Parapsychology and the Skeptics

Chris Carter, author of several excellent articles on issues relating to consciousness and psi, has a new book out called Parapsychology and the Skeptics. I've ordered my copy from Amazon, but apparently it will take 4-6 weeks to arrive. Even so, I'm happy to recommend the book sight unseen because of the high quality of Chris Carter's previous work and the glowing endorsements his book has received.

The publisher's page for the book is here.

Rupert Sheldrake's foreword is here.

Comparative prices from different online retailers are shown here.

Carter is a thoughtful and knowledgeable writer who brings much-needed seriousness to this topic. I look forward to reading his book as it soon as it reaches me.

And by the way, Amazon, what's up with this 4-6 weeks deal?  :-(

Comments

[Michael Tymn]

Michael,

Thanks for bringing Carter's book to my attention. Speaking of "skeptics," more properly "pseudo-skeptics," I happened to notice Randi's site a day or two ago. He mentioned that two of his friends had died. He wished them a "good bye." Can one have a "good bye" if he is extinct? Does that mean Randi doesn't believe what he preaches?
My dictionary doesn't give a good definition of "bye" in the sense that it is used in that expression, but I take it to mean a detour from the main road, not a falling off a cliff into an abyss of nothingness. At any rate, I'm not sure how it could be "good" if one is not to experience it.

[Michael Tymn]

After posting the above item, I went on my four-mile run/walk and began wondering what one tells a friend on his deathbed if he belongs to the Randi school of thought. It wouldn't be proper to say, "Bye for now, we'll meet again one day," or words to that effect. You can't say "Happy Obliteration," because "happy" is an emotion and implies some kind of survival. Nor would "total extinction!" be a proper parting as one might infer from that sendoff that extinction can be incomplete. I've got an in-law pretty close to his deathbed. He has asked me to preside at his memorial service but not to talk about any of that "spirit stuff."
I may be present at his deathbed and am at a loss as to how to nicely wish him a "good" extinction. Michael, can you or someone else help?

[william]

Thomas Huxley: “Sit down before fact like a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly to wherever and to whatever abysses nature leads, or you shall learn nothing.”

This quote above is from carter's article. Has anyone every lived that was ready to give up every preconceived notion and to follow humbly to whatever abyss nature leads.

If such a person exists I have not found him or her.

It appears to me that it takes a tremendous amount of pain usually from a personal significant emotional event for us to even considering any other notions then our own cherished beliefs.

As far as the brain creating consciousness, after 16 years of reading and research into the mysteries of life might I suggest that one would have to be in a complete state of mental paralysis to not see that the evidence highly suggests that consciousness can survive outside the human body?

Ultra skeptics and religious fundamentalists are two sides of the same “we know the truth” coin and neither side has any idea that their system of beliefs is as rigid as a hickory board.

[Michael Prescott]

>Can one have a "good bye" if he is extinct? Does that mean Randi doesn't believe what he preaches?

I'm sure he's quite sincere. He probably just meant that he would miss them. And while it may not be semantically correct, you can say goodbye to something that's destined to be annihilated. I said goodbye to a car of mine that was totaled in a crash, knowing that it was headed for the crusher. It's a sentimental gesture.

As for what you say to someone on his or her deathbed ... there's a scene in the TV show "E.R." where a dying patient says he didn't do everything he wanted to do, and the doctor says, very kindly, "You did enough."

Here is a quote from Grandma Moses that expresses the same thought: "I look back on my life like a good day's work; it was done and I am satisfied with it."

[Michael Tymn]

"You did enough."

"I look back on my life like a good day's work; it was done and I am satisfied with it."

And my response would be: "To what end?" So that my kids and grandkids can ask the same questions on their deathbeds?

It might work for some, but it doesn't for me.

[ersby]

This is interesting. The introduction is on the internet as a pdf:

http://www.parapsychologyandtheskeptics.com/P&Ssamples.pdf

Trouble is, it repeats a few things that I have previously researched and found wanting. For example, he writes "So great was the prestige of the committee and
so convincing its arguments that museums all over Western Europe threw away
their meteorite specimens. As a result, there are very few preserved meteorite
specimens that date prior to 1790." Well, there are quite a lot of pre-1790 meteorites in museums from what I can see on online databases. Carter doesn't give a reference for that claim, so it's hard to cross check. (plus, this bares a resemblence to a claim I've seen that there are no pre1790 meteorites in museums, which is simply not true.)

He also writes about the Berger/Blackmore debate but gives Blackmore barely one sentence in reply to the paragraphs quoted from Berger. Still, maybe the main body of the book will be more even-handed.

[Ginny]

I read somewhere that "goodbye" is a derivation or shortened version of "God be with you". Since most hardened skeptics seem to be atheists, they might want to use "farewell" instead. :-)

[Ginny]

Oops, on second thought, "farewell" doesn't work either, since if one no longer exists, one can't be "faring" any way at all. Ah, well.

[william]

Michael Tymm it does not work for me either. The statement ignorance is bliss comes to my mind here and it was taken out of context and now is often stated as a statement of fact.

Considering that ignorance is the root cause or origin of most of our suffering it is in our very "nature" to discover and to ask "what is the meaning of what seems to be" as Dr Hora suggested. http://pagl.org/

Ginny your comments remind me of a person that I read about that every time he met a new person he would ask: “what happens to us after we die?” Well this put most people off but one response he did remember was the person that responded by stating: “well I suppose after we die we go to heaven and be with Jesus and live happily ever after, but why do you bring up such a morbid subject”?

[Alex]

"And my response would be: "To what end?" So that my kids and grandkids can ask the same questions on their deathbeds?"

Can you answer this question? Even if there is some sort of afterlife, that doesn't imply that there is any underlying purpose or meaning to our existence or the universe.

[Ulysses]

"Can you answer this question? Even if there is some sort of afterlife, that doesn't imply that there is any underlying purpose or meaning to our existence or the universe."

Those who already are in the afterlife repeatedly inform us that in fact there is purpose and meaning to our existence in the universe.

[Alex]

"Those who already are in the afterlife repeatedly inform us that in fact there is purpose and meaning to our existence in the universe."

For the sake of argument, I will put aside your assumption that mediumistic "communications" establish the existence of the afterlife. Sorry, but in my opinion, there aren't any enlightened words of wisdom coming out of these "communications." It is interesting when veridical information is obtained, but for the most part this information just seems to be made up of trivial anecdotes.

Do you mean to tell me that people suddenly obtain omniscience once they die so that they immediately understand the purpose and meaning of life? I don't buy the New Age touchy feely cliches about how "we're all one" or that "we're here to learn and love each other." Whenever I hear this stuff, my bullshit filter tags this as "wishful thinking."

[Michael Prescott]

I like the material provided in The Road to Immortality, which is available online. I also think highly of Helen Greaves' Testimony of Light.

Of course, what is meaningful to one person may not be meaningful to another. For instance, I find Buddhism rather nihilistic and dispiriting, but presumably Buddhists find it inspirational.

[william]

Alex
"Do you mean to tell me that people suddenly obtain omniscience once they die so that they immediately understand the purpose and meaning of life?"

One of the biggest misconceptions about life after death is that we become enlightened or gain some great wisdom after we die. It appears that like attracts like after death. This may be the reason we humans like to be around people that hold similar beliefs that we cherish.

As far as no wisdom coming out of those on the other side the books the open door and the spirits book appear to support much of what I have learned from my readings on life after death and what the mystics tell us on this side of life.

As far as purpose and meaning of our lives. I think we have to rely on theories at this time. Who knows the ultimate meaning of our lives other than the absolute isness. My theory pure awareness (oneness) expresses itself through us; knowing of course that us is that that is expressing itself. Paradox after paradox.

[Cyrus]

Alex,

One can get stuck in a quagmire if they try to ponder whether or not existence is meaningless. It's all a matter of choice, if one chooses existence to be pointless, in afterlife context or not, then it will be pointless for you. Visa versa.

I'm glad there isn't one specific purpose in life, because that would make everything so very linear. However, I do believe there is a purpose to Earth life in particular, and it is apparently about learning how to love and deal with one another in a tough, "boot camp" like environment.

Read some of the huge NDE archives online. It's better information than what you may get from mediums, not to mention more compelling. And, don't be so quick to scoff at notions about the power of love and unity. It seems when people experience this feeling in NDE's, it clears all pessimistic notions about existence from their minds. It is probably only something that can be described by feeling, so we'll never be able to understand from reading about it.

[Michael Prescott]

Cyrus's comment reminded me of another book with an interesting take on the meaning of life: Lessons from the Light, by Kenneth Ring and Evelyn Elsaesser Valarino. The book teaches the lessons learned by near-death experiencers, some of which strike me as quite profound. Of course, one person's profundity is another's banality, but these lessons have changed the lives of many NDErs and even of people who've only read about NDEs.

[Alex]

Cyrus,

I don't care whether or not this universe has a purpose; I don't even think the question can be framed coherently. My rant was against the assumption that skeptics have a less fulfilling life for not believing in an afterlife, etc.

I have no doubt that people are profoundly affected by NDEs, but I'm not convinced about the validity of their conclusions. Human perception is notoriously fickle and there is a huge potential for self deception in this arena.

[Art]

"Do you mean to tell me that people suddenly obtain omniscience once they die so that they immediately understand the purpose and meaning of life? I don't buy the New Age touchy feely cliches about how "we're all one" or that "we're here to learn and love each other." Whenever I hear this stuff, my bullshit filter tags this as "wishful thinking." - Alex
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The "oneness" and "connectedness" comes from the holographic nature of the "other side." I also don't buy into the "we're here to learn to love one another" or "we're here to become one with God." What I do believe is that the soul (whatever the heck it is) is here to experience duality and separation, time and space, and imprint memories of what it's like to exist in a 3D + 1T Universe. Duality and separation teach the soul what it means and how it feels to be separate, something that may be very difficult, or even impossible in the Spiritual Universe due to the overwhelming feelings of oneness and connectedness (which is because of it's "holographic nature). Because time and space don't really exist in a hologram the soul also has to experience them in the physical realm, as well as "learn" what it feels like to live in a 3D + 1T Universe.

Why? Because "heaven" seems to be a place where thoughts are things and consciousness creates reality. A place where matter is an epiphenomena of consciousness, or where knowledge is primary and matter is secondary. The soul comes from a place where nothing exists without it first being thought of. It's a place where the way a person thinks dictates what kind of environment it will exist in. Essentially you conjure up your own afterlife with your mind.

The problem is that so much of what it means to be alive can't be truly understood without experiencing it. For instance, making love. You can read a book about it or watch it on TV, but until you've actually done it, participated in it, you can't really say you understand it. The same is true for a plethora of other things in life, eating an olive, riding a bike, flying in a plane, running, etc. Reading about them or even watching a DVD about them is nowhere near the same thing as doing them.

We may never be allowed to know absolutely for certain that there is life after death because the death of a loved one is the ultimate form of experiencing separation. Nothing else comes close. It's the most emotional separation experience we can have. Nothing else teaches us what it feels like to be alone and separate like losing someone we love. If we knew absolutely for certain that one day we were going to be reunited with our loved ones death would lose a little of it's power as a lesson in separation.

stub your toe, hit your funny bone, paper cuts, burns, scratching an itch, comb your hair, brush your teeth, touch your face, insects walking on your skin, every physical experience imprints memories on the soul of what "out there" looks and feels like. It "paints a picture" or sends code to the soul of the parameters of the body, teaching the soul what "out there" looks and feels like.

[Art]

We are spiritual beings here to have a physical experience. Life's lesson's are embedded in our everyday lives and the soul learns "holistically" what it's supposed to learn, whether we want it to or not. Duality and separation are inherent and inescapable properties of the physical universe and life is a neverending lesson in separation from the moment we are born and the umbilical cord is cut separation us from our mothers, and every morning when we get up and use the restroom, to the moment we die when even our deaths become a lesson in separation to our loved ones who are left behind. And it has everything to do with the holographic nature of Universe.

[Michael Tymn]

""Sorry, but in my opinion, there aren't any enlightened words of wisdom coming out of these "communications." It is interesting when veridical information is obtained, but for the most part this information just seems to be made up of trivial anecdotes"

Alex, obviously you haven't read the works of Stainton Moses, Allan Kardec, Maurice Barbanell (Silver Birch), et al. There is so much more than the trivial messages that you refer to if you look for it. And, no, spirits don't become all-knowing upon transition. Most of the words of wisdom come from the advanced spirit world, i.e., spirits who have been on the "other side" for many years, if "years" is the correct word to express time in higher realms. Unfortunately, they tell us that it is more difficult for them to get through than for the spirits who are closer to the earth plane.

[Ginny]

There are reams of published channelled teachings purporting to come from the Other Side. Many whole books are readable online. Check out spiritwritings.com - notably Kardec's The Spirits' Book, which is sort of an encyclopedia of chanelled teachings. Also, a search for Silver Birch will turn up oodles of his lectures readable online. You can agree or disagree with their body of work, but you can't claim it doesn't exist.

There seem to be two types of communicators: a)known loved ones who want first and foremost to convey their continuing existence; here the trivial details you mentioned are the most evidential way of establishing identity; and b) teachers and guides who purport to instruct us on our conduct/character in this world, conditions in the next world, how the two are related, and how we advance and progress in this world and the next.

Why would we expect instant wisdom just because someone crossed over (perhaps unexpectedly) into a completely different and somewhat indescribable place? At the outset, he is the same person he always was. This is what we would expect, and every medium I have ever heard intone on the subject confirms it.

[Alex]

"You can agree or disagree with their body of work, but you can't claim it doesn't exist."

Granted, I'm not that well versed in the literature on this topic. I certainly don't want to denigrate people's personal beliefs. I apologize if I went overboard with my rant.