David Ray Griffin

David Ray Griffin

David Ray Griffin (born 1939) is a retired professor of philosophy of religion and theology. Along with John B. Cobb, Jr., he founded the Center for Process Studies in 1973, a research center of Claremont School of Theology which seeks to promote the common good by means of the relational approach found in process thought.

More recently, Griffin has published a number of books on the subject of the September 11 attacks. They present a compelling case for the attacks being to outcome of a conspiracy by elements of the United States government.

An article in the Washington Post on 7 September 2006 which focuses on Dr Griffin and his work, is among the more thoughtful examples of how the MSM began to deal with what has become known as "The 911 Truth Movement" once it began to gain real traction.

Criticism

In a web-only article entitled "On Debunking 9/11 Debunking, Examining Dr. David Ray Griffin’s Latest Criticism of the NIST World Trade Center Investigation" Ryan Mackey claims that:

Upon reading Debunking 9/11 Debunking, the author was surprised to learn that nowhere in this book - and, to the best of the author’s knowledge, nowhere in Dr. Griffin’s previous books - does Dr. Griffin articulate his own hypothesis. His entire position can be summarized in two sentences, "9/11 was an inside job" (understood to mean that Dr. Griffin believes that the United States Government was responsible) and "The World Trade Center buildings were destroyed in a controlled demolition."

Dr. Griffin has also clarified that he does not know whether explosives or incendiaries, a combination of the two, or what particular types were used.

Despite Dr. Griffin’s rumination over this theory for nearly five years, personal contact with numerous like-minded thinkers, and an assemblage of facts and arguments that, in his mind, are sufficient to refute the whole of the NIST investigation, there is no additional detail. This hypothesis falls well short of the basic standard of journalism - the six questions of "who, what, where, when, why, and how" - and as such is not a viable alternative to any complete hypothesis, let alone one as meticulously researched as that put forth by NIST.

... The author therefore repeats his challenge to Dr. Griffin to propose a coherent hypothesis. The wait, however, may be a long one, as Dr. Griffin has recently stated in an interview with the Ventura County Reporter that he actually discourages those who would define a working hypothesis:

[Interviewer] Do you have a personal theory of what really happened on Sept. 11?

[Dr. Griffin] No, and I made a big point of not developing such a theory, and even encouraging members of the movement not to do this, because insofar as there are antagonisms and disputes within the movement, they're related primarily to those things, where people say, well, here's what hit the Pentagon, and others say that's not true. [...] There is a sketch of a theory, that it was an inside job, that explosives were used in the buildings. But what kind of explosives exactly? When they were they put in there? How many were there? All those things some people want to get into. Or the critics say, you've got to have a theory. No, you don't have to have a theory. When you develop a theory, that's what the debunkers love, they want to say, that's nonsense and take attention away from all the evidence we have marshalled to show the official story is false.

On the basis of this comment alone, Ryan Mackey believes he can confirm that Dr. Griffin is deliberately and willingly avoiding the Scientific Method, and that he does so because he fears being discredited.

See Also

• Cognitive Infiltration - A review of Dr Griffin's book of the same name.
• David Ray Griffin web site - Run and maintained by Edward Rynearson
• Scholars for 9/11 Truth & Justice - Web Site