Parapsychology is regarded by many to be a disgrace to scientific associations and not even a science at all – it is generally referred to as a pseudo-science. This discrimination has been made clear over time, as many scientific journals have been published through history with a clear bias against parapsychology, despite a strong public interest in it. A main reason for this is that parapsychology is so controversial, and likely won’t ever be proved to be otherwise.
Contributing largely to the controversies of parapsychology are the claims it make. Its hypotheses strongly suggest that humans can do things beyond the normal, something science simply can’t explain, at least as far as we understand it now. This shouldn’t be a controversy, as science is constantly being updated and changed with new discoveries – this is progress. However, it just doesn’t sit well with many scientists that human senses and action, something already understood in its absolute should require any future modification.
Different people also hold different views on how controversial parapsychology is. For example, the public do not think it incredibly so, as surveys have shown that concepts such as ESP are generally accepted to exist. Strangely, the number of scientists who don’t have qualms about parapsychology has risen greatly since the 1970s. This does not say they consider it an established fact, but rather a likely possibility.
This then leads to the question why courses on the subject are not more common, or research in the area is not carried out more often. A suggested reason for this comes from a survey research carried out with American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) committee members. Around 25% of these people regarded parapsychology as a like possibility. This shows that it is those who are at the top of scientific organisations and those who have the power of making decisions who disregard the possibility of parapsychology.
The essence of the matter is that despite changes occurring quite frequently, they are usually minor revolutions. The problem is that major revolutions (Einstein’s theory of relativity for example) occur less frequently. Therefore, should aspects of parapsychology ever be proven, it’s possible it could cause a major upheaval in science, and many scientists involved recognise this. Whether this happens or not however, cannot be predicted.
Another main issue that is prevalent in the controversies of parapsychology is do to with probability, coincidence and chance. As Albert Einstein said, ‘God does not play dice’.
An individual will experience coincidences and the unexpected occasionally, and combined with the rest of the population, this will end up occurring quite regularly as a whole. It is then up to the individual to decide if what happened was merely chance, or if paranormal forces had an influence. And it is here where a large distinction occurs. If the person accepts the possibility of paranormal influences, they may decide that something out of the ordinary occurred to them, even if it was just chance. However, if the person was one who disregarded parapsychology as a whole, they would likely put what happened up to chance alone, when something extraordinary may have happened.
Leading on from this, it then has to be considered where reports of paranormal phenomenon come from – those who believe in parapsychology, or accept it as a possibility. There are those who want to believe that they have abilities that are above the normal, and as a result will produce claims and reports of it happening. Whether or not it actually happens is immaterial, as that’s what the individual wants to believe. On the other side, if the people who disregard anything potentially within the paranormal, reports that have value and worth are being missed out on.
The sceptical scientists who do not accept parapsychology recognise this, and use it to further discriminate against the subject, furthering the case of controversy. More accurate reports could be produced if not just those who accept parapsychology as a possibility look out for it, but instead if all did. However, this is an impossibility, due to those who refuse to accept its existence.
What Parapsychology Is Not
Astrology
This topic is often associated with parapsychology, when in actual fact the subject does not include it. It is the notion that occurrences are determined and can be predicted by studying the sun, stars, planets and other astral bodies.
Sighting of Strange Objects
Parapsychology also does not include monster sightings (such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster) or the sighting of unidentified flying
objects (UFOs). It has been suggested that such sightings could be a type of apparition phenomenon, but until hard sightings and evidence can be procured, they will be left to their respective researchers.