Debating Psychic Experience - by Stanley Krippner & Harris Friedman (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book presents a provocative debate between parapsychological advocates who claim that Western science's worldview is incomplete, and counteradvocates who insist that parapsychological data is either spurious or can be explained by standard scientific principles.
Despite ongoing and repeated attempts to prove or disprove the existence of parapsychological events, there are still no conclusive findings--and certainly no consensus across the worldwide community of scholars, scientists, and proponents of psychic phenomena. Still, there is no shortage of information about this fascinating topic to allow everyone to draw their own conclusions.

This book has been expressly written to make each chapter and topic accessible to a general audience, despite containing a vast amount of theoretical material. The book is organized into two parts: in the first section, proponents of the validity of parapsychological data and critics who reject that validity state their respective positions. In the second part, each group responds to each others' statements in the form of a debate. Other experts from the United States as well as from Australia and Great Britain provide overviews and conclusions.

• Includes contributions from 14 scholars weighing in as advocates, counteradvocates, or contributors
• 20 examples of original artwork by Dierdre Luzwick, a world-class surrealistic artist
• The bibliography contains a reference list at the end of each contributor's section
• A glossary of key terms used in the book is supplied

Book Synopsis

This book presents a provocative debate between parapsychological advocates who claim that Western science's worldview is incomplete, and counteradvocates who insist that parapsychological data is either spurious or can be explained by standard scientific principles.

Despite ongoing and repeated attempts to prove or disprove the existence of parapsychological events, there are still no conclusive findings--and certainly no consensus across the worldwide community of scholars, scientists, and proponents of psychic phenomena. Still, there is no shortage of information about this fascinating topic to allow everyone to draw their own conclusions.

This book has been expressly written to make each chapter and topic accessible to a general audience, despite containing a vast amount of theoretical material. The book is organized into two parts: in the first section, proponents of the validity of parapsychological data and critics who reject that validity state their respective positions. In the second part, each group responds to each others' statements in the form of a debate. Other experts from the United States as well as from Australia and Great Britain provide overviews and conclusions.

Review Quotes

"Debating Psychic Experience deserves to become required reading for sociologists, historians of contemporary science, and anybody involved in any kind of psi research." --Skeptical Investigations

"A fascinating read. . . . Recommended." --Choice

About the Author

Stanley Krippner, PhD, is professor of psychology at Saybrook University, San Francisco, CA.

Harris L. Friedman, PhD, is research professor of psychology at the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.