Do scientists accept the study of parapsychology; do you think you can learn from today's unexplained?

Question

I understand the frustration that this category is lumped in with Science and Mathematics by yahoo.

But surely science is evolving; parapsychologists look for a scientific explanation.

Or is science so closed minded it will not move forward or refuse to investigate what is not understood?

Answer 1

Parapsychologists look for a scientific explanation?

No, I disagree with that statement. From my reading and experience, parapsychologists look for a sciencey-sounding explanation. There's a big difference. I've never read any explanation from a paranormal enthusiast that tried to explain supposedly ghostly phenomena based directly on established scientific theory, which is the way that actual scientific investigation proceeds. Instead, all sorts of unsubstantiated inventions (or in science terms, untestable hypotheses) are introduced to arrive at a convoluted paranormal conclusion, such as spirits, astral planes, different universes, auras and the like, none of which have any scientific basis. Sometimes familiar, valid scientific theories like electromagnetism or quantum mechanics are exploited, warped and twisted into a makeshift paranormal "theory", and some paranormal enthusiasts get really sciencey-sounding with talk of energies and vibrational frequencies. That's when it gets really laughable and ridiculous.

Science is not a person that it can be "close-minded". Open-mindedness or closed-mindedness is on the part of the individual scientist. Science is, in fact, focused precisely on "investigating what is not understood". That is what science is all about. But science is a systematic procedure whereby the unexplained is investigated by the formation of testable hypotheses built from already well-established theories.

If something flies off a shelf, a scientific investigation is not automatically going to jump to "a ghost did it!" simply if a ready explanation is not immediately found. The scientific conclusion would be "something as yet unexplained did it". The ghost hypothesis would be an untestable hypothesis, a decidedly unscientific notion. Science doesn't work that way, folks. Just because something is unexplained isn't an excuse to jump to all sorts of fanciful conclusions about what could be causing it. That's not science, but unfortunately it seems to be all too common among those enamored with the paranormal.

As a skeptic and a scientist I would love to see real scientific investigations done for supposedly paranormal phenomena. However, from my experience such investigations are very limited since most (if not all) supposedly paranormal events are quite easily explained by natural mechanisms, illusions or deceptions and there is very little evidence to the contrary. And as I say above, an unexplained event does not equate to "ghost did it" at least in the realm of scientific investigation.

Answer 2

What is the unexplained these scientists refuse to investigate?If it's ghosts,UFOs psychics etc.Much of it has been explained.Some people refuse to accept the explanations.They want the explanation to be supernatural.No others will be accepted.

Answer 3

There  has been no evidence put forward to confirm that parasycology really works or is a reallity. so no scientists like myself will ever endorse anything that is not proven. It`s like diying men turning to faith after dening it all their lives. It is clutching at straws, a belief.

Answer 4

Have you read the book entitled- Mindpower by Nona Coxhead?It is a Penguin publication, first published in1976. US publisher-Penguin  Books 625 Madison Ave,NY, Ny10022.U.S.A.   Book covers a lot of research on Para-Normal. Stanford University undertook many experiments in this field.Yahoo have now put this under Parapsychology where it should be.Big problem with Scientists. They like to be right. If they can't explain it, they are inclined to disbelieve. Bit like Heaven. If you can't see it,is it really there?

Answer 5

Such subjects are often dismissed out of hand as unscientific nonsense, not because they have been studied but because they threaten to violate the accepted canons of scientific rationalism;and if the evidence shows that many scientists are unwilling to be persuaded by experimental evidence, then how are new discoveries ever accepted by science? Nobel prize winner and physicist Max Planck, who said, 'A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.';The 'alternative' refers not to some new kind of science, hitherto undiscovered: it refers to a scientific attitude that is the opposite of closed: an approach that is willing to confront anomalous and disturbing data, even when that evidence is deeply traumatic to our settled world view.

"If you go back to Galileo, they were going to put him to death for not saying the earth was the centre of the universe " Some areas of scientific research are so sensitive and so jealously guarded by conventional science that anyone who dares to dabble in them -- or even  to debate them in public -- is likely to bring down condemnation from the scientific establishment on their head, and risk being derided, ridiculed or even called insane.(Darwinism,Remote Viewing ,

Ether Drift,parapsychology,Cold Fusion,;[to name a few}These fields of research are effectively forbidden to professional researchers and the media, no-go areas whose only inhabitants  are 'crackpots' and fools.)Pseudoscience is a term often used by those describing themselves as skeptics and attacking those who investigate new and anomalous phenomena.There is no more honourable word in the scientific lexicon that that of 'skeptic' -- one who sincerely seeks after truth and who has the courage to rebut scientific myths and false beliefs with empirical data and sound logic.

but 'skeptic' has come to mean something else. It has come to mean the adoption of an attitude of scorn and derision towards any kind of anomalous data that contradicts current scientific beliefs, and the adoption of an air of condescension and superiority towards those who venture to investigate or write about anomalous phenomena."Science does not need vigilantes to guard its gates. Science has been successful because good science drives out bad and because an ounce of experiment is worth any amount of scientific authority."

Answer 6

No... LOL, Unless you're gullible of course. I believe either Star or National Inquirer have a standing reward of at least $1,000,000.00 to ANYONE who can provide any proff of paranormal activity. I believe noone has yet collected.

Answer 7

Absolutely not and please don't throw that "close minded" garbage, I hear it from the "Intelligent" design lot already. If you're field has no basis in fact and reason and cannot produce any verifiable results and/or predictions then it is not science. Just because something seems "unexplained" does not imply the need to replace proper science. Enjoy your beliefs and games but please don't tarnish the good name of science and reason.

Answer 8

Highly educated people, especially science & physics have a hard time accepting things that they don't understand or can't calculate using known formulas. It takes a paradigm shift or the complete alteration of current thinking to move beyond this one simple fact.

Answer 9

Parapsychology is one of the most controversial of sciences, and the least understood. Scientists have seen proof that such things can exist, but the /how/ is a different matter. And since Religion dismisses it as evil, it's basically Taboo in society.

That said, we should look for an explanation! h**l, I don't blame skeptics for not believing that we can utilise kinetic energies to influence the world around us. That does admittedly sound pretty crazy, doesn't it?

If someone thought me crazy for believing in Parapsychology and psionics, then I don't blame them. Were I them, I'd probably think the same thing.

BUT! We live in a great age, don't we? An age of tolerance and many great advances? I say we should study this phenomenon. If it is concluded that we can preform such feats, then wouldn't it make humanity all the more interesting? And if not, then I'm just another fool :)

Science is about knowledge, and learning. To dismiss something simply because we can't get our head around it, is very childish and ignorant. And as a friend of mine once said, "If ignorance is bliss, then wipe the smile off my face".

Answer 10

Some scientists are very happy to accept the field of parpsychology, but there are a number of issues to contend with....

.. a "lunatic fringe" exists which claims to employ scientific method but which, in reality, fills in too many blanks with supposition and giant leaps of imagination.. these people and organisations tend to appear regularly in the media.

Many people who believe in the paranormal, are not particularly interested in scientific method and will believe whatever they feel makes sense - without regard to hard evidence.

Much of that which is studied by parapsychologists has a rational explanation but is ignored by the media and "believers" .

This all adds up to a perfect recipe for hard-line scepticism within the scientific community, however, it is clear that there are many phenomena which we cannot explain.. only by exploring these phenomena, can we hope to move forward.

Answer 11

You can't group all scientist together.Some scientist accept the study of parapsychology and others do not. However, parapsychology does have an official recognition in the

Parapsychological Association  http://www.parapsych.org/ which has been a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science since 1969.

Please be aware there are skeptical members of the Parapsychological Association like Ray Hyman who helped critique and establish better controls for the Ganzfeld experiments. While he does not accept ESP he does accept results are not due to experimental errors or bad statistics he simple acknowledges results above chance that can't as of yet be explained. He has training and education in both experimental protocols and statistics so he is considered a reputable skeptic in the field of parapsychology (Randi for instance is not).

Please keep in mind that "fringe scientist" were once ex-communicated and some executed for such radical beliefs as the world being round not flat and the earth revolving around the sun rather than earth being the center of the universe.

Michael John Weaver, M.S.

Answer 12

Parapsychology isn't widely accepted by many scientist because it requires an element of faith that is often absent (and rightfully so) in science -- I really want actual data and experiments to back a new medical procedure - not just a belief that it is true and right.  Now does that mean that all scientist disbelieve in the paranormal and want to debunk it -- no, of course not.  It is similar to religious beliefs with respect to science -- many scientist are religious and believe in creation.  It depends on the individual and their life experiences....

Answer 13

It is irresponsible to assume the existence of something that is not scientifically testable.

Show me one research paper in a reputable scientific journal that supports anything about the paranormal.

Please do not feed anyone the 'closed-minded' assertion.  We already know - it's been tested and observed - that parapsychology is not science.

Answer 14

The purpose of science is to discover and describe the world that we live in.  Scientists are always looking for answers to help explain what they do not already know.  A good scientist will accept their observations and results whether or not they support their hypothesis.

Scientists will dismiss a statement like "and then a miracle occurs" because it is non-specific and not supported by experimentation.  For this same reason, many scientists will not accept explanations based on what they consider untestable assumptions.  Many scientists believe that parapsychology falls into this category.

Nonetheless, Parasychology *is* a science, and it is studied by researchers using the scientific method.  Like other scientists, parapsychologists look for new and interesting ways to learn about the subject.  They generate a hypothesis, propose a well designed test, experiment, record results, analyze the results using statistical methods, and present their conclusions.  Most of the of the results do not support the existence of non-physical forces, but some experiments record statistically significant results in support of the existence of non-physical forces.

The science of parapsychology is still in its infancy.  Parapsychologists have just recently gathered enough data through legitimate scientific methods that they are able to prove that non-physical events are occuring.  There are researchers who are now trying to explore the topic with an eye toward explaining "how".

Many scientists will remain skeptical until they can see the results for themselves, but eventually, psychology and physics will incorporate what is now being called parapsychology or metaphysics.  

We are still in the "the world is flat" stage for acceptance of the results of parapsychological experimentation.  The true research will be separated from the pretender psychics, mind-readers, and magicians who claim to be studying parapsychology, and, at that point, more scientists will accept the research and recognize the facts.