject to view a mental
picture of the supposed event. The idea is that the same E-meter needle
reaction will continue until the person has faced up to whatever is being
repressed. In this way, the E-meter is essentially used to uncover buried
thoughts or experiences on behalf of the subject. The following is a
simplified dialogue showing how the E-meter is typically used in
Scientology processing-Auditor: "Have you ever stolen anything?" Preclear:
"No." Auditor (looking at needle moving): "That reads. What do you consider
this could mean?" Preclear (envisioning a past experience): "I'm not
sure...Oh yeah, I did steal a candy bar when I was eight years old."
Auditor (viewing needle): "That's clear." (moves onto next question).84

Many Scientologists are initially impressed that the auditor can apparently
discover what they are thinking. The E-meter seems like sheer magic in its
ability to dredge up forgotten experiences.85 Some members come to regard
the instrument with a special, almost supernatural awe. Hubbard claimed
that the E-meter was infallible, and as such was an invaluable tool in
providing a scientific basis for the methods prescribed in Dianetics.86 The
machine revealed what was beneath the surface of the human conscious in a
precise and accurate manner, said Hubbard. Above all, he stressed that the
E-meter was scientific proof of the workability of Scientology
processing.87 For Hubbard, the needle's movements reflected a scientific
precision that lent an air of credibility to the movement. The machine was
the final indicator of what was true- it did not lie.

The importance that Scientology places on the E-meter and how this
correlates with the ideology of totalitarianism is the subject of this
section. I argue that Scientology's relation toward its E-meter has come to
epitomize the movement's totalitarian leaning toward technology and
science. Referring to Hannah Arendt's writings, I will discuss how
totalitarian movements use the language of science to propel their
ideology. In addition to this, I will consider Hubbard's emphasis on logic
and axioms, as well as the mechanized processing it entails. A discussion
of the various ways the E-meter is used within Scientology will also be
included.

One of the major things that Hannah Arendt stressed about the nature of
totalitarianism was that once it has come into the world, it will continue
to arise in new ways that we have not considered.88 Arendt was concerned
with the many possible forms in which totalitarianism could disguise
itself. She particularly felt that science and technology were areas where
totalitarian movements would arise in the future. The nature of the
totalitarian guise demands that it be difficult to recognize. In the case
of science and technology, Arendt wrote that totalitarianism is the last
stage in a process where "science has become an idol that will magically
cure the evils of existence and transform the nature of man."89 This faith
in science, which has become a dominant characteristic of American culture
in the twentieth century, is the guise in which Arendt felt totalitarianism
was most likely to emerge.

Totalitarian movements always accentuate the scientific aspects of whatever
they are asserting. As Arendt writes, "the obsession of totalitarian
movements with 'scientific' proofs" is a distinguishing characteristic of
their ideology.90 Scientology has exhibited this trait from the very moment
Hubbard conceived of Dianetics as "The New Science of the Mind."91
Hubbard's initial approach in writing about Dianetics was that of an
engineer seeking practical, scientific solutions to the mysteries of the
human mind. Gone was Hubbard's previously racy science fiction prose; it
was replaced by a sober and logical textbook style.92 The new scientific
thesis rested upon a system of axioms and mechanisms, giving Hubbard the
appearance of a respectable scientist laboring away for years to uncover
the hidden truth within nature. In reality, Hubbard never held a degree in
neither science nor engineering.93 However, this did little to discourage
him from writing in the scientific language he favored, as it served to
make Dianetics seem more credible and thus more persuasive.

This emphasis on the scientific has followed Scientology throughout its
brief history. Hubbard based Scientology on the premise that the human mind
is predictable according to certain axiomatic laws of mechanics. He drew
elaborate maps of how the human mind works, entitling the sketches "Mind
Schematic" and "Analyzer Schematic."94 These maps were the equivalent of
linear computer models, complete with Hubbard's wordy and often
incomprehensible language.95 Having conceived the notion of a mechanized
human mentality, Hubbard then declared that the mind was now subject to a
"science of certainty."96

Hubbard's complicated, mechanical outlines are an excellent example of how
Scientology exploits society's faith in science and technology to establish
a system of unverified scientific proofs as fact. As Arendt notes, every
totalitarian movement "asserts that all happenings are scientifically
predictable according to the laws of nature."97 In the case of Scientology,
Hubbard said that mental behavior was scientifically predictable within the
laws of engineering and physics and could be measured accurately with the
assistance of an E-meter. Thus, utilizing the E-meter as a source of
scientific evidence for its theories, Scientology can continue to spread
the fantasy it is based upon. The result is a movement where "ideological
lies are supposed to be believed like sacred untouchable truths," each
surrounded by a carefully elaborated system of "scientific proofs."98

Another correlation between Scientology's relationship to science and the
totalitarian ideology is the revealing name that Hubbard chose to call his
religion. "Scientology" is derived from the Latin scio (knowing in the
fullest sense) and the Greek logos (study)99. An exact definition of the
word would be "knowing how to know," a phrase which Scientologists always
refer to when discussing the origins of the word.100 Hearing the word
"Scientology," one is reminded of science; that is, science with an -logy
stuck onto the end of it. This combination of word connotations produces a
meaning which seems to be half scientific and half philosophical- in short,
scientific philosophy.101 Interestingly, Hannah Arendt wrote that
ideologies themselves are "known for their scientific character: they
combine the scientific approach with results of philosophical relevance and
pretend to be scientific philosophy." This is exactly what Scientology
does, as its name testifies. Scientology functions as an ideology, for it
orders ideas under the subject matter of a science. Arendt states that the
suffix -logy in ideology, and, I would add, in the word Scientology,
"indicate nothing but the logoi, the scientific statements made on it."102
Such ideological thinking within Scientology is significant because it
characterizes the totalitarian desire to build a fictitious world. The
application of a scientific model functions merely as a justification for
that desire. Hubbard's logical procedures, which are the foundation of
Dianetics and Scientology, begin with an axiomatically accepted premise
which "deduces everything else from it,
proceeding with a consistency that exists nowhere in the realm of
reality."103

Returning to the subject of the E-meter, it is critical to examine the
various ways Scientologists have used this technological apparatus over the
years. In 1959, Hubbard introduced "security checking," known as "sec
checks," whereby Scientologists are interrogated, having to answer long,
prepared lists of questions about their moral transgressions.104 The
E-meter is used as a lie detector throughout these "sessions." Scientology
defends sec checks as a way of handling hidden "overts", i.e., harmful
acts.105 Apparently, one of these "harmful acts" is addressed with the
question "Have you ever had any unkind thoughts about L. Ron Hubbard?"106 A
careful record is kept of all confessions, which has proved to be a highly
effective means of silencing dissidents. Due to strong criticism, the
procedure was later renamed "integrity processing," using the exact same
list of questions as the earlier "security checks."107 Scientology presumes
that any of its members might become a security risk at any time, and the
"accuracy of the E-meter" is used to blackmail those who turn against the
movement.108

Many people also view the E-meter largely as a biofeedback device. In
biofeedback, the subject learns how to control his or her own unconscious
physical responses by manipulating them with conscious mental control.109
These people argue that while the E-meter may help people, there is little
if any real measurement of repressed experiences occurring during auditing.
Instead, subjects experience a heightened self-confidence as they learn how
to pass the E-meter's tests by controlling their own thoughts. The more
familiar a Scientologist becomes with the E-meter, the easier it can be
tricked, much like a lie detector. The biofeedback viewpoint contradicts
Scientology's official position that processing "discharges the harmful
energy connected with the preclear's reactive mind."110 Nonetheless, it is
another way of viewing the E-meter which has gained a following within
factions of dissident Scientologists.

While ways of understanding the E-meter vary, it is crucial to recognize
how the device reflects Scientology's totalitarian attitude toward science
and technology. Scientology insists that the E-meter is the final indicator
of the truth, consistently relying on the "scientific proof" of this
machine to further its ideology. Hubbard's overwhelming vision of
mechanical processing, leading to his "science of certainty," was based on
the notion of a scientifically predictable human mind that obeys axiomatic
laws of logic. In addition to this, Scientology uses the E-meter as a lie
detector, gradually building a state of fear and paranoia for its members.
All the while, the movement continues to rely on a `pseudo-scientific
philosophy that has proven itself to be a defining characteristic of the
totalitarian ideology. It is only when such an ideology aims to obliterate
all opposition, as I will discuss in the following section, that it begins
to reveal the absolute terror that forms the basis of totalitarian
domination.

.....continued.....
Copyright (c) 1999 Laura Kay Fuller