Over the past 60 yrs, the mystique of the polygraph, or lie detector machine, has caused far too many people to be hoodwinked into blind acceptance of this device. Foisted on the public by its developers and their disciples as an infallible arbiter of truth, these machines are cloaked in a mantle of pseudo-science. However, the true scientific evidence regarding these machines indicates that they are about as accurate as tossing coins. Despite being called "twentieth-century witchcraft" by the late Senator Sam Ervin, our government and press still continue to believe in the lie detector. David Lykken explains the great failings of these infernal engines, and why our press and government continue to believe in them.

People tend to be dogmatic towards a single mindset and that their opinions are indeed fact. Because there are times when truth is not known, people will disagree on what truth is involved in such situations.