The paranormal
Subtitle: who believes, why they believe, and why it matters
By: by Erich Goode
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Amherst, N.Y
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 335
ISBN-13: 9781616144913
Subjects: Parapsychology
Description: Presents a sociological study on the belief in the paranormal, presenting profiles of believers, discussion about the persistence of their belief despite scientific evidence, and the effects of these beliefs on political and social movements.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p.         ) and index.
Table of contents: title: Paranormal beliefs : an introduction. The popularity of paranormal thinking -- Paranormalism vis-à-vis scientific thinking -- Are scientists always right? -- Sociologists as scientists, sociologists versus scientists -- Student account : Crystal Jiminez -- Looking at paranormalism. Approaches to paranormal beliefs -- Why study paranormalism? -- Etic versus Emic, ontology versus epistemology -- Student account : Nicole Prisco -- Student account : Tina Contorno -- Scientific thinking. Probabilities versus absolutes -- Uncommon versus common sense -- Uniformitarianism versus the exceptional case -- Falsifiability -- Teleology -- The paranormalist replies -- Student account : Chris Diugozima -- Student account : Zaira Luz Serrano -- Astrology and psychic predictions.  Astrological readings -- Psychic predictions -- Was Nostradamus psychic? -- The Forer effect -- Anonymous account : astrology -- Creationism. Why do scientists deny the Genesis origin account? Do scientists believe in God? -- Do evolutionists believe in God? -- Epistemology -- Creationists : a sociological portrait -- Creationists view evolution -- Account : Kurt P. Wise : a geologist chooses to believe in the creation -- Parapsychology : belief in Psi. Is Psi a paranormal phenomenon? -- Practical applications of Psi -- Research on Psi -- Parapsychology as a deviant science -- Account : Robert A. McConnell : how i became a parapsychologist -- UFOs are real. A brief pre-Roswell history of UFOs -- Scientists and the public look at UFOs -- Are UFOs real? -- Why alien craft? -- The incident at Roswell -- Alien abductions -- Account : interview with Steven -- Religion and paranormalism. Religious paranormal beliefs -- Paranormalism and religion : some parallels -- Correlations between religious and paranormal beliefs -- Student account : Amanda Bowcock -- Paranormalism in the media. Are paranormal beliefs influenced by the media? -- Paranormalism in film -- Supermarket tabloids, folkore, and urban legends -- Paranormalism in the media : a summary. Paranormalism in politics and social movements. Conspiracy theories -- The paranormal basis of American Indian prehistory -- The Nation of Islam -- Creationism as a paranormal social movement -- Why paranormalism? Changing the way we think? -- Why do people believe in science? -- Paranormalism as entertainment -- Populism -- Cognitive biases and heuristics -- Compartmentalization -- Conclusion -- Student account : Soona Kim -- Student account : Phil Salamacha.