Your Editor will be presenting at the 32ndAnnual Meeting of the Society for Scientific Exploration to be held in Dearborn, Michigan, June 6-8, 2013
Anomalistic Science: Redefining Boundaries and Terminology, is scheduled for Saturday, June 8, 2013, at 3:15pm.
The abstract is below
Anomalistic Science: Redefining boundaries and terminology
The terms ‘Parapsychology’ and ‘ufology’ now implicitly carry unscientific,
negative and dismissive connotations in the minds of a significant number of both
scientists and members of the public, due to a variety of factors to be discussed.
These terms have also demonstrated an increasing lack of clarity in description as to
what phenomena are included in their definition and study.
We discuss the latter problem as resulting from a better understanding of the range
of unusual phenomena researchers encounter. Further, misperception regarding
what, for example, 'Parapsychology' is, the phenomena it encompasses in its study,
and what methods it utilizes, continues to be a barrier to both public understanding
of these fields and appreciation by other scientists of the (often) careful nature of
the science involved.
With a growing negativity in the minds of the public and mainstream science
regarding the scientific merit and scope of said fields, a change in reference has
often been discussed (eg Simmonds-Moore, 2011). Carpenter (2012) suggests
changes in terminology may also have a positive effect on the manner in which
phenomena under study are conceptualized and approached by authories in the
fields of medicine and psychotherapeutics.
We further the argument that a less 'loaded' term be adopted. Pointing to the
Cognitive Sciences as an umbrella term under which interdisciplinary collaboration
is exhibited by, for example, researchers in cognitive psychology and artificial
intelligence, leading to a better understanding and utilization of the wide range
of research taking place in these areas. We suggest use of the umbrella term
Anomalistic Science (adapted from Anomalistic Psychology; Zusne and Jones,
1982).
