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Parapsychology
This new edition of Parapsychology continues to challenge and provoke readers with some of psychology’s most puzzling phenomena. Whether believers or sceptics, the book provides readers with the opportunity to further their understanding of the paranormal, bridging the gap between traditional psychology and fringe areas.
With contributions from leading paranormal researchers, this edition has been thoroughly updated and includes new chapters on dreams, precognition and prediction of future events and anthropology. The book has been reorganised to help readers frame each phenomenon within the context of cognition, science and religion, and chapters are structured around science and experience, cognition and belief, religious belief and science, and further topics in parapsychology. The book covers a range of topics that can be considered parapsychological; including reincarnation, entity encounters, astrology, mediumship and near-death experiences.
Providing a balanced introduction to parapsychology that explores the strengths and limitations of scientific investigation, this is essential reading for students and professionals in the field, along with anyone interested in learning more about the science of the paranormal.
With contributions from leading paranormal researchers, this edition has been thoroughly updated and includes new chapters on dreams, precognition and prediction of future events and anthropology. The book has been reorganised to help readers frame each phenomenon within the context of cognition, science and religion, and chapters are structured around science and experience, cognition and belief, religious belief and science, and further topics in parapsychology. The book covers a range of topics that can be considered parapsychological; including reincarnation, entity encounters, astrology, mediumship and near-death experiences.
Providing a balanced introduction to parapsychology that explores the strengths and limitations of scientific investigation, this is essential reading for students and professionals in the field, along with anyone interested in learning more about the science of the paranormal.
274 pages, Hardcover
Published June 28, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 3, 2024
pretty darn good. The book provided a balanced perspective that didn’t try to give the reader a sense of certainty or comfort in having the answers. In fact, I felt it to be challenging in a good way. There are some paranormal subjects the book seemed more skeptical about for good reason, and others it was more open to. But generally it was a wild ride of both supporting arguments, arguments against, and arguments that complicate alleged phenomena.. Here is a quote from later in the book that really informs my perspective:
“One's own conviction in the absolute reality of what has been experienced or in what one believes cannot stand as a criterion for truth - compelling though it may on occasion be. This does not mean that such conviction is ignored.
However, the difficulties of interpreting experiential reports - particularly of the kind addressed by the contributors to this book - are compounded by virtue of their being frequently presented in terms of a ready-made interpretation, an explanation of their origins, rather than an account only of the contents (the phenomenology) of the experience. This is a subtle but important point.”
Ron Roberts in ch. 13 “science and experience”
As someone who grew up around charismatics (similar to pentecostals) who make many claims about spiritual phenomena and experiences, I find this insight to put to words an important picture. Much of the time the “ready made explanation” of an experience is the story told about it, including references to scripture or worldview. But this is often extra material to the bare facts of the experience itself. It is how the individual makes sense of it. This isn’t covered in the book, but take for example the “Holy Spirit”. If someone prays for me and I feel a warmth in the area subject to prayer, that is a different phenomenon than the whole ready made and accepted theological explanation of what “Holy Spirit” is and what it does. Thus the experience is up for some interpretation.
While the example quote I shared seemed to confirm to me some of what I was already thinking, in other ways, as someone prone to some degree of skepticism, this book challenged me in a lot of ways. It made me question whether some phenomena often dismissed might have something to it, or if it’s a matter of interpretation. At least some things may never be known or may warrant more research or inquiry.
Lots to consider. The only thing that had me scratching my head is in later chapters an author making reference to the dubious nature of the designation of schizophrenia in general and in the dsm. I don’t quite understand their perspective as someone who has been personally affected by schizophrenia. However, I would definitely recommend this book for interested people who can stand reading textbooks or academic books.
“One's own conviction in the absolute reality of what has been experienced or in what one believes cannot stand as a criterion for truth - compelling though it may on occasion be. This does not mean that such conviction is ignored.
However, the difficulties of interpreting experiential reports - particularly of the kind addressed by the contributors to this book - are compounded by virtue of their being frequently presented in terms of a ready-made interpretation, an explanation of their origins, rather than an account only of the contents (the phenomenology) of the experience. This is a subtle but important point.”
Ron Roberts in ch. 13 “science and experience”
As someone who grew up around charismatics (similar to pentecostals) who make many claims about spiritual phenomena and experiences, I find this insight to put to words an important picture. Much of the time the “ready made explanation” of an experience is the story told about it, including references to scripture or worldview. But this is often extra material to the bare facts of the experience itself. It is how the individual makes sense of it. This isn’t covered in the book, but take for example the “Holy Spirit”. If someone prays for me and I feel a warmth in the area subject to prayer, that is a different phenomenon than the whole ready made and accepted theological explanation of what “Holy Spirit” is and what it does. Thus the experience is up for some interpretation.
While the example quote I shared seemed to confirm to me some of what I was already thinking, in other ways, as someone prone to some degree of skepticism, this book challenged me in a lot of ways. It made me question whether some phenomena often dismissed might have something to it, or if it’s a matter of interpretation. At least some things may never be known or may warrant more research or inquiry.
Lots to consider. The only thing that had me scratching my head is in later chapters an author making reference to the dubious nature of the designation of schizophrenia in general and in the dsm. I don’t quite understand their perspective as someone who has been personally affected by schizophrenia. However, I would definitely recommend this book for interested people who can stand reading textbooks or academic books.
August 4, 2024
In its third edition, Parapsychology: The Science of Unusual Experience offers a comprehensive and scholarly exploration of a field that sits at the intersection of science and the unexplained. Edited by David Groome and Ron Roberts, this volume aims to provide both a historical overview and a contemporary analysis of parapsychological research.
Parapsychology: The Science of Unusual Experience (3rd Edition) stands out as a thorough and updated exploration of a fascinating subject. Edited with care by David Groome and Ron Roberts, it serves as a crucial reference for those interested in the scientific study of extraordinary experiences. While its academic depth may be challenging for some, the book is a significant contribution to the field and a valuable resource for anyone keen on understanding the complexities of parapsychological research.
For those intrigued by the fringes of scientific inquiry and the mysteries of the human mind, this edition offers a compelling and informed perspective on the science of the unusual.
Parapsychology: The Science of Unusual Experience (3rd Edition) stands out as a thorough and updated exploration of a fascinating subject. Edited with care by David Groome and Ron Roberts, it serves as a crucial reference for those interested in the scientific study of extraordinary experiences. While its academic depth may be challenging for some, the book is a significant contribution to the field and a valuable resource for anyone keen on understanding the complexities of parapsychological research.
For those intrigued by the fringes of scientific inquiry and the mysteries of the human mind, this edition offers a compelling and informed perspective on the science of the unusual.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews