Stephen E. Braude

{{parapsychology|1}}
'''Stephen E. Braude''' {{lived|1945}} is an American [[parapsychologist]] and [[pseudoscience]] promoter with [[Spiritualist]] beliefs.<ref>Wendy Grossmann. (1991). [http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13017685.800-review-dismissal-is-not-disproof-.html ''Dismissal is not disproof'']. ''New Scientist''. Volume. 130. Issue 1768, p. 53.</ref><ref>[https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/book-reviews-may-2008 ''The Gold Leaf Lady and Other Parapsychological Investigations by Stephen E. Braude (review)''] by [[Chris French]] (May 2008) ''The Psychologist''</ref>

==Parapsychology==
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Braude is a retired professor from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a Ph.D. in [[philosophy]] who has championed the idea that scientific evidence for [[mediumship]] and [[psychokinesis]] exists. As one might guess, Braude is the Editor-in-Chief for the ultra-[[woo]] [[Journal of Scientific Exploration]] and was a past President of the Parapsychological Association.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010721070445/http://userpages.umbc.edu/~braude/ Stephen E. Braude Biography]</ref>

Braude's parapsychological work has been criticized for promoting pseudoscience, and [[scientists]] have written that his claims of [[psychokinesis]] being scientifically proven are based on assumption rather than scientific evidence.<ref>Ronald N. Giere. (1982). ESP and Psychokinesis: A Philosophical Examination by Stephen E. Braude. 
''The Philosophical Review''. Vol. 91, No. 2 (Apr., 1982), pp. 288-290. Patrick Grim. (1989). The Limits of Influence: Psychokinesis and the Philosophy Of Science by Stephen E. Braude. ''Nous''. Vol. 23, No. 1. pp. 126-136.</ref> Braude's apparent response to such criticism is to speculate that standard [[scientific method]] may not be able to effectively measure [[psychic]] stuff:

{{cquote|The problem is there's no such thing as a [[Experimental control|controlled experiment]] in parapsychology. If you take parapsychology seriously enough to study the evidence for [[psi]], in principle you're studying a phenomenon which, if it exists, can circumvent any experimental controls you might want to impose.|200|50|Stephen E. Braude, interviewed by ''Skeptiko''<ref>[http://www.skeptiko.com/parapsychology-researcher-stephen-braude Interview with Stephen E. Braude] Skeptiko</ref>}}

Not surprisingly, Braude also maintains that eyewitness accounts are really the best proof that paranormal phenomena is real. Maybe that's why Braude believes the infamous "I can only perform when drunk" bellhop [[Ted Serios]] had the genuine psychic ability to create images on photographic film, even though [[magician]]s thoroughly exposed the sleight of hand tricks he used to create his illusions.<ref>Reynolds, Charles. (1967). An Amazing Weekend with Ted Serios. Part I. ''Popular Photography'' (October): 81–84, 136–40, 158.</ref><ref>Eisendrath, David. (1967). An Amazing Weekend with Ted Serios: Part II. ''Popular Photography'' (October): 85–87, 131–33, 136.</ref><ref>Len Peyronnin. (2011). Psychic Projections Were a Hoax. ''The Chronicle of Higher Education''. "Anyone who knows anything about this issue knows that Mr. Serios was long ago exposed and thoroughly debunked as a fraud. This was done with absolute certainty by professional photographers Charlie Reynolds and David Eisendrath in the October 1967 issue of Popular Photography. Serios was observed, when he thought no one was looking, sticking pictures into his "gizmo," a tube he held between his head and the camera lens. That some claim he produced images without the tube, and at some distance from the camera, is easily attributed to double exposure or use of previously made exposures, followed by the fake snapping of a picture."</ref><ref>Terence Hines. (2003). ''Pseudoscience and the Paranormal''. Prometheus Books. p. 77</ref>

==Spiritualism==
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[[‪File:Braude seance.jpg‬|thumb|right|Braude participating in a very scientific table levitation]]
Braude has a special affinity for Spiritualism. He believes mediums like [[Eusapia Palladino]], [[Daniel Dunglas Home]], [[Gladys Osborne Leonard]], [[Leonora Piper]] and the [[Schneider brothers]] had genuine paranormal abilities, and that [[ectoplasm]] is real. Like most Spiritualists, Braude studiously ignores instances when mediums are caught with their knickers down (literally<ref group=note>See [[Eusapia Palladino]]</ref>), ectoplasm made out of cheesecloth, or plastic dolls passed off as spirit manifestations. Because of this stubborn denial (or perhaps gullibility), he's gotten a reputation for closing his eyes to things that might tend to disprove the paranormal. He's drawn criticism from [[Antony Flew]],<ref>Antony Flew. (1988). ''The Works of William James: Essays in Psychical Research by F. Burkhardt; F. Bowers; The Limits of Influence: Psychokinesis and the Philosophy of Science by Stephen E. Braude''. ''Philosophy and Phenomenological Research'' Vol. 49, No. 2. pp. 353-357.</ref> and Journalist Wendy Grossman clarified the issue in her review of Braude's ''The Limits of Influence: Psychokinesis and the Philosophy of Science'' (1986):

{{cquote|[Braude] accuses sceptics of ignoring the evidence he believes is solid, but himself ignores evidence that does not suit him. If a medium was caught cheating on some occasions, he says, the rest of that medium's phenomena were still genuine."|200|50|Wendy Grossman, New Scientist, Volume. 130. Issue 1768<ref>Wendy Grossmann. (1991). [http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13017685.800-review-dismissal-is-not-disproof-.html Dismissal is not disproof]. ''New Scientist''. Volume. 130. Issue 1768, p. 53.</ref>}}

===Kai Muegge===
Naturally, part of Braude's serious scientific research into [[mediumship]] involves participating in the occasional [[séance]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130615061251/http://felixcircle.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/the-braude-investigation-of-mediumistic.html Stephen Braude at the Felix Circle]</ref> While attending the Felix Circle seance with Spiritualist [[Kai Muegge]] in [[Germany]], Braude was captured in a rather [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9mVoQFqR6o embarrassing video] showing himself and other sitters "levitating" a table. There's also a hilarious photograph of a séance sitter puking out some fake [[ectoplasm]]. Of course, there were no scientific controls in place, but maybe that's the way Braude likes it.<ref>[http://felixcircle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/physical-mediumship-under-strict.html Felix Circle Photographs]</ref>

According to Braude there is "confirmed" evidence that Kai Muegge has cheated at his séances.<ref name="Braude 2016">Braude, Stephen E. (2016). [https://www.academia.edu/23486737/Follow-Up_Investigation_of_the_Felix_Circle? ''Follow-Up Investigation of the Felix Circle'']. ''Journal of Scientific Exploration'' 30 (1): 27-55.</ref> Muegge even confessed to utilizing an LED device to produce fake "spirit" lights. However, despite the evidence of fraud Braude believes "some of Kai’s phenomena seem quite clearly to be genuine".<ref name="Braude 2016"/>

==Publications==
*''ESP and Psychokinesis: A Philosophical Examination'' (1979)
*''The Limits of Influence: Psychokinesis and the Philosophy of Science'' (1986)
*''First-Person Plural: Multiple Personality and the Philosophy of Mind'' (1995)
*''Immortal Remains: The Evidence for Life after Death'' (2003)
*''The Gold Leaf Lady and Other Parapsychological Investigations'' (2007)

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
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[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Parapsychology]]
[[Category:Philosophers]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]

Categories: Authors, Living people, Parapsychology, Philosophers, Pseudoscience promoters