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Is Paranormal Investigation Truly Scientific?


Korbus

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Not true. Science studies many phenomena that can't be reproduced under controlled conditions. And many paranormal studies can be and have been conducted under controlled conditions.

True, the ghost-hunter kind of teams operate exactly that way.

Already been going on for decades. But yes, you have exactly the right idea.

BTW: There is a serious problem with the "evidence" gathered in the kind of quasi-"crime scene investigation" that the ghost hunters do, and that can be summed up as "chain of custody." We have a very hard time telling who touched what evidence and when, which naturally leads to accusations of outright fakery.

Are you talking about social sciences like psychology or even medicine? I see what you mean, but these things are at least repeatable part of the time, with the proper controls. Even "controlled conditions" is a matter of degree, and under the most rigorous protcols you never have control over all variables. We don't even know what variables to try to control to make ghostly activity repeatable. At least with these kinds of "soft sciences" we can form hypotheses which are falsifiable.

I'm sure groups have made an effort to study phenomena under what they thought were controlled conditions, but were their results repeatable with any level of precision?

I do agree about chain of custody. Usually, way too many people have access to "evidence", during which anything could be happening.

Edited by Wallydraigle
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It is for my group in that we follow scientific methodology. Our website has the scientific method on the main page to explain how we go about investigations. Scientific can have a lot of different meanings, but at the very least any respectable paranormal team follows this methodology in my opinion. You definition of scientific may differ from others.

I didnt want to quote the entire protocol you reprinted, but I did check out your site. Could you explain how exactly you go about using this method and what youre results have been. I was interested in reading some case files on your site, but couldn't find them. I understand the page isnt finished yet. Can you shine any light on this in the interim?

Thank you in advance, CPJason

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cpjason, I'd just like to add my request to that of LadyHay and the other Jason!

Your site is interesting, and that's a fairly worthy essay on the scientific method in a general sense, but like LH I was left wondering how that works in practice... i.e. not just what the scientific method is, but how your group actually applies that to the business of ghost hunting.

I also wonder whether your whole group shares the scientific ideal you describe, and how that works out too (I notice for instance on your 'education' page you offer to teach, among other things, "Dowsing & Pendulums", "Psychic Protection" and "Gadgets of the Ghost Hunters" - do all of these topics have a scientific bent?)

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cpjason, I'd just like to add my request to that of LadyHay and the other Jason!

Your site is interesting, and that's a fairly worthy essay on the scientific method in a general sense, but like LH I was left wondering how that works in practice... i.e. not just what the scientific method is, but how your group actually applies that to the business of ghost hunting.

I also wonder whether your whole group shares the scientific ideal you describe, and how that works out too (I notice for instance on your 'education' page you offer to teach, among other things, "Dowsing & Pendulums", "Psychic Protection" and "Gadgets of the Ghost Hunters" - do all of these topics have a scientific bent?)

Anyone? Beuller?

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