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Re: Forensic Parapsychology
It sounds cool:) I searched the net and found an Institute for Forensic Parapsychology, but I don’t understand what it is.
I got the following from about Forensic Science wiki:
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action.
I can’t see this being associated with parapsychology. So perhaps:
Besides its relevance to a legal system, more generally forensics encompasses the accepted scholarly or scientific methodology and norms under which the facts regarding an event, or an artifact, or some other physical item (such as a corpse) are ascertained as being the case. In that regard the concept is related to the notion of authentication, where by an interest outside of a legal form exists in determining whether an object is what it purports to be, or is alleged as being.
But this generally relates to objects.
The word forensic comes from the Latin adjective forensis, meaning "of or before the forum". In Roman times, a criminal charge meant presenting the case before a group of public individuals in the forum. Both the person accused of the crime and the accuser would give speeches based on their side of the story. The individual with the best argument and delivery would determine the outcome of the case. This origin is the source of the two modern usages of the word forensic – as a form of legal evidence and as a category of public presentation.
In modern use, the term "forensics" in place of "forensic science" can be considered incorrect as the term "forensic" is effectively a synonym for "legal" or "related to courts". However, the term is now so closely associated with the scientific field that many dictionaries include the meaning that equates the word "forensics" with "forensic science".
And this definition about parapsychology:
Parapsychology is a discipline that seeks to investigate the existence and causes of psychic abilities and life after death using the scientific method. Parapsychological experiments have included the use of random number generators to test for evidence of precognition and psychokinesis with both human and animal subjects and Ganzfeld experiments to test for extrasensory perception.
So how does parapsychology fit in with legal evidence when psychic ability is not a recognised fact and psychic abilities are not physical objects. If it’s just a metter of proving psychic ability, then why not just call it parapsychology.
Re: Forensic Parapsychology
Yes it is the legal asopect I was thinking about. I can accept Forensic Psychology, but struggle with Forensic Parapsychology
Re: Forensic Parapsychology
Generally, I say ‘forensic’ can prepended to any activity where the goal is to formally authenticate a claim using accepted, established methods. Drawing a line from the original Latin meaning, I’d say it’s also related to dialectics, the practice of realising the truth using reason and logical argument.
Re: Forensic Parapsychology
Parapsychology actively investigates claims of PSI based phenomena, so why add the Forensic descriptor. It does not need it, unless, Forensic Parapsychology is differant to Parapsychology.
Re: Forensic Parapsychology
I think Forensic Parapsychology suggests a more ‘applied’ approach if you know what I mean, that it is concerned more with exploring narrowly defined events and synergies to solve a given mystery; whereas Parapsychology (without the descriptor) is more broad and academic, concerned with the fundamental principles of the subject.
The problem is, practically everyone (including myself) thinks of ‘forensic’ as existing primarily in a criminology setting. Perhaps ‘Applied Parapsychology’ would be more appropriate.
Re: Forensic Parapsychology
Does anyone know of anywhere you could take a parapsychology course?
Re: Forensic Parapsychology
It appears, from a quick online survey, that ‘Forensic Parapsychology’ applies to what we might otherwise call ‘ghost hunting’. I’m afraid there is little evidence that there is any real research behind what is being offered at the Institute for Forensic Parapsychology. And I can find nothing else that is not linked to this Institute in some way which suggests that Forensic Parapsychology is a legitimate branch of the science of research Parapsychology as practiced by members of the Parapsychological Association based in the U.S.
[i]Anomalous Phenomena is Unexplained not Impossible
Psi is Subtle not Absolute
Anything is possible, it’a all a matter of Probability[/i]
Re: Forensic Parapsychology
For some reason, I said that name out loud and half expected to discover David Caruso lurking over my shoulder.
"So, the Ghost did it!"
Summum Nec Metuam Diem Nec Optima
Re: Forensic Parapsychology
Generally, in order to become a "professional, academic parapsychologist" it is necessary to have both undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications, usually in psychology. This is usually because you would be pursuing an academic career within a department at a University.
This process commonly follows two to three stages:
A Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) degree, usually in psychology (3-4 years).
A Masters of Science (M.Sc) degree, again usually in some area of psychology (1-2 years). This stage can be optional.
A Doctoral (Ph.D) degree, usually in psychology and often with a focus on an area of parapsychology (3-5 years).
There is NO such thing as a Forensic Parapsychologist. Forensics is a legal term and has nothing whatsoever to do with the field of Parapsychology.
Re: Forensic Parapsychology
From Websters:
Forensic:
One could make an argument that forensic parapsychology happens every time the police visit a medium. Which does happen on occasion.
Summum Nec Metuam Diem Nec Optima
Re: Forensic Parapsychology
“Forensic Parapsychology” may describe something I have been doing for some time in the investigation of mediumship.
I am using measuring anecdotal statements against historical accuracy. Often statements go against the historical record. There have been some interesting examples where these statements have actually modified recorded history. It is important to understand that these statements are not taken initially as true. They are instead used to further investigate specifica aspect of history forensically and thus if validated may change the related history.
Two examples of this.
In the 1980s information was provided during a remote viewing study involving a purportedly “haunted” location. One of the remote viewers produced specific historical information about this National Parks Service site. This information was later confirmed by a respected NPS historian and the archivist of the U.S. Supreme Court, since some of the information pertained to the history of the Court.
In 2006 a California medium provided valuable historical information as to the true identity of a young woman who purportedly haunts the Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, California. She had been misidentified for over a century. After 2 1/2 years of forensic historical research, I confirmed this fact. The story that came out was completely contradictory to four other prior histories that had been developed by as many other authors, all of whom had made understandable mistakes. I consulted over 20 subject matter experts in over a dozen fields during this research.
We have many examples where the histories of events have been informally rewritten as a result of mediumistic and even apparitional experiences.
So if I had to define “forensic parapsychology” in this context, I would say it is the practice of confirming information provided through anomalous psi information channels with the impact of modifying some form of history.
This could extend to using psychic detectives as well.
Anomalous Phenomena is Unexplained not Impossible
Psi is Subtle not Absolute
Anything is possible, it’a all a matter of Probability