Excerpts from " Occult ABC "

2019

Assuming that a certain scientific psychological paradigm had been established – parapsychology is clearly the anomaly to that. In fact, it represents an exception to any western scientific paradigm. That is also the way the field defines itself: “[…] parapsychology here is defined as the study of experiences having the appearance of being in principle outside the realm of human capabilities as conceived by conventional scientists” (Irwin, 1989, p.3). This negativist view (i.e. every phenomena else than the ones that are explainable by ordinary science) lies at the heart the fields’ identity problem; which kind of questions are to be studied by parapsychologists? Qualitative research constitutes a major part of the field (e.g. Saltmarsh, 1934; Sidgewick, Johnson, Myers, Podmore & Sidgewick, 1894). These are, amongst others, (collections of) case-studies of people reporting situations which seem to be impossible by normal conception (e.g. the occurrence of a poltergeist). Another part of the field is concerned with the investigation of the authenticity of a paranormal occurrence. For example, the study of stage magic can inform the field of the way fraudulent mechanisms may operate. That hints at the importance to distinguish between a parapsychological experience and a paranormal process. The former relates to the individual phenomenology, whereas the latter refers to the underlying (possibly meta-) physical explanation of the appearance (Irwin, 1989, p. 2). The field is split on a continuum with believers in and sceptics of psi on both ends. Psi is thought to be the unknown factor which enables paranormal phenomena to arise. A last important field of research in parapsychology is the process-oriented study. It is here that the scientific method is applied and experiments are designed in order to identify the causal mechanisms of how paranormal phenomena come about. Three major domains evolved over the past decades in parapsychological research: The study of extrasensory perception (ESP), psychokinesis (PK) and the survival hypothesis. The survival hypothesis states that some element of the human existence may survive biological death (Irwin, 1989, p. 8) and had an especially big impact in the beginning of parapsychological research. Nowadays, research in this area focuses for example on out-of-body experiences. However, this essay shall be concerned with the other two domains (i.e. ESP and PK) and their experimental investigation. ESP refers to the perception of information by means other than the five ordinary senses whereas “[…] any direct mental influence upon the structure of a physical system, whether observable or not PARAPSYCHOLOGY’S SCIENCE HACKS 3 observable movement occurs” (Irwin, 1989, p.120) is regarded as PK. The current essay is concerned with the process-oriented scientific study of parapsychology (mainly PK and ESP) and attempts to identify I. Hacking’s engines of discovery (2007). Hacking originally intended to elaborate on the question of how making up people happens in the field of psychology when he discovered the engines of discovery. The quintet of (a) classification (i.e. psi-phenomena), (b) class-members (i.e. psychics), (c) institutions (e.g. Parapsychological Association, etc.), (d) knowledge (e.g. published in the Journal of Parapsychology), and (e) expert knowers (i.e. parapsychologists) fuel the engines. The quest of this paper is to further elucidate the question of how making up psi may happen in the field of experimental parapsychology. A rather thin and reverential historical approach is taken.

Brill Handbook of Religion and the Authority of Science (eds. Olav Hammer and James R. Lewis), 2010

discuss a central dilemma of research into the paranormal. This article started life as a review of Test Your Psychic Powers by Susan Blackmore and Adam Hart-Davis (1995). The author of the review, Andrew Colman, felt that one of the issues he wished to raise was not only controversial but also of sufficient importance and general interest to warrant an open discussion incorporating more than one opinion, so he approached the editor of The Psychologist with the suggestion of an article-length propaedeutic exchange of views, along the lines of Bronfenbrenner, Kessel, Kessen, and White (1986), in which the fundamental issue could be aired and discussed among several psychologists with an interest in parapsychology. The editor agreed to the suggestion, and this article is the result.

Endeavour, 2009

Journal of Nonlocality, 2013

A short overview is made of the attempts to relate the experimenter effect to the conventional theory of social interactive influence. There is however much neglected evidence to suggest it is more than this. The author's own involvement in psi-conducive and psi-mediated experimenter effects is presented. Some of the most striking results in this respect came with the Ganzfeld series of experiments. Examples of psychic experiences in the lives of successful experimenters are given.

During the early twentieth century the Munich-based psychiatrist Albert von Schrenck-Notzing constructed a parapsychological laboratory in his Karolinenplatz home. Furnished with a range of apparatus derived from the physical and behavioural sciences, the Baron's intention was to mimic both the outward form and disciplinary trajectory of contemporary experimental psychology, thereby legitimating the nascent field of parapsychology. Experimentation with mediums, those labile subjects who produced ectoplasm, materialisation and telekinesis, however, necessitated not only the inclusion of a range of spiritualist props, but the lackadaisical application of those checks and controls intended to prevent simulation and fraud. Thus Schrenck-Notzing's parapsychological laboratory with its stereoscopic cameras, galvanometers and medium cabinets was a strange coalescence of both the séance room and the lab, a hybrid space that was symbolic of the irresolvable epistemological and methodological problems at the heart of this aspiring science.

This paper presents brief information about the existence and orientation of selected journals that have published articles on psychic phenomena. Some journals emphasize particular theoretical ideas, or methodological approaches. Examples include the Journal du magnétisme and Zoist, in which animal magnetism was

In 2014, Harvey Irwin published the results of an online survey of members of the Parapsychological Association concerning the views of parapsychologists about paranormal phenomena and parapsychological research. The current study is a conceptual replication with a German version of the questionnaire that was partly adapted to the special demands of two particular survey groups: members of the wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Parapsychologie (WGFP) [Scientific Society for the Advancement of Parapsychology] and the Gesellschaft für Anomalistik (GfA) [Society for Anomalistics]. A total of 25 WGFP members and 57 GfA members took part in the survey. The results were compared between the groups as well as with the data of the survey conducted by Irwin. Despite many parallels, some remarkable differences were found. In general, it became apparent that parapsychologists and individuals interested in anomalistics do not form a homogeneous group with regard to their assessment of the evidence and their opinions on research-specific issues. Thus, they are not credulous ‘sheep’ who adopt, without thinking, every paranormal claim or piece of ‘evidence’, but rather a group of individuals whose assessments often demonstrate a high degree of variance.

European Journal of …, 2006

This paper presents brief information about the existence and orientation of selected journals that have published articles on psychic phenomena. Some journals emphasize particular theoretical ideas, or methodological approaches. Examples include the Journal du magnétisme and Zoist, in which animal magnetism was discussed, and the Revue Spirite, and Luce e Ombra, which focused on discarnate agency. Nineteenth-century journals such as the Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research and the Annales des Sciences Psychiques emphasized both methodology and the careful accumulation of data. Some publications, such as the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research and the Dutch Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie, were influenced by the agenda of a single individual. Other journals represented particular approaches or points of view, such as those of spiritualism (Luce e Ombra and Psychic Science), experimental parapsychology (Journal of Parapsychology), or skepticism (Skeptical Inquirer). An awareness of the differing characteristics of these publications illustrates aspects of the development of parapsychology as a discipline.

Southern Journal of Philosophy, 1975

The Occult World, 2014

Handbook chapter on the Society for Psychical Research, appearing in Christopher Partridge (ed.), The Occult World (Routledge, 2014).

International Journal of Social Impact , 2020

Parapsychology studies the paranormal events and research is going on from over a century, which is compiled in vast research literature. Most of the research is confined to prove that the events reported are real and are not fruits of imagination / trickery. Laboratory experiments (Rhine / Ganzfeld experiments) are, all, being done to prove that some people are gifted with paranormal capability. Meta-analysis and surveys are also done to bring credibility to Parapsychology. As per me, probably, so far, the line of research for proving existence of paranormal events was necessary because of stiff opposition from some thinkers and skeptics who brushed these aside as mere nonsense , their belief further aggravated due to several frauds which were proved in this field. However causal research in the field appears to be rare-I could come across only very few which dealt on causal aspects of parapsychological research. May be, now, time has come that we move towards causal paranormal research in a deterministic way. This paper is dedicated to researchers with an appeal to researching fraternity to consider moving towards causal parapsychological research. In a humble feeble way, some suggestions have been made to outline an approach. Paranormal events are the ones which defy logic and cannot be explained by our known five senses-hearing, seeing, smelling, touching, and tasting. Telepathy, Clairvoyance, Precognition, Psychokinesis and Life after Death are such events which are so bizarre and intriguing that mankind is simply baffled to observe these. The term "psi" is often taken to notify these paranormal events. Term psi is derived from 23 rd letter of Greek alphabet and the first letter of word Psyche. Study of psi forms the subject, "Parapsychology", which studies the paranormal (psi) events.