Parapsychology
The Claim
Parapsychology seeks to investigate the existence and causes of psychic abilities, near-death experiences, and life after death using the scientific or psuedoscientific methods. The scope of parapsychology includes but is not limited to several paranormal phenomena such as:
- Telepathy: Transfer of information on thoughts or feelings between individuals by means other than the five classical senses.
- Precognition: Perception of information about future places or events before they occur.
- Clairvoyance: Obtaining information about places or events at remote locations, by means unknown to science.
- Psychokinesis: The ability of the mind to influence matter, time, space, or energy by means unknown to science.
- Near-death experiences: An experience reported by a person who nearly died, or who experienced clinical death and then revived.
- Reincarnation: The rebirth of a soul or other non-physical aspect of human consciousness in a new physical body after death.
- Apparitional experiences: Phenomena often attributed to ghosts and encountered in places a deceased individual is thought to have frequented, or in association with the person’s former belongings.
The Evidence
Many studies and evaluations have been performed by independent authorities around the world. In 1988, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences concluded that there is “no scientific justification from research conducted over a period of 130 years for the existence of parapsychological phenomena”.
Conclusion
In spite of consistent rejection through scientific studies and systematic reviews of the claims made by parapsychologists, the ideas are still persistent among many believers.
Links
Wikipedia Entry on Parapsychology
Parapsychology: The controversial science
The Skeptic Dictionary on Parapsychology
Trackbacks
- Parapsicologia, a “ciência” que tornou-se pseudociência | Universo Racionalista
- Psychics « Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence
- ESP « Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence
- Channeling « Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence
- Clairvoyance « Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence
Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence 
Part of me doesn’t understand how any of these articles are legitimate if you can honestly site Wikipedia as a source. Did you know Wikipedia also said that Santa Clause was cancelling Christmas because of Hurricane Sandy? It’s not the most reliable source.
Also, if this site is supposed to support science, these notions should have scientific studies as back up, not one or two; a large amount of studies from a large amount of countries, covering a large period of time. After all, this is a generalized topic. You’re speaking of something’s actual existence and a conclusion of what it is. Because of the subjects being covered, the conclusions are highly objective; something like parapsychology can be very real to someone who had a near-death experience, which is something most people can’t understand unless they have that experience themselves, because of its nature.
Furthermore, parapsychology should be described as follows “Parapsychology only studies those anomalies that fall into one of three general categories: ESP (terms are defined below), mind-matter interaction (previously known as psychokinesis), and phenomena suggestive of survival after bodily death, including near-death experiences, apparitions, and reincarnation,” as it covers the definition using the proper terminology and explains it correctly. As it is a subdiscipline of psychology, it can be recognized as an actual scientific study, although it is commonly considered a pseudo-science. Another thing is that the evidence you used to validate your conclusion is from 1988; science changes very often. A better way to validate your theory would have been to check to Parapsychology Association’s website to see if they have proven their theories and if their results have been successfully replicated. Or even looking at and reviewing their studies and facts and double checking to make sure there is no bias. By writing, not only this article but all the articles on this site the way you did, you’ve shown a bias. And there should be no bias is science, their should be only facts.
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