Science Needed for Paranormal Investigators

Put evidence first

You can find many articles on the web which approach the paranormal from a scientific view. The technical detail may be enough to put most researchers off the scientific approach altogether.

You will find detailed descriptions of the science (not always accurate) behind such things as EMF meters and infrasound. You can also find a lot about such arcane matters as quantum theory. There are articles explaining electromagnetism that vary from simple to university level and beyond.

This is fine except that the material often goes into far too much detail for paranormal researchers. There are technical articles here, of course, though the aim has always been to keep them simple and relevant to paranormal research.

The most important point about science that paranormal field researchers need to know is how to gather good evidence. Until there is persuasive evidence that ghosts exist outside people's heads (see left) then plasma theory and is irrelevant.

The science you need to know

There really isn't any need to go into exotic science to do paranormal research. It is much more important to obtain rigorous scientific evidence.

The things to concentrate on are:

• understanding the limitations of witness testimony
• understanding psychological and physiological factors that can resemble the paranormal
• understanding the limitations of your instruments and what they measure
• understanding how to design research protocols

Leave the complicated science alone until you have persuasive evidence. Good evidence is the bedrock of good science. You don't necessarily need to understand how everything works to measure it properly.

Psychic machines

It is amazing how many psychic phenomena (not to mention, divination) rely on random, or near random, patterns.

Are ghost external entities?

Do ghosts exist outside people's heads? What evidence do we have that they do?

• repeated similar accounts from one place
• photographs of 'ghosts'
• instruments affected in haunted areas
• multiple witnesses at a single sighting

Perhaps surprisingly, there are alternative explanations for all these instances. See, for instance, the discussion of the Stone Tape theory and the page about anomalous photos.

That being the case, we don't need to invoke plasma physics or quantum theory yet to explain ghosts. What we really need are convincing instrumental records of ghosts as external entities.