Phil 100 the Paranormal by Dr. Gayhart

Our final exam will cover only the Paranormal and all exam questions are taken from the test guide below. 40-50 questions for your Scantron 882 form.

One essay worth 50% of your exam grade. “Tell me what you think about the field of the Paranormal. Did you find any of the material persuasive? What do you believe about life after death?”

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Phil 100 The Paranormal by Dr. Gayhart

From Wikipedia and other sources

The term "paranormal” has existed in the English language since at least 1920 although it is the more common term is recent times. The word consists of two parts: para and normal. In many definitions, “paranormal” is described as anything that is beyond or contrary to what is deemed scientifically possible.[9] The definition implies that the scientific explanation of the world around us is 'normal' and anything that is above, beyond, or contrary to that is 'para'.

Words to Know

·  Telepathy (ability to read another’s thoughts AND to send your thoughts to them without using speech or gestures)

·  Clairvoyance (ability to read another person’s thoughts only. True of Psychics)

·  Pre-cognition –ability to foresee events (future)

·  Retro-cognition – ability to “see” events which happened in the past

·  Extra Sensory Perception (E.S.P)

·  Astrology -- Is it a Pseudoscience????

·  Black Magic – associated with Witchcraft; traditionally it is for Evil purposes

·  Occult – means “hidden”

·  Sorcery – a learned gift rather than an ability based on inborn power; traditionally it is used for Evil ends. (sorry Harry Potter!)

·  Wizardry –ability to control mystical powers but the wizard must use a Scepter (tool)

·  Voodoo – invoking spirits and casting a spell on another person using an object that belongs to the person (e.g. hair, nail clippings, dolls, etc)

·  Psychokinesis (PK)—mind-over-matter; ability to make objects move

·  K-2 Meter (Ghost Hunter favorite: measures fluctuating electromagnetic radiation such as is found in electronic appliances)

·  E.V.P (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) Ghost Hunters Tape Recorder which captures audible sounds)

·  E.M.F (Electromagnetic Field)

·  Spirit Invocation (Conjuring—calling forth the spirits)

·  Necromancy (calling up or “conjuring up” the spirits of the Dead)

·  Divination (any attempt to foretell the future – e.g., Tea Leaf readings; Tarot Cards; Palm Reading –“fortune telling”)

·  Oracle (person who is able to foretell the future in an especially wise and instructive manner)

·  Parapsychology (field that analyzes the paranormal in a “scientific” manner)

·  Pseudoscience (Term used by “real” scientists to mock the paranormal)

·  Poltergeist (“Angry” Spirit; usually of a child)

·  Debunking (attempt to refute or “explain away” an alleged paranormal sighting)

·  Hoax (an outright fraud and deception; e.g. retouched U.F.O photos)

·  Astral Projection (An Out-of-Body experience)

·  Apparition (more exact term for the standard “Ghost”)

o  Residual Apparition (an apparition that continues to manifest the same way at the same time and does not interact with the living)

o  Full body (this is main prize of Ghost Hunters everywhere: to capture on video – the clearer, the better)

·  Orb (a floating speck or particle which some claim is evidence of an apparition)

·  WICCA (name for the movement which is an Earth-based mythology and worships natural forces)

·  Magic (to be one with the gods and spirits; and to even control them; belief and practice that one can bring about changes in awareness)

·  Spiritualism (seeking direct contact with the dead)

·  Séance (a session led by a Medium in which the participants communicate with the dead)

·  Shaman (mostly found in Native culture in which the “Witchdoctor” is the expert of the tribe; person who stands between our world and the spirit world)

·  Grateful Dead (NOT the rock group!) term that means that the spirits of the dead return in order to bring blessings to the living

·  Veridical (scientific term for a GENUINE sighting or manifestation: scientifically verifiable)

GHOST from Wikipedia (edited with additions by Dr. Gayhart)

In folklore, mythology, and modern media such as literary fiction, a ghost (sometimes known as specter (American English), phantom, apparition or spook) is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to realistic, lifelike visions. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased person is known as necromancy, or in spiritism as a séance.

The belief in manifestations of the spirits of the dead is widespread, dating back to animism or ancestor worship in pre-literate cultures. Certain religious practices—funeral rites, exorcisms, and some practices of spiritualism and ritual magic—are specifically designed to rest the spirits of the dead. Ghosts are generally described as solitary essences that haunt particular locations, objects, or people they were associated with in life, though stories of phantom armies, ghost trains, phantom ships, and even ghost animals have also been recounted

It is a common belief in folklore that ghosts and anything evil cannot cross running water; that ghosts are only seen at night; and that one should not touch a ghost; and that ghosts have noticeable smells. Smell is the second most common feature of ghosts. In Eastern Europe, the undead are referred to as Vampires – the subject of the series Twilight.

Most ghosts are not seen in cemeteries – most are seen in buildings and structures. This is especially true of locations of murder and torture. It is not true that ghosts are seen only at night. Daytime sightings are common although the image is not as clear. Apparitions are daytime are often phantasmal (vague; nebulous; vapor like)

Common Features

Another widespread belief concerning ghosts is that they are composed of a misty, airy, or subtle material. We call this Phantasmal. Anthropologists link this idea to early beliefs that ghosts were the person within the person (the person's spirit), most noticeable in ancient cultures as a person's breath, which upon exhaling in colder climates appears visibly as a white mist. In many traditional accounts, ghosts were often thought to be deceased people looking for vengeance (vengeful ghosts), or imprisoned on earth for bad things they did during life. The appearance of a ghost has often been regarded as an omen or portent of death. Seeing one's own ghostly double or "fetch" is a related omen of death. White ladies were reported to appear in many rural areas, and supposed to have died tragically or suffered trauma in life. White Lady legends are found around the world. Common to many of them is the theme of losing or being betrayed by a husband or fiancé. They are often associated with an individual family line or regarded as a harbinger of death.

·  Roman Catholic Christians believe that ghosts may be the souls who are trapped in Purgatory – they may return to warn the living

·  Protestant Christians believe that all ghosts are Demonic – all are fallen angels or demons who return to frighten and terrorize the living so that the living will reject belief in God.

·  Spiritualists represent those persons who believe that ghosts are merely the souls who died and are unaware that they are dead! This is view of most of Reality programming and film that deals with the Paranormal.

In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is a manifestation of the spirit or soul of a person.] Alternative theories expand on that idea and include belief in the ghosts of deceased animals. Sometimes the term ghost is used synonymously with any spirit or demon, however in popular usage the term typically refers to a deceased person's spirit.

A widespread belief concerning ghosts is that they are composed of a misty, airy, or subtle material. We call this phantasmal – a vaporous, misty appearance. Anthropologists speculate that this may also stem from early beliefs that ghosts were the person within the person, most noticeable in ancient cultures as a person's breath, which upon exhaling in colder climates appears visibly as a white mist.] This belief may have also fostered the metaphorical meaning of breath in certain languages, such as the Latin spiritus and the Greek pneuma, which by analogy became extended to mean the soul. In the Bible, God is depicted as animating Adam with a breath.

Numerous theories have been proposed by scientists to provide normal explanations for ghost sightings. Although the evidence for ghosts is largely anecdotal, the belief in ghosts throughout history has remained widespread and persistent.

Participant-observer approach Wikipedia

While parapsychologists look for quantitative (objective: can be measured) evidence of the paranormal in laboratories, a great number of people immerse themselves in qualitative (more subjective and personal) research through participant-observer approaches to the paranormal. Participant-observer methodologies have overlaps with other essentially qualitative approaches as well, including phenomenological research that seeks largely to describe subjects as they are experienced, rather than to explain them.

Participant-observation suggests that by immersing oneself in the subject being studied, a researcher is presumed to gain understanding of the subject. Criticisms of participant-observation as a data-gathering technique are similar to criticisms of other approaches to the paranormal, but also include an increased threat to the objectivity of the researcher, unsystematic gathering of data, reliance on subjective measurement, and possible observer effects (observation may distort the observed behavior). See my comments on Ghost Hunters. The participant-observer approach to the paranormal has gained increased visibility and popularity through reality television programs like Ghost Hunters, and the formation of independent ghost hunting groups that advocate immersive research at alleged paranormal locations. One popular website for ghost hunting enthusiasts lists over 300 of these organizations throughout the United States and the United Kingdom.

Skeptical scientific investigation Wikipedia

Scientific skeptics advocate critical investigation of claims of paranormal phenomena: applying the scientific method to reach a rational, scientific explanation of the phenomena to account for the paranormal claims, taking into account that alleged paranormal abilities and occurrences are sometimes hoaxes or misinterpretations of natural phenomena. A way of summarizing this method is by the application of Occam's razor, which suggests that the simpler solution is usually the correct one. The standard scientific models give the explanation that what appears to be paranormal phenomena is usually a misinterpretation, misunderstanding, or anomalous variation of natural phenomena, rather than an actual paranormal phenomenon.

The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, formerly the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is an organization that aims to publicize the scientific, skeptical approach. It carries out investigations aimed at understanding paranormal reports in terms of scientific understanding, and publishes its results in its journal, the Skeptical Inquirer. See Michael Schermer, editor of Skeptic Magazine.

Richard Wiseman, of The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, draws attention to possible alternative explanations for perceived paranormal activity in his article, The Haunted Brain. While he recognizes that approximately 15% of people believe they have experienced an encounter with a ghost, he reports that only 1% report seeing a full-fledged ghost while the rest report strange sensory stimuli, such as seeing fleeting shadows or wisps of smoke, or the sensation of hearing footsteps or feeling a presence. Wiseman makes the claim that, rather than experiencing paranormal activity, it is activity within our own brains that creates these strange sensations.

Michael Persinger proposed that ghostly experiences could be replicated by stimulating the brain with weak magnetic fields. Swedish psychologist Pehr Granqvist and his team, attempting to replicate Persinger's research, determined that the paranormal sensations experienced by Persinger's subjects were merely the result of suggestion, and that brain stimulation with magnetic fields did not result in ghostly experiences.

Oxford University Justin Barrett has theorized that ‘agency’ — being able to figure out why people do what they do — is so important in everyday life, that it is natural for our brains to work too hard at it, thereby detecting human or ghost-like behavior in everyday meaningless stimuli.

Former stage magician James Randi is a well-known investigator of paranormal claims. See my video on Randi. As an investigator with a background in illusion, Randi feels that the simplest explanation for those claiming paranormal abilities is often trickery, illustrated by demonstrating that the spoon bending abilities of psychic Uri Geller can easily be duplicated by trained stage magicians. He is also the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation and its million dollar challenge offering a prize of US $1,000,000 to anyone who can demonstrate evidence of any paranormal, supernatural or occult power or event, under test conditions agreed to by both parties. Despite many declarations of supernatural ability, this prize remains unclaimed.

Psychology and the Paranormal Wikipedia

The psychologist David Marks wrote that paranormal phenomena can be explained by magical thinking, mental imagery, subjective validation, coincidence, hidden causes, and fraud. According to studies some people tend to hold paranormal beliefs because they possess psychology attributes that make them more likely to misattribute paranormal causation to normal experiences.

Many studies have found a link between personality and psychopathology variables correlating with paranormal belief. Some studies have also shown that fantasy proneness correlates positively with paranormal belief.

Bainbridge (1978) and Wuthnow (1976) found that the most susceptible people to paranormal belief are those who are poorly educated, unemployed or have roles that rank low amongst social values. The alienation of these people due to their status in society is said to encourage them to appeal to paranormal or magical beliefs.

Research has associated paranormal belief with low cognitive ability, low IQ and a lack of science education. Intelligent and highly educated participants involved in surveys have proven to have less paranormal belief. Tobacyk (1984) and Messer and Griggs (1989) discovered that college students with better grades have less belief in the paranormal.

In an experiment Wierzbicki (1985) reported a significant correlation between paranormal belief and the number of errors made on a syllogistic reasoning task, suggesting that believers in the paranormal have lower cognitive ability.