Topic: Teleautomaton

The dialogue focuses on the influence of Sir William Crooks, a mentor to Tesla and president of the Society for Psychical Research, who attempted to use science to validate spiritualism and necromancy. Ehret describes Tesla’s "teleautomaton" demonstrations as a "PT Barnum skit" involving hidden assistants rather than telepathic machine control. This is presented as evidence of an attempt to infuse science with occultism to lead the public into mystical narratives.