Parapsychology and the Skeptics by Chris Carter

[Scepcop]

http://astore.amazon.com/religion-spiri ... 1585011088

Parapsychology and the Skeptics: A Scientific Argument for the Existence of ESP
By Chris Carter

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A masterly guide to the frontiers of science, belief and exploration. Carter leads us through the interplays of dogma, speculation and empirical research in a stimulating way. The controversy is intense because the implications for the scientific understanding of nature and of mind are so far reaching. If you want to know the current state of play, this is the book for you." --Rupert Sheldrake, Ph.D., author of The Presence of the Past

"Chris Carter has put together quite a treatise. In thoroughly readable, engaging and clear prose, he provides an erudite and comprehensive review of the skeptical and scientific studies of events that don t fit present paradigms. Despite having researched the subject extensively myself, I found a deep well of new information. Carter's book, the first in a series of three, is both scholarly and entertaining; I eagerly await his next two works." --Robert S. Bobrow, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine Stony Brook University, Author of The Witch in the Waiting Room

"The controversy surrounding psychic phenomena (psi) is both long and complicated. Chris Carter reviews the many elements of the controversy in great detail, but in a manner that is also readable and entertaining - a difficult feat. Carter adheres strictly to valid scientific and philosophical principles in arguing for the reality of psi and the legitimacy of parapsychology as a science, and he doesn't overstate his case. Any reader who can approach this controversial subject with an open mind will find Carter's book immensely rewarding." --John Palmer, Ph.D., Editor Journal of Parapsychology, co-author of Foundations of Parapsychology

About the Author
Chris Carter is a graduate of Oxford University in England with degrees in Economics and Philosophy. He currently teaches internationally.
Customer Reviews

Parapsychology and the Skeptics- a review5
Chris Carter has put together quite a treatise. In thoroughly readable, engaging and clear prose, he provides an erudite and comprehensive review of the skeptical and scientific studies of events that don't fit present paradigms. Despite having researched the subject extensively myself, I found a deep well of new information. "Parapsychology and the Skeptics" contains abundant information about the history and current status of psi phenomena. It is easy to read, and most interesting.

Robert S. Bobrow MD (Author, "The Witch in the Waiting Room: a physician examines paranormal phenomena in medicine")

A Major Contribution5
Chris Carter's "Parapsychology and the Skeptics" is a major contribution to the literature of the paranormal.

Carter ably recounts the history of ESP studies, covering telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and micro-PK. He shows how improved protocols and ever more sophisticated statistical analysis have answered skeptical objections. Then he looks at trends in quantum physics, demonstrating that the new post-Newtonian world-picture has ample room for psi phenomena. Finally, he dips into the philosophy of science and provides the clearest exposition of Popper's falsifiability principle I've seen.

His conclusions are that parapsychology has all the elements necessary to be seen as a serious branch of science; that psi phenomena have been proven by well-designed (and yes, repeatable) experiments; and that while no comprehensive theory of psi exists at present, there are provocative pointers in that direction.

His tone throughout is cautious, serious, and sensible. It is hard to see how any open-minded reader could come away from this book with any confidence in the skeptical position.

On a clear day5
Like the title suggests, this book is two stories intertwined, one charting the scientific discovery of psychic powers (psi) over the last century and another castigating a misguided social movement known as skepticism for claiming to know better.

Chris Carter surveys the sea of anecdotal and statistical evidence for the existence of telepathy, clairvoyance (also known as remote viewing), precognition and psychokinesis. Skeptics, meanwhile, maintain that psi is incompatible with what we know about reality and therefore must be false. Yet psi phenomena do not violate any known principles of physics, a field which has undergone radical change since Einstein derided quantum entanglement as "spooky action at a distance."

Rather than face the evidence head on, self-proclaimed skeptics are engaged in a holy war, says Carter, "fueled by the fervent belief that they alone are the last defenders of the citadel of science." As to real scientists, most do not identify with organized skepticism.

Going all the way back to Herodotus, Carter examines the history of psi, including the findings of the Society for Psychical Research, JB Rhine, Daniel Home and Charles Honorton, whose "autoganzfeld" procedure was immune to charges of human tampering. He also discusses statistician Jessica Utts' claim that "psychic functioning has been well established" by ordinary scientific methods.

Carter contrasts the sober science of psi with the crusading fanaticism of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. CSICOP, an organization straight out of Orwell, completely avoids scientific investigation. James Randi, Richard Wiseman, Susan Blackmore and Ray Hyman all get singled out for extensive scrutiny. Needless to say, their methodology is found wanting.

In the face of skeptics who claim that all research into psi is pseudoscience, Carter charges that ideological skepticism represents a mutant form of science known as scientism, which is more concerned with absolute truth than such banalities as hypothesis, experimentation and theory. The only skeptic who emerges from Carter's analysis with a shred of integrity is Blackmore, who at least concedes she was biased and might have gotten it wrong.

For die-hard skeptics, this book will only irritate. For the more thoughtful among us, it will fascinate.

[Scepcop]

This is the interview the skeptics don’t want you to hear
“True skepticism involves the suspension of belief, not the refusal of belief, and so these people are not really skeptics, but actually dogmatists.” -- Chris Carter


Author of Parapsychology and the Skeptics, Chris Carter is interviewed by Alex Tsarkis, host of Skeptico, an organization devoted to uncovering the truth about controversial issues. Alex has interviewed such notable “skeptics” as Micheal Shermer, Richard Wiseman, and Steven Novela, and now he interviews Chris Carter to get the other side of the story.



“What, we may ask, are they afraid of? Is protecting scientific orthodoxy so vital that they must deny evidence and suppress contrary opinion?"
-- Colonel John Alexander, US Army (ret.)

Carter describes how the so-called skeptics have gone to the most extraordinary lengths to deny, distort, and suppress the amazing evidence for psychic (psi) phenomena, and he explains the reasons for the continuing refusal of belief. He convincingly shows that for these “skeptics”, protecting an ideology based on outmoded science is more important than getting to the truth.


If truth is more important for you than ideology, follow this link to hear the riveting interview of author Chris Carter.

http://www.skeptiko.com/blog/?p=8

[Scepcop]

[Scepcop]

Here is a new interview with Chris Carter about his new book. See links below.

"Hi Vinstonas,

Look at this interview that I made with philosopher Chris Carter:

http://subversivethinking.blogspot.com/ ... riter.html

He's just released a book on the evidence for near death experience and the materialist objections to it:

http://subversivethinking.blogspot.com/ ... e-how.html

Best,
Jime"

[ProfWag]

I'm curious about something. Mr. Carter says this: “True skepticism involves the suspension of belief, not the refusal of belief, and so these people are not really skeptics, but actually dogmatists.”
Speaking for myself only (though I think it is the same for many, if not most skeptics), my belief in the paranormal is suspended. It's not that I refuse to believe, it's that I refuse to believe incomplete, inaccurate, or misrepresented data. As of now, my belief IS suspended. Give me something new and I'll look at it. We skeptics SHOULDN't refuse to see new evidence that could lead to proof.

[Scepcop]

[ProfWag]

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[ProfWag]

[Arouet]

I'm curious as to what obvious fallacies you found in Shermer's book. I haven't read it, but have heard Shermer speak a few times and didn't have the impression that he relied on many logical fallacies.

Here's a link to his TED lecture: The Pattern Behind Self Deception.



And the original: Why people believe strange things:

[Scepcop]

His fallacy is that he believes all paranormal experiences are false, and that anyone who sees a UFO MUST have misperceived it and that there is zero evidence for such things. This is his gospel law and religion. So even if you were taken aboard a UFO and came back and you KNOW it happened, according to Shermer it didn't happen unless you have physical proof.

Major fallacy there.

[Arouet]

[ProfWag]

Most excellent post Arouet. I couldn't have said it better myself. The truth of the matter is Scepcop won't read it because it doesn't agree with his ideology and, quite possibly, provide reason behind why many of his thoughts are invalid.

[Scepcop]

Chris Carter has just informed me that he has changed the title of his book to "Science and Psychic Phenomena: The Fall of the House of Skeptics". What an interesting title. Here is the new website for his book:

http://www.scienceandpsychicphenomena.com/

Description and Editorial Reviews on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Science-Psychic-P ... 407&sr=8-1

Book Description
Publication Date: February 22, 2012
A factual and conscientious argument against materialism’s vehement denial of psi phenomena

• Explores the scandalous history of parapsychology since the scientific revolution of the 17th century

• Provides reproducible evidence from scientific research that telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis are real

• Shows that skepticism of psi phenomena is based more on a religion of materialism than on hard science

Reports of psychic abilities, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis, date back to the beginning of recorded human history in all cultures. Documented, reproducible evidence exists that these abilities are real, yet the mainstream scientific community has vehemently denied the existence of psi phenomena for centuries. The battle over the reality of psi has carried on in scientific academies, courtrooms, scholarly journals, newspapers, and radio stations and has included scandals, wild accusations, ruined reputations, as well as bizarre characters on both sides of the debate. If true evidence exists, why then is the study of psi phenomena--parapsychology--so controversial? And why has the controversy lasted for centuries?

Exploring the scandalous history of parapsychology and citing decades of research, Chris Carter shows that, contrary to mainstream belief, replicable evidence of psi phenomena exists. The controversy over parapsychology continues not because ESP and other abilities cannot be verified but because their existence challenges deeply held worldviews more strongly rooted in religious and philosophical beliefs than in hard science. Carter reveals how the doctrine of materialism--in which nothing matters but matter--has become an infallible article of faith for many scientists and philosophers, much like the convictions of religious fundamentalists. Consequently, the possibility of psychic abilities cannot be tolerated because their existence would refute materialism and contradict a deeply ingrained ideology. By outlining the origin of this passionate debate, Carter calls on all open-minded individuals to disregard the church of skepticism and reach their own conclusions by looking at the vast body of evidence.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Chris Carter is a one-man wrecking crew for the time-worn, tedious, petulant, and often flimsy complaints of the die-hard skeptics. A science of consciousness is doomed to be incomplete without taking Carter’s keen insights into account.”
(Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Words and The Power of Premonitions )

“Carter confronts legitimate criticism with solid scientific evidence and deftly exposes the anti-science stand of the dogmatic skeptics. He makes a compelling case for taking the science of parapsychology seriously. . . . A must-read for anyone interested in the true state of this important debate.”
(Richard Broughton, Ph.D., author of Parapsychology: The Controversial Science and senior lecturer in psychology, The University of Northampton )

“The controversy surrounding psychic phenomena (psi) is both long and complicated. Chris Carter reviews the many elements of the controversy in great detail, but in a manner that is also readable and entertaining--a difficult feat. I found his explanation of quantum theories of psi, for example, exceptionally clear, and it resolved some confusion I had about these theories from reading other sources. Carter adheres strictly to valid scientific and philosophical principles in arguing for the reality of psi and the legitimacy of parapsychology as a science--no retreat into New Age metaphysical mumbo jumbo--and he doesn’t overstate his case. Any reader who can approach this controversial subject with an open mind will find Carter’s book immensely rewarding.”
(John Palmer, Ph.D., editor of Journal of Parapsychology and coauthor of Foundations of Parapsychology )

“I highly recommend this book to anyone who is truly open-minded about whether or not psychic abilities exist. Chris Carter takes the reader on an insightful journey that weaves together history, scientific data, modern physics, psychology, and philosophy of science. He convincingly shows that it’s now possible to replace belief-based opinion with solid science when discussing the possible reality of psychic phenomena.”
(Jessica Utts, Ph.D., professor of statistics, University of California, Davis, and author of An Assessment of the Evidence for Psychic Functioning )

“Chris Carter has put together quite a treatise. In thoroughly readable, engaging, and clear prose, he provides an erudite and comprehensive review of the skeptical and scientific studies of events that don’t fit present paradigms. Despite having researched the subject extensively myself, I found a deep well of new information. Carter’s book is both scholarly and entertaining.”
(Robert S. Bobrow, M.D., clinical associate professor of family medicine at Stony Brook University and author of The Witch in the Waiting Room )

“Carter methodically and masterfully reveals that the skeptic’s position is increasingly untenable. . . . A refreshingly rational and well written investigation of the science of psi.”
(Dean Radin, Ph.D., senior scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences )

“Chris Carter’s Science and Psychic Phenomena is a must read for anyone who wishes to penetrate the distortions and lies of the skeptics regarding psychic phenomena. Clearly written, and a pleasure to read!”
(Neal Grossman, Ph.D., professor emeritus, University of Illinois at Chicago )
From the Back Cover
NEW SCIENCE / PARAPSYCHOLOGY

“Chris Carter is a one-man wrecking crew for the time-worn, tedious, petulant, and often flimsy complaints of the die-hard skeptics. A science of consciousness is doomed to be incomplete without taking Carter’s keen insights into account.”
--Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Words and The Power of Premonitions

Reports of psychic abilities, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis, date back to the beginning of recorded human history in all cultures. Documented, reproducible evidence exists that these abilities are real, yet the mainstream scientific community has vehemently denied the existence of psi phenomena for centuries. The battle over the reality of psi has carried on in scientific academies, courtrooms, scholarly journals, newspapers, and radio stations and has included scandals, wild accusations, ruined reputations, as well as bizarre characters on both sides of the debate. If true evidence exists, why then is the study of psi phenomena--parapsychology--so controversial? And why has the controversy lasted for centuries?

Exploring the scandalous history of parapsychology and citing decades of research, Chris Carter shows that, contrary to mainstream belief, replicable evidence of psi phenomena exists. The controversy over parapsychology continues not because ESP and other abilities cannot be verified but because their existence challenges deeply held worldviews more strongly rooted in religious and philosophical beliefs than in hard science. Carter reveals how the doctrine of materialism--in which nothing matters but matter--has become an infallible article of faith for many scientists and philosophers, much like the convictions of religious fundamentalists. Consequently, the possibility of psychic abilities cannot be tolerated because their existence would refute materialism and contradict a deeply ingrained ideology. By outlining the origin of this passionate debate, Carter calls on all open-minded individuals to disregard the church of skepticism and reach their own conclusions by looking at the vast body of evidence.

CHRIS CARTER received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Oxford. The author of Science and the Near-Death Experience, Carter is originally from Canada and currently teaches internationally.

[Craig Browning]

Ahhh. . . on that credentials list, someone left out the fact that Chris Carter is a very well known Psychic Entertainer/Mentalist. . . I've known Chris for a bit over a decade; he's a great thinker and researcher but you may want to dampen some of the "buy into it" enthusiasm . . . I've yet to study the material, but just offering a kind shot across the proverbial bow of the ship here.