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Parapsychology: The Controversial Science
"This is the bst piece of writing for the public on serious parapsychology to come along in many years. It is both well written and well time, providing hot-off-the-press coverage of themost recent developments in parapsychological research and thinking."
ROBERT L. MORRIS
Koestler Chair of Parapsychology
University of Edinborough
In this impressively documented work, Dr. Richard S. Broughton, Director of Research at the world-renowned Institute of Parapscyhology, illuminates the history and evolution of parapsychology and directly addresses the raging controversy over its very existence as a science. At the heart of the book he brings together a broad range of recent parapsychological research, from the U.S., China, and the former Soviet Union, complete with full descriptions of the actual techniques and explanations of how researchers apply scientific methods to study the baffling experiences that qualify as psi phenomena.
Selected by the Quality Paperback Book Club
From the Trade Paperback edition.
ROBERT L. MORRIS
Koestler Chair of Parapsychology
University of Edinborough
In this impressively documented work, Dr. Richard S. Broughton, Director of Research at the world-renowned Institute of Parapscyhology, illuminates the history and evolution of parapsychology and directly addresses the raging controversy over its very existence as a science. At the heart of the book he brings together a broad range of recent parapsychological research, from the U.S., China, and the former Soviet Union, complete with full descriptions of the actual techniques and explanations of how researchers apply scientific methods to study the baffling experiences that qualify as psi phenomena.
Selected by the Quality Paperback Book Club
From the Trade Paperback edition.
408 pages, Paperback
First published July 30, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 2, 2018
I mean the author says he's not great at writing and I should have listened to him. The first 70 pages really caught my interest and I was really enjoying the book. Page 71 was my downfall and the books. It began to be repetitive and I felt like I was reading the same paragraph over and over again. The subject is fascinating but the writing here ruined it. Couldn't finish it.
January 27, 2011
This is a fantastic introduction to the ideas behind the science of parapsychology and it explores the topic dispassionately. If your sceptical of telepathy, precognition or telekinesis this book will certainly make you question your assumptions of how the world works given that much of the experimental work done in this area is repeatable. The ideas in this book are fairly tame compared to the ideas advanced by quantum theory. A great read to expand your mind!
January 25, 2022
Damn my boi R Bro goes all out with the convincing data and studies - crazy stuff from Stanford Research Institute, Princeton and Duke
July 1, 2013
Broughton's book (****) is a solid introduction to the field of parapsychology. He starts with a brief overview of the type of paranormal experiences that inspire the research - the everyday experiences of things like telepathy, crisis or deathbed apparitions, poltergeist phenomena, psychic dreams, intuitions, premonitions, shamanistic phenomena, psychic healing, psychic injury. He gives the basic classification scheme used by parapsychologists: ESP and PK (extra-sensory perception and psychokinesis), as well as the other phenomena like OBEs and NDEs (out-of-body and near-death experiences). He traces the history of the science from the study of saints and mesmerism (hypnosis), to spiritualism, which led to the formation of the Society of Psychical Research, then J.B. Rhine's lab tests up to the present (1991). He discusses the scientific controversy surrounding the science and responds to critics (e.g., 'it's all fraud,' 'it's impossible').
Part 2 is a systematic survey of the types of experiments conducted over the years and currently: ESP cards, dice PK,dream telepathy, ganzfeld studies, remote viewing, random number generators. It also summaries the positive results achieved at the time. Part 3 deals with the future of psi, including new research techniques like meta-analysis, possible applications, and implications. Overall it's very well written, clear, interesting, and even thought it's over 20 years old, still relevant I think (as long as it's supplemented with the latest research, like that summarized in Dean Radin's books).
Some interesting factoids that stood out for me: In Louisa Rhine's analysis of self-reported psi experiences, 60% were dream-related, 30% were waking impressions, and 10% were hallucinatory (i.e., visions). Psychic dreams are rarely realistic, usually symbolic in nature. But intuitions rarely involve imagery. Hallucinations are usually auditory in nature. Often, the information conveyed is trivial. PK, unlike ESP, hardly ever happens spontaneously (aside from poltergeist phenomena). Psi appears more strongly in dreams and states of mild sensory deprivation, perhaps suggesting the sensory experience dampens a subliminal process. Also, in a relaxed state (vagal stimulation, perhaps).
Factors facilitating psi: belief in psi (those who do not believe often to worse than chance), extraversion, practice of a mental discipline (like meditation), ENFPs (using Myers-Briggs). Combine all those together, and some subjects can have extremely high success rates (100% in some cases). Psi is often tied to emotions (bonded couples are better, spontaneous cases often involve close relationships, etc.). Also, psychologist Kenneth Batcheldor thought that the expectation of an 'imminent miracle' helped the phenomena. Possible hindrances: witness inhibition (the shock experienced after witnessing an event) and ownership resistance (fear that it is you causing the phenomenon). These ideas inspired the people who 'conjured Philip', an imaginary ghost during table tilting sessions in Toronto. As Broughton summarizes, "Believing that the phenomena are possible, expecting that something might happen right now, and not worrying about who is 'causing' it all, seem to be part of the recipe" (p. 155). (Perhaps this is why phenomena were so striking in the spiritualistic period - they believed the phenomena were all caused by spirits, not themselves.)
Russian PK star Nina Kulagina often lost up to 3 pounds per session, her blood sugar would be elevated, and her heart rate went up to 240 bpm. In a Chinese case of PK, allegedly there's a video (400 frames per second) of the teleportation of a pill passing through a sealed class. In one frame, it's seen passing through the glass. In other words, it took about 1/200 of a second to go from place to place, giving it the immediate appearance of just changing places. Micro-PK appears to have to do with changing the probabilities of events (i.e., information transfer). As Broughton asks, "Can one levitate tables with information?" Maybe. Strange forms of poltergeist activity: fires, water (in areas with no plumbing), rains of stones, excrement. Luck may be a form of everyday psi. In precognition studies, the effect drops off as the predicted event gets further in the future. (Perhaps the immediate future is more certain, the distant more open.) In sum, highly recommended.
Part 2 is a systematic survey of the types of experiments conducted over the years and currently: ESP cards, dice PK,dream telepathy, ganzfeld studies, remote viewing, random number generators. It also summaries the positive results achieved at the time. Part 3 deals with the future of psi, including new research techniques like meta-analysis, possible applications, and implications. Overall it's very well written, clear, interesting, and even thought it's over 20 years old, still relevant I think (as long as it's supplemented with the latest research, like that summarized in Dean Radin's books).
Some interesting factoids that stood out for me: In Louisa Rhine's analysis of self-reported psi experiences, 60% were dream-related, 30% were waking impressions, and 10% were hallucinatory (i.e., visions). Psychic dreams are rarely realistic, usually symbolic in nature. But intuitions rarely involve imagery. Hallucinations are usually auditory in nature. Often, the information conveyed is trivial. PK, unlike ESP, hardly ever happens spontaneously (aside from poltergeist phenomena). Psi appears more strongly in dreams and states of mild sensory deprivation, perhaps suggesting the sensory experience dampens a subliminal process. Also, in a relaxed state (vagal stimulation, perhaps).
Factors facilitating psi: belief in psi (those who do not believe often to worse than chance), extraversion, practice of a mental discipline (like meditation), ENFPs (using Myers-Briggs). Combine all those together, and some subjects can have extremely high success rates (100% in some cases). Psi is often tied to emotions (bonded couples are better, spontaneous cases often involve close relationships, etc.). Also, psychologist Kenneth Batcheldor thought that the expectation of an 'imminent miracle' helped the phenomena. Possible hindrances: witness inhibition (the shock experienced after witnessing an event) and ownership resistance (fear that it is you causing the phenomenon). These ideas inspired the people who 'conjured Philip', an imaginary ghost during table tilting sessions in Toronto. As Broughton summarizes, "Believing that the phenomena are possible, expecting that something might happen right now, and not worrying about who is 'causing' it all, seem to be part of the recipe" (p. 155). (Perhaps this is why phenomena were so striking in the spiritualistic period - they believed the phenomena were all caused by spirits, not themselves.)
Russian PK star Nina Kulagina often lost up to 3 pounds per session, her blood sugar would be elevated, and her heart rate went up to 240 bpm. In a Chinese case of PK, allegedly there's a video (400 frames per second) of the teleportation of a pill passing through a sealed class. In one frame, it's seen passing through the glass. In other words, it took about 1/200 of a second to go from place to place, giving it the immediate appearance of just changing places. Micro-PK appears to have to do with changing the probabilities of events (i.e., information transfer). As Broughton asks, "Can one levitate tables with information?" Maybe. Strange forms of poltergeist activity: fires, water (in areas with no plumbing), rains of stones, excrement. Luck may be a form of everyday psi. In precognition studies, the effect drops off as the predicted event gets further in the future. (Perhaps the immediate future is more certain, the distant more open.) In sum, highly recommended.
September 22, 2012
Tell my teenage Dawkins-loving self that I would, half a decade later, be as entertained and intrigued by a book on parapsychology as I was by this one, and he'd probably not believe you. But yes, I came a skeptic and left at least willing to give parapsychology the benefit of the doubt.
Parapsychology: The Controversial Science is pretty much the best introduction I could have hoped for. It covers the history of the field, recent research on extrasensory phenomena and psychokinesis (these two are the book's main focus), as well as ghost-like phenomena and out-of-body experiences; there's also some on the current state of parapsychology and what the author expects for its future. The experiments presented are very well-explained, from their methodology to the statistical results, and overall the book raises a rather convincing argument in favor of parapsychology as a field well worth studying. Broughton seems like a serious researcher and doesn't assume a lot beyond what's shown by the studies, and he's cautious enough with the pseudo-quantum-mechanical hogwash that many proponents of the paranormal love to put forward to pretend that their claims are already backed by mainstream science.
The only caveat is that this book was published in 1991, and over two decades of research since must have yielded significant results which you'll have to look for somewhere else. It also doesn't present any good skeptical counterarguments, but that's to be expected from a book like this. (Fortunately the author doesn't fall in the common trap of just labeling all dissenters as stupid or insane.) So that's two ways in which an interested reader will have to complement their education — which is, indeed, what I'm about to go do.
Parapsychology: The Controversial Science is pretty much the best introduction I could have hoped for. It covers the history of the field, recent research on extrasensory phenomena and psychokinesis (these two are the book's main focus), as well as ghost-like phenomena and out-of-body experiences; there's also some on the current state of parapsychology and what the author expects for its future. The experiments presented are very well-explained, from their methodology to the statistical results, and overall the book raises a rather convincing argument in favor of parapsychology as a field well worth studying. Broughton seems like a serious researcher and doesn't assume a lot beyond what's shown by the studies, and he's cautious enough with the pseudo-quantum-mechanical hogwash that many proponents of the paranormal love to put forward to pretend that their claims are already backed by mainstream science.
The only caveat is that this book was published in 1991, and over two decades of research since must have yielded significant results which you'll have to look for somewhere else. It also doesn't present any good skeptical counterarguments, but that's to be expected from a book like this. (Fortunately the author doesn't fall in the common trap of just labeling all dissenters as stupid or insane.) So that's two ways in which an interested reader will have to complement their education — which is, indeed, what I'm about to go do.
November 5, 2013
I went into this book with the expectation that I would be reading a pseudoscientific account of a popular superstition; a la Michael Behe and the Intelligent Design types, or L. Ron Hubbard and his "science of mind."
Happily, that was not the case. Richard S. Broughton explains the methodology of parapsychology in a well-surveyed fashion. He makes no fanatical claims concerning the existence of the paranormal and he doesn't throw a huge fit about how the "scientific establishment" is trying to conspiratorially withhold information from the public.
The style was a bit dry. Overall, if you can handle slightly boring books about things you may or may not have a good grip on; and if you would like to know more about the state of parapsychological research circa 1990---check this out.
Happily, that was not the case. Richard S. Broughton explains the methodology of parapsychology in a well-surveyed fashion. He makes no fanatical claims concerning the existence of the paranormal and he doesn't throw a huge fit about how the "scientific establishment" is trying to conspiratorially withhold information from the public.
The style was a bit dry. Overall, if you can handle slightly boring books about things you may or may not have a good grip on; and if you would like to know more about the state of parapsychological research circa 1990---check this out.
July 16, 2008
learn about the scientific evidence for human 'extrasensory' capacities as well as read cool stories about predictive dreams and out of body experiences. speak intelligently to people who like to pooh-pooh things that arent 'proven yet'. you can now tell them how they are.
June 9, 2013
it's a little bit hard to Accommodate but exciting somehow and made me curious ,, it took three months reading and searching but still some parts is missing to me which i failed to understand or relate it to the real world "the way which i believe in it" ..
July 22, 2008
A necessary tome for anyone who is serious about researching and studying the paranormal.
April 22, 2015
no
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews