Scott Lilienfeld Obituary

Scott Lilienfeld, a professor of psychology at Emory University, died Sept. 30, 2020. He was 59.

From taking on ghost chasers to beliefs that swimming with dolphins provides psychological therapy, Lilienfeld, the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology at Emory University, spent much of his career extricating research- and data-driven facts from junk thought.

He was a meticulous master debunker, publishing more than 350 journal articles while also writing and editing textbooks and books - many aimed at broad audiences. Like his idol, the late astronomer Carl Sagan, who taught at Cornell University where Lilienfeld studied, Lilienfeld worked to bring together academic and lay communities.

""Scott didn't suffer fools gladly,"" said Lori Marino, his first wife and a neuroscientist living in southern Utah. ""But he didn't demean people. He was challenging long-held beliefs and he was sensitive to the fact this could frighten people, and when they get scared it weakens their intellectual defenses.""

Read more about Scott Lilienfeld on ajc.com

Published by Atlanta Journal-Constitution from Oct. 5 to Oct. 19, 2020.

Memories and Condolences
for Scott Lilienfeld

2 Entries

October 12, 2020

I would like to extend my deepest sympathy in behalf of the Lilienfeld family. Sorry for your loss. May the peace of God comfort you through this difficult time.

Henry Goetze

October 12, 2020

Whenever I saw an article authored by Dr. Lilienfeld, I was sure to read it. He had a way of demystifying the science of psychology, and was a straight shooter!

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