A New Science of the Paranormal: The Promise of Psychical Research

Name: A New Science of the Paranormal: The Promise of Psychical Research
Price: 15.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Leshan Phd, Lawrence
ISBN: 9780835608770

✍️ Leshan Phd, Lawrence

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📚 ABOUT THE BOOK

Challenge science's narrow view of the paranormal with a groundbreaking new methodology.

Dr. Lawrence LeShan offers a trenchant critique of conventional psychical research, which he argues is hobbled by an overreliance on rigid, quantitative scientific methods unsuited for the qualitative nature of consciousness itself. He champions a radical shift, advocating for the study of profound, undeniable paranormal events such as mediumship, precognition, and psychic healing. This isn't merely an academic exercise; LeShan contends that by embracing these complex phenomena, we can transcend our outdated materialistic worldview, ushering in a more expansive and hopeful understanding of human potential and the very fabric of reality.

Key themes

{'title': 'Critique of Psi Research', 'body': 'LeShan argues that psychical research suffers from an inferiority complex, attempting to fit inherently non-quantitative phenomena into a strictly laboratory-based, statistical framework. This approach, he posits, misses the essence of psychic experiences and alienates mainstream science rather than engaging it meaningfully. He calls for researchers to abandon methods that reduce grand events to trivial, measurable fragments.'} {'title': 'A New Scientific Paradigm', 'body': "The book proposes a departure from traditional experimental designs, suggesting that sciences like astronomy or anthropology offer better models for studying large-scale, non-repeatable events. LeShan advocates for a methodology focused on the 'big picture' of psychic phenomena—clairvoyance, spirit communication, and healing—to genuinely advance understanding and integrate these insights into a broader scientific discourse."} {'title': 'Transforming Our Reality', 'body': 'Beyond methodological debates, LeShan emphasizes the profound philosophical implications of a revitalized psychical science. He asserts that by acknowledging and properly investigating the paranormal, we can dismantle a limiting, materialistic worldview. This shift, he suggests, promises to reshape our fundamental understanding of consciousness, self, and the universe, leading to a more optimistic and holistic perspective.'}

In stock

🏛 Quest Books (IL) 📅 2009 📖 168 pages 📔 Paperback 📐 Paperback ISBN: 9780835608770

Fun fact

LeShan's work is a vital intellectual provocation, brilliantly articulating why current scientific paradigms often fail to grasp the nuances of psychic phenomena. It excels at challenging assumptions and offering a bold new conceptual framework. While it may disappoint those seeking empirical data or definitive proofs, it is an essential read for anyone interested in the philosophy of science, consciousness studies, and the future direction of paranormal inquiry. This book is a foundational text for re-envisioning the scientific pursuit of the extraordinary.

📝 Description: A New Science of the Paranormal: The Promise of Psychical Research

Mainline science rejects the paranormal because it cannot be proven by the classical methods of controlled experiments. But sciences such as geology, astronomy, and anthropology also don't rely on laboratory testing for repeatable results. Moreover, psi concerns consciousness, which is by definition non-quantitative. "Psi researchers must stop acting like science's poor relations," says author Lawrence LaShan, "limiting themselves to controlled experiments such as analyzing statistics of people guessing cards being flipped in the next room" This provocative book outlines the principles of making a real study of the large, exciting events -- clairvoyance and precognition; mediumship and spirit controls; psychic healing -- that would bring mainline science into and revitalize the whole field. "And the issue is not just academic," says LeShan. "The old, materialistic worldview has not worked. Psychic research," he argues, "can transform our sense of reality itself to offer a new and more hopeful picture of ourselves and of the world."

⭐ Reader reviews

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⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.8/5

★★★★★

If you're a seeker who questions the limitations of conventional science when confronting the mysterious, or if you're a researcher frustrated by the current state of psychical studies, this book offers a refreshing, audacious perspective on how we might truly understand the paranormal.

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❓ Frequently asked questions

He argues that phenomena involving consciousness are inherently non-quantitative and cannot be adequately studied through controlled, repeatable laboratory experiments designed for physical matter. Trying to force them into this mold trivializes their nature.

LeShan advocates for investigating significant, complex occurrences like genuine clairvoyance, precognition, mediumship with spirit controls, and verifiable psychic healing, rather than focusing on statistical analysis of trivial card-guessing experiments.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Critique of Psi Research

LeShan argues that psychical research suffers from an inferiority complex, attempting to fit inherently non-quantitative phenomena into a strictly laboratory-based, statistical framework. This approach, he posits, misses the essence of psychic experiences and alienates mainstream science rather than engaging it meaningfully. He calls for researchers to abandon methods that reduce grand events to trivial, measurable fragments.

A New Scientific Paradigm

The book proposes a departure from traditional experimental designs, suggesting that sciences like astronomy or anthropology offer better models for studying large-scale, non-repeatable events. LeShan advocates for a methodology focused on the 'big picture' of psychic phenomena—clairvoyance, spirit communication, and healing—to genuinely advance understanding and integrate these insights into a broader scientific discourse.

Transforming Our Reality

Beyond methodological debates, LeShan emphasizes the profound philosophical implications of a revitalized psychical science. He asserts that by acknowledging and properly investigating the paranormal, we can dismantle a limiting, materialistic worldview. This shift, he suggests, promises to reshape our fundamental understanding of consciousness, self, and the universe, leading to a more optimistic and holistic perspective.

💬 Quotes from the book

«"Psi researchers must stop acting like science's poor relations, limiting themselves to controlled experiments such as analyzing statistics of people guessing cards being flipped in the next room."»

«"The old, materialistic worldview has not worked. Psychic research can transform our sense of reality itself to offer a new and more hopeful picture of ourselves and of the world."»

📜 Historical context

Appearing at a time when psychical research often struggled for academic legitimacy, LeShan's work stands as a pivotal call to re-evaluate its foundations. It challenges the prevailing post-war scientific reductionism, recalling earlier, more open-minded inquiries into spiritualism and psychic phenomena while pushing for a sophisticated, yet non-traditional, scientific approach that respects the inherent nature of psi.

📚 Glossary

Psi
Clairvoyance
Precognition

📔 Questions to reflect on

{'prompt': "How might a scientific methodology focused on 'large, exciting events' rather than controlled experiments change our understanding of phenomena like intuition or synchronicity in your own life?"}
{'prompt': "Consider LeShan's argument that the 'old, materialistic worldview has not worked.' In what ways do you perceive this worldview as limiting, and what alternative possibilities does a 'new science of the paranormal' suggest to you?"}
{'prompt': "If psychical research were to achieve mainstream scientific acceptance through LeShan's proposed methods, how might this impact societal views on consciousness, spirituality, and human potential?"}