James Cunningham
Scholar
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2013
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- 50
Parapsychologists admit the majority of paranormal is bunk
Now I have got your attention, let me show you some parapsychologists who have written that 98% or around that figure of paranormal phenomena does not exist. When I say "does not exist" I mean in the sense that they are not "paranormal". These parapsychologists have admitted the majority of paranormal cases turn out to have naturalistic explanations (fraud, hoaxes, naturalistic explanations, explained by psychological processes etc). They are admitting only 2% (or around that) of the phenomena is genuine.
Please do take note that all the names on the following list were believers. They were believers in paranormal phenomena yet they admit 98% of the paranormal phenomena does not exist and only 2% of the phenomena is genuine! None of these believers can be accused of being mean bad skeptics! Yes that's right, we have believers admitting 98% of the alleged paranormal phenomena has entirely naturalistic explanation. Us mean skeptics only have 2% to work with
None of this has been widely reported. I won't invoke conspiracy theories
but it's well known that full blown believer modern parapsychologists such as Dean Radin ignore most of these older parapsychologists work.
Hereward Carrington
Carrington a leading expert in his day on the topic of mediumship in his book The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism (1907) wrote:
So Carrington was a believer in mediumship, but was honest enough to admit 98% of the phenomena is fraudulent.
Peter Underwood
Underwood is a leading author on the topic of ghosts. He has been studying the field for over sixty years.
In his book No Common Task: The Autobiography of a Ghost-Hunter (1983) he writes 98% of ghosts and hauntings have naturalistic explanations such as misidentification/misinterpretation, hallucination, pranks etc and he is interested in the 2% of the phenomena that may be genuine.
E. Clephan Palmer
Palmer was a journalist turned psychical researcher who began to attend séances to see if the phenomena was genuine or not. In his book The Riddle of Spiritualism (1927) he came to the conclusion that 92% of mediumship and spiritualistic phenomena are fraudulent.
C. E. Bechhofer Roberts
The psychical researcher C. E. Bechhofer Roberts in his book The Truth About Spiritualism came to the conclusion after years investigation that 98% of mediumship phenomena is fraudulent. Roberts also wrote an introduction to Helena Normanton. (1945). The Trial of Mrs. Duncan claiming Duncan was a fraud who had used a secret accomplice to hide her ectoplasm. This was later proven correct as Duncan's maid and husband had confessed to hiding on her ectoplasm on different occasions.
Simeon Edmunds
Edmunds was a hypnotist, secretary of the College of Psychic Science, London, 1956-62 and a member of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR). His book Spiritualism: A Critical Survey (1966) comes to the conclusion that the majority of mediums in spiritualism have been fraudulent. Again basically supporting the 98% figure of other researchers.
Alfred Douglas
The parapsychologist and SPR member Alfred Douglas in his book Extra-Sensory Powers: A Century of Psychical Research (1982) admits that after a century of research in ESP, the verdict is non-proven!
Tony Cornell
Cornell spent over 50 years investigating the paranormal and came to the conclusion that most paranormal cases turn out to have natural explanations such as the result of fraud, pranks and misidentification. He believed after all the years into investigating paranormal phenomena only 2% may of been genuine. He discusses this in his book Investigating the Paranormal (2002). The book is also useful as it is the only book to document the fraud of the medium Alec Harris.
Ronald Pearsall
Pearsall in his book The Table-Rappers (1972) documented the fraud of mediums, but Pearsall was not a complete skeptic as he believed in telepathy. Again, his book supports the 98% of the other writers.
Henry Ridgely Evans
Henry Ridgely Evans also known as Henry R. Evans was an amateur magician and psychical researcher. His two books Hours with the Ghosts, Or, Nineteenth Century Witchcraft (1897) and The Spirit World Unmasked (1902) documented the fraud of mediums and psychics but similar to other writes he believed 2% of the phenomena (telepathy) was genuine.
Frank Podmore
Podmore a famous member of the Society for Psychical Research, known as a skeptical researcher but was not a full blown skeptic. He admitted in his books paranormal phenomena have naturalistic explanations. He debunked fraudulent mediums in his books, but in his book Telepathic Hallucinations: The New View of Ghosts (1909) he accepted telepathy may exist. Reading his books and you realise the majority of parapsychological experiments have contained flaws and he makes it clear many paranormal cases are in fact not paranormal and have rather simple explanations.
Donald West
British psychologist and psychical researcher. Known for his book Psychical Research Today (1953, 1962) which accepted psychological explanations for most paranormal phenomena (over 90%) but also endorsed ESP.
Guy Christian Lambert
Lambert a past present of the SPR proposed a geophysical naturalistic explanation for alleged cases of ghosts and poltergeist activity which he believed results from the activity of underground water and other factors possibly causing the house to vibrate and move objects. Did not publish a book, but wrote SPR articles. It's clear he believed 98% or there abouts of paranormal phenomena to have naturalistic explanations. He also wrote a rationalist interpretation of the alleged levitation of D. D. Home (which was exposed as a hoax by other researchers).
Hilary Evans
I have not read all his books but from the description and reviews of some of his books such as Gods, Spirits, Cosmic Guardians (1987) it's clear he takes a psychological interpretation to most paranormal phenomena.
Nandor Fodor
Fodor was a psychologist and author of the book The Haunted Mind: A Psychoanalyst Looks at the Supernatural (1959). Critic of the spiritualists, he became more critical in his later years. Interpreted the majority cases of paranormal phenomena in naturalistic psychological terms.
William McDougall
McDougall was a psychologist most well-known for his neo-Lamarckian experiments on rats. Was a firm believer in ESP, but became more critical in his later years. Did not believe in the majority of paranormal phenomena.
C. D. Broad
Broad a philosopher who took interest in parapsychology. Its clear Broad did not accept the majority of paranormal claims. It's hard to make sense of his views. He wrote psi contradicts science, but elsewhere seems to have embraced some sort of psi hypothesis for consciousness surviving death. I find it strange that Chris Carter and some recent parapsychologists quote mines Broad. I don't see anywhere in his works Broad actually admitting psi has been scientifically proven.
Andrew Lang
Lang was en early SPR member and past president. He was mostly skeptical of paranormal claims and was interested in their folklore but it's clear he did believe in some phenomena. He is most famous to skeptics for actually admitting Leonora Piper was a cold reader. Lang also wrote the book Cock Lane and Common-Sense (1894) a rationalistic look at ghosts. The book has been cited by skeptics such as Daniel Loxton.
Michael Schmicker
Schmicker is a more recent parapsychologist. He is the author of the book Best Evidence: An Investigative Reporter's Three-Year Quest to Uncover the Best Scientific Evidence for ESP, Psychokinesis, Mental Healing, Ghosts and Poltergeists, Dowsing, Mediums, Near Death Experiences, Reincarnation, and Other Impossible Phenomena That Refuse to Disappear (2002) which claims 98% of the paranormal cases turn out to have naturalistic explanations and only 2% of the phenomena is actually genuine.
So you can see from the above list that many parapschologists are not as credulous as the modern ones. Most modern parapsychologists such as Dean Radin and Charles Tart are claiming 98% of the paranormal does exist and that only 2% have naturalistic explanation. As you can see the figures have clearly turned round in parapsychology. Most of the modern pseudo-parapsychologists have not even read their own field.
Please note I have not included Susan Blackmore, Michael Goss, John Taylor or Eric Dingwall on the list, they were past parapsychologists who left the field after realising all paranormal phenomena they studied did not exist.
So skeptics only have 2% of "paranormal" phenomena to debunk, as the believers admit 98% of it is bogus.
We should be celebrating
The woo-believers won't like this thread.
Now I have got your attention, let me show you some parapsychologists who have written that 98% or around that figure of paranormal phenomena does not exist. When I say "does not exist" I mean in the sense that they are not "paranormal". These parapsychologists have admitted the majority of paranormal cases turn out to have naturalistic explanations (fraud, hoaxes, naturalistic explanations, explained by psychological processes etc). They are admitting only 2% (or around that) of the phenomena is genuine.
Please do take note that all the names on the following list were believers. They were believers in paranormal phenomena yet they admit 98% of the paranormal phenomena does not exist and only 2% of the phenomena is genuine! None of these believers can be accused of being mean bad skeptics! Yes that's right, we have believers admitting 98% of the alleged paranormal phenomena has entirely naturalistic explanation. Us mean skeptics only have 2% to work with
None of this has been widely reported. I won't invoke conspiracy theories
but it's well known that full blown believer modern parapsychologists such as Dean Radin ignore most of these older parapsychologists work. Hereward Carrington
Carrington a leading expert in his day on the topic of mediumship in his book The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism (1907) wrote:
So Carrington was a believer in mediumship, but was honest enough to admit 98% of the phenomena is fraudulent.
Peter Underwood
Underwood is a leading author on the topic of ghosts. He has been studying the field for over sixty years.
In his book No Common Task: The Autobiography of a Ghost-Hunter (1983) he writes 98% of ghosts and hauntings have naturalistic explanations such as misidentification/misinterpretation, hallucination, pranks etc and he is interested in the 2% of the phenomena that may be genuine.
E. Clephan Palmer
Palmer was a journalist turned psychical researcher who began to attend séances to see if the phenomena was genuine or not. In his book The Riddle of Spiritualism (1927) he came to the conclusion that 92% of mediumship and spiritualistic phenomena are fraudulent.
C. E. Bechhofer Roberts
The psychical researcher C. E. Bechhofer Roberts in his book The Truth About Spiritualism came to the conclusion after years investigation that 98% of mediumship phenomena is fraudulent. Roberts also wrote an introduction to Helena Normanton. (1945). The Trial of Mrs. Duncan claiming Duncan was a fraud who had used a secret accomplice to hide her ectoplasm. This was later proven correct as Duncan's maid and husband had confessed to hiding on her ectoplasm on different occasions.
Simeon Edmunds
Edmunds was a hypnotist, secretary of the College of Psychic Science, London, 1956-62 and a member of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR). His book Spiritualism: A Critical Survey (1966) comes to the conclusion that the majority of mediums in spiritualism have been fraudulent. Again basically supporting the 98% figure of other researchers.
Alfred Douglas
The parapsychologist and SPR member Alfred Douglas in his book Extra-Sensory Powers: A Century of Psychical Research (1982) admits that after a century of research in ESP, the verdict is non-proven!
Tony Cornell
Cornell spent over 50 years investigating the paranormal and came to the conclusion that most paranormal cases turn out to have natural explanations such as the result of fraud, pranks and misidentification. He believed after all the years into investigating paranormal phenomena only 2% may of been genuine. He discusses this in his book Investigating the Paranormal (2002). The book is also useful as it is the only book to document the fraud of the medium Alec Harris.
Ronald Pearsall
Pearsall in his book The Table-Rappers (1972) documented the fraud of mediums, but Pearsall was not a complete skeptic as he believed in telepathy. Again, his book supports the 98% of the other writers.
Henry Ridgely Evans
Henry Ridgely Evans also known as Henry R. Evans was an amateur magician and psychical researcher. His two books Hours with the Ghosts, Or, Nineteenth Century Witchcraft (1897) and The Spirit World Unmasked (1902) documented the fraud of mediums and psychics but similar to other writes he believed 2% of the phenomena (telepathy) was genuine.
Frank Podmore
Podmore a famous member of the Society for Psychical Research, known as a skeptical researcher but was not a full blown skeptic. He admitted in his books paranormal phenomena have naturalistic explanations. He debunked fraudulent mediums in his books, but in his book Telepathic Hallucinations: The New View of Ghosts (1909) he accepted telepathy may exist. Reading his books and you realise the majority of parapsychological experiments have contained flaws and he makes it clear many paranormal cases are in fact not paranormal and have rather simple explanations.
Donald West
British psychologist and psychical researcher. Known for his book Psychical Research Today (1953, 1962) which accepted psychological explanations for most paranormal phenomena (over 90%) but also endorsed ESP.
Guy Christian Lambert
Lambert a past present of the SPR proposed a geophysical naturalistic explanation for alleged cases of ghosts and poltergeist activity which he believed results from the activity of underground water and other factors possibly causing the house to vibrate and move objects. Did not publish a book, but wrote SPR articles. It's clear he believed 98% or there abouts of paranormal phenomena to have naturalistic explanations. He also wrote a rationalist interpretation of the alleged levitation of D. D. Home (which was exposed as a hoax by other researchers).
Hilary Evans
I have not read all his books but from the description and reviews of some of his books such as Gods, Spirits, Cosmic Guardians (1987) it's clear he takes a psychological interpretation to most paranormal phenomena.
Nandor Fodor
Fodor was a psychologist and author of the book The Haunted Mind: A Psychoanalyst Looks at the Supernatural (1959). Critic of the spiritualists, he became more critical in his later years. Interpreted the majority cases of paranormal phenomena in naturalistic psychological terms.
William McDougall
McDougall was a psychologist most well-known for his neo-Lamarckian experiments on rats. Was a firm believer in ESP, but became more critical in his later years. Did not believe in the majority of paranormal phenomena.
C. D. Broad
Broad a philosopher who took interest in parapsychology. Its clear Broad did not accept the majority of paranormal claims. It's hard to make sense of his views. He wrote psi contradicts science, but elsewhere seems to have embraced some sort of psi hypothesis for consciousness surviving death. I find it strange that Chris Carter and some recent parapsychologists quote mines Broad. I don't see anywhere in his works Broad actually admitting psi has been scientifically proven.
Andrew Lang
Lang was en early SPR member and past president. He was mostly skeptical of paranormal claims and was interested in their folklore but it's clear he did believe in some phenomena. He is most famous to skeptics for actually admitting Leonora Piper was a cold reader. Lang also wrote the book Cock Lane and Common-Sense (1894) a rationalistic look at ghosts. The book has been cited by skeptics such as Daniel Loxton.
Michael Schmicker
Schmicker is a more recent parapsychologist. He is the author of the book Best Evidence: An Investigative Reporter's Three-Year Quest to Uncover the Best Scientific Evidence for ESP, Psychokinesis, Mental Healing, Ghosts and Poltergeists, Dowsing, Mediums, Near Death Experiences, Reincarnation, and Other Impossible Phenomena That Refuse to Disappear (2002) which claims 98% of the paranormal cases turn out to have naturalistic explanations and only 2% of the phenomena is actually genuine.
So you can see from the above list that many parapschologists are not as credulous as the modern ones. Most modern parapsychologists such as Dean Radin and Charles Tart are claiming 98% of the paranormal does exist and that only 2% have naturalistic explanation. As you can see the figures have clearly turned round in parapsychology. Most of the modern pseudo-parapsychologists have not even read their own field.
Please note I have not included Susan Blackmore, Michael Goss, John Taylor or Eric Dingwall on the list, they were past parapsychologists who left the field after realising all paranormal phenomena they studied did not exist.
So skeptics only have 2% of "paranormal" phenomena to debunk, as the believers admit 98% of it is bogus.
We should be celebrating
The woo-believers won't like this thread.
