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Features 80 illustrations and photos. With contributions by James Randi, Joe Nickell, Martin Gardner, Susan Blackmore, Ray Hyman, David Clarke, David E. Thomas, Richard Wiseman, Karen Stollznow, James Underdown, Daniel Loxton, Gary P. Posner, Massimo Polidoro and Blake Smith. Part I: Skepticism and the ParanormalChapter 1: Understanding the Paranormal and Skepticism
Why Scientific Investigation?
Unexplained Vs. Unexplainable
The Importance of Scholarship
Chapter 2: The Psychology of the Paranormal
The Psychology of Experience
Eyewitnesses and Personal Experience
Case Studies in the Psychology of the Paranormal
Part II: Conducting Scientific Paranormal InvestigationChapter 3: Investigation Principles and Guidelines
Mystery as Missing Context
Finding Mysteries
Types of Mysteries and Investigations
Researching the Mystery
Applying Scientific Methods to Paranormal Investigation
Analyzing Claim Clusters
Logical Fallacies
Guidelines for Scientific Paranormal Investigation
Nuts and Bolts of Investigation
Field Investigations
Interviewing Eyewitnesses
Investigating Photographic and Video Evidence
Investigation Equipment
Other Perspectives on
Scientific Paranormal Investigation
Chapter 4: How Not to Investigate the Paranormal:
Science and Pseudoscience in Ghost Investigations
Part III: Case Studies in Scientific Paranormal Investigation
Chapter 5: The Demonic Ghost House of Buffalo
Chapter 6: The Psychic and the Serial Killer:
The "Best Case" for Psychics
Chapter 7: Riddle of the Crop Circles
Chapter 8: Ogopogo, the Bloodthirsty Lake Monster
Chapter 9: The Mysterious Santa Fe Courthouse Ghost
Chapter 10: The Amazing Lee B., Remote Viewer
Chapter 11: The Mysterious Pokémon Panic
Chapter 12: The White Witch of Rose Hall
Chapter 13: Slaying the Vampire:
Solving the Chupacabra Mystery
Index
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Scientific Paranormal Investigation: By Benjamin Radford
Rhombus Publishing Company: 2010, 300 pages, What is it like to travel the world investigating the paranormal? To not just sit back and wonder about the world's famous unexplained mysteries, but actually go out and solve them? To investigate haunted houses, searching for evidence of ghosts and spirits? To search the world's lakes for giant, fearsome monsters? To investigate - and create - the mysterious phenomena of crop circles? To talk to people who speak to the dead, solve crimes for police, or use ESP? Scientific Paranormal Investigation is the first book to give the public an inside look at the life, methods, and work of a real-life scientific paranormal investigator. I have pursued "unexplained" phenomena for over twelve years - not just read or written about them, but actually gone out to see what's there. In a nutshell, Scientific Paranormal Investigation is the literary equivalent of The X-Files meets CSI: Crime Scene Investigations: applying scientific methods and principles to real-life mysteries, and coming up with explanations when it seems none are possible. Whether the subject is a crime scene or a haunted house, the questions are the same: What did eyewitnesses see?What does the evidence show? For the millions who have an interest in the paranormal but who are not necessarily familiar with what skeptics are or what they do, this book provides an understanding of skepticism and how science can be applied to modern mysteries and the paranormal. |
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Reviews:"Ben Radford has provided us with an excellent primer on how any reasonably observant person interested in looking into paranormal, supernatural, or occult claims can do so without having to invent the art from scratch. To prepare his reader, Ben relates how easily even he - as a highly experienced investigator - has been deceived by his own mistakes in perception, and how he has learned from those errors. This is of course an important lesson for anyone who wants to provide accurate information about these matters.
--James Randi, magician, investigator, author, and founder of the James Randi Educational FoundationHe goes into detail on how one has to be informed in the basics of science and of the design of scientific protocols with which to handle the various puzzles that an investigator will inevitably come up against, and he gives us a selection of examples described by such experts as Martin Gardner, Joe Nickell, Susan Blackmore, Massimo Polidoro, and Richard Wiseman - to name only a few with whom I am closely connected. I'm flattered to be included in these pages among those savants. Occam's Razor, the tedious Ghost Hunters shows that bore us on TV, Bigfoot, spectral "orbs," and spoon-benders are also examined, but the real paydirt here is found in Ben's own detailed accounts of events he's personally looked into and revealed as errors, jokes, misperceptions, or outright frauds. First-person descriptions and details - again - are persuasive items that catch the reader's attention and respect. Ben Radford knows his calling. Read, consider, and learn. It's all here."
"From case studies to detailed instruction on the best paranormal investigative methods, Radford has written a book that is sorely needed, especially as a corrective to the popular TV mystery mongers who seem reluctant to use good science. Radford dares to argue that investigators of the paranormal should approach their work scientifically, and then shows the reader precisely how to do so. Now when someone asks me how she can get involved investigating the paranormal, I have the perfect handbook to refer her to. This is a must-read for any skeptic interested in the front-lines of the war between undue credulity and the scientific worldview."
-- D. J. Grothe, President, James Randi Educational Foundation
"This is the best book I have ever read on the subject of paranormal and ghost investigations... It's dead-on target about how to do real, scientific investigation. I can't recommend it enough."
--Tim Yancey, Encounters Live Paranormal Radio"This book is about practical, applied skepticism. As a regular participant in TV shows, Radford gives us an insiders view on how these shows are made and their ultimate purpose. With his enthusiasm for pop culture, he is able to deftly connect the influences and effects of culture to paranormal popularity. I have not seen any comparable insight anywhere else. True gems of wisdom are richly strewn throughout the book. This book is a necessity for all paranormal investigators. It ought to be required for those questionable 'home study' courses for ghost hunters. At least, then, they might learn how to solve some mysteries instead of inflate them."
"Radford is one of only a handful of professional, scientific paranormal investigators in the world. He has a proven track record of explaining the unexplained and in this book he reveals the scientific principles that can be used to shed light on the most mysterious of phenomena."
--Prof. Richard Wiseman, psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire and author of many books including Guidelines for Testing Psychic Claimants.
"What does it take to do scientific investigations of ghost stories, the claims of psychics, or the appearance overnight of complex designs in corn fields? Radford not only explains what tools the investigator needs, but shows the reader how he applied those tools in real-life cases. If you're thinking of becoming a paranormal investigator, Radford's book is essential.... Some prefer their mysteries unsolved. Others enjoy the chase and the hunt, the tracking and the inference from evidence to hypothesis, the testing of possible explanations, and the ultimate solving of the mystery backed by logic and clear reasoning. If you're one of these latter types, you'll enjoy this book. If you want to become a paranormal investigator, Radford's book is the first thing you should put in your toolkit."
--Robert Carroll, emeritus professor of philosophy at Sacramento City College and author of The Skeptic's Dictionary and Becoming a Critical Thinker. "If you are inclined to believe we are being observed by bug-eyed aliens in UFOs, or in the reality of ghosts, psychic powers, crop circles, clairvoyant cats, sea monsters, Bigfoot, psychics who find murder victims, or mediums who channel the departed, then you probably won't buy this book. If you do, it won't alter by two degrees your mindset. On the other hand, if you care to know how professional investigators of bogus science go about solving mysteries, and the amazing - and often amusing - facts they uncover, then this fascinating book is a must. Ben Radford has been there, he has seen and heard and smelled it all!"
--Martin Gardner is the author of many books about science, pseudoscience, mathematics, philosophy, and literature.
"Science and skepticism are the best tools ever devised for baloney detection, and Benjamin Radford has written a brilliant and highly readable manual on how to solve mysteries, investigate claims, and detect baloney. Every student, teacher, and congressman should have a copy at the ready." --Michael Shermer, Publisher of Skeptic magazine, monthly columnist for Scientific American, author of Why People Believe Weird Things
"I've investigated several paranormal claims... and this book definitely resonated with me. If any of you read my blog on a regular basis and enjoy it when I research some paranormal claim, I highly recommend reading this book... it's fascinating stuff."
--The Dumbasses Guide to Knowledge, http://www.dumbassguide.info/
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