Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries

294 Pages·2010·5.11 MB·English

by  Benjamin Radford

Scientific Paranormal Investigation
How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries
Benjamin Radford
For Randi and Joe, the best of the best.
Copyright 2010 by Benjamin Radford All rights reserved
Publisher Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Radford, Benjamin.
Scientific Paranormal Investigation: how to solve unexplained mysteries / by Benjamin Radford
p. cm
Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-936455-11-2
1. Curiosities and wonders. 2. Forensic sciences-- Miscellanea. 3.
Parapsychology. I. Title.
BF1031.R33 2010
133-dc21
Printed in the United States of America
Edited by Lisa Jong-Soon Goodlin
Cover by Marty Blake Graphic Design
Book design by Christopher Fix
Rhombus Publishing Company P.O. Box 806
Corrales NM 87048 USA
www.RhombusBooks.com
Acknowledgements
This book would not have been possible without the support of many
people. In addition to those mentioned in the text, I am grateful to many friends
and colleagues for inspiration and assistance, including Robert Bartholomew,
Tim Binga, Ed and Diane Buckner, Kevin Christopher, Christopher Fix,
Kendrick Frazier, Martin Gardner, Jenna Griffith, Ray Hyman, Tom Flynn, Lisa
Goodlin, DJ Grothe, Barry Karr, Paul Kurtz, Scott Lilienfeld, Daniel Loxton,
Paul Loynes, Joe Nickell, Massimo Polidoro, James Randi, Carl Sagan, Blake
Smith, Jim Underdown, Richard Wiseman, and others. The late Barry Beyerstein
and Michael Dennett were excellent researchers and good colleagues, and are
sorely missed.
Rob Britt, my editor at LiveScience.com, supported my efforts to bring
science and skepticism to the public (and stood by me through quasi-threats of
lawsuits from disgruntled psychics and New York Times reporters). Thanks also
to my friends and family through the years who accepted the fact that any trip to
another country with me would likely be spent at least partly investigating local
ghosts, monsters, and miracles.
Table of Contents
Part I: Science and the Paranormal
Introduction
Chapter 1: Science, Skepticism, and the Paranormal
Why Scientific Investigation?
Unexplained Vs. Unexplainable
The Importance of Research and Scholarship
Chapter 2: Psychology of the Paranormal
Eyewitnesses and Personal Experience
Case Studies in the Psychology of the Paranormal
The Case of the Disappearing Dhow
The Case of the Psychic Cat
The Case of the Destination Truth Yeti Tracks
The Case of the Wikipedia Prophecy
The Case of the Psychic Psychotherapist
Part II: Conducting Scientific Paranormal Investigation
Chapter 3: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries
Mystery as Missing Context
Types of Mysteries and Investigations
Researching the Mystery
Applying Scientific Methods to Paranormal Investigation
Analyzing Claim Clusters
Logical Fallacies
Guidelines for Scientific Paranormal Investigation
Conducting Field Investigations
Interviewing Eyewitnesses
Investigating Photographic and Video Evidence
Investigation Equipment
Other Perspectives on Scientific Paranormal Investigation
The Great Carlos Caper (James Randi)
Catching Ghosts (Joe Nickell)
The Testing of Susie Cotrell (Martin Gardner)
Mr. Polty and the Magic Clock (Susan Blackmore)
Avoid Explaining What Needs No Explanation (Ray Hyman)
Believe Nothing Until It’s Officially Denied (David Clarke)
Using Inconvenient Facts to Assess Claims (David E. Thomas)
Improvisation in Investigation (Richard Wiseman)
Busting Ghost Busters with the Historical Method (Karen Stollznow)
Three Simple Guidelines (James Underdown)
Always Seek Out Original Sources (Daniel Loxton)
Sleuthing the Psychic Sleuths (Gary P. Posner)
The Capital Mistake (Massimo Polidoro)
Beware the Lying Camera (Blake Smith)
Chapter 4: How Not to Investigate the Paranormal:
Science and Pseudoscience in Ghost Investigations
Part III: Case Studies in Scientific Paranormal Investigation
Chapter 5: The Demonic Ghost House
Chapter 6: The Psychic and the Serial Killer
Chapter 7: Riddle of the Crop Circles
Chapter 8: Ogopogo, the Bloodthirsty Lake Monster
Chapter 9: The Mysterious Santa Fe Courthouse Ghost
Chapter 10: The Amazing Lee B., Remote Viewer
Chapter 11: The Mysterious Pokémon Panic
Chapter 12: The White Witch of Rose Hall
Chapter 13: Slaying the Vampire: Solving the Chupacabra Mystery
Appendix 1: Further Reading and Investigations
Appendix 2: Proper Criticism (Ray Hyman)
Index
Introduction
“To kill an error is as good a service as, and sometimes even better than, the
establishing of a new truth or fact.”
- Charles Darwin
Scientific Paranormal Investigation is designed to be useful to a variety of
people with different interests. First, for would-be paranormal investigators,
those who have read about the world’s strange mysteries and want to try their
hand at it, this is a “how to” guide for conducting successful scientific
investigations into “unexplained” phenomenon. Interest in the paranormal has
rarely been higher; top-rated TV shows feed the public’s interest in the
supernatural. Millions of people watch paranormal-themed television shows on
everything from ghosts to psychic detectives, monsters to crop circles, not
realizing that they are seeing entertainment instead of actual investigation. (For a
scientific analysis of the ghost hunting on such shows, see chapter 4, “How Not
to Investigate the Paranormal: Science and Pseudoscience in Ghost
Investigations.”) Reading this book won’t make you a scientific paranormal
investigator, any more than reading a book on car repair makes you a mechanic.
But it will give you insight into the process and a solid blueprint to work from.
For people with some knowledge of skepticism and an interest in the
paranormal—but who don’t necessarily have the time, inclination, or ability to
become a paranormal investigator themselves—the collection of illustrative case
studies in this book will provide important background information on the
topics. Being knowledgeable about solved cases can be very useful when
discussing paranormal topics with skeptics and believers alike.
For the millions who have an interest in the paranormal but who are not
necessarily familiar with what skeptics are or what they do, this book provides
an understanding of skepticism and how science can be applied to modern
mysteries and the paranormal. People are often surprised to learn that
paranormal phenomena can be—and indeed has been—subjected to solid
scientific analysis. Understanding skepticism will make you a better critical
thinker. The principles of skepticism and scientific investigation are identical
and apply far beyond exotic topics like ghosts and monsters; they will help you
spot logical fallacies and faulty arguments in all areas. The information and case
studies here will give the other side of the story all too often missing from
mysterymongering, pro-paranormal books, shows, and magazine articles on the
topics.
Many readers with no particular interest in investigation will find firsthand
accounts of a wide variety of fascinating topics: psychic cats, bloodthirsty lake
monsters, cruel voodoo witches, ghosts, ESP tests, and much more. Anyone with
an interest in the bizarre and unexplained will find a treasure trove of mysteries
—all examined from a credible, scientific point of view.
This book focuses on the practical aspects of applied skepticism. I have
resisted the temptation to delve too deeply into the philosophy and history of
skepticism. It’s important to understand the nature, scope, and context of
skeptical investigation, but others have done a far superior job in discussing
these matters than I could. There are wonderful books by the great philosophers
of skepticism, from David Hume to Paul Kurtz, and those works appear in the
extensive bibliography. I encourage interested readers to seek out the sources
and references I provide, as well as the books in the recommended further
reading sections. Joe Nickell’s books, especially Missing Pieces: How to
Investigate Ghosts, UFOs, Psychics, and Other Mysteries, are other excellent
resources.
I have been involved in hundreds of investigations over the years. Some
cases were solved in a few hours by consulting references; others took months of
research and preparation. A thorough background in science is helpful, but not
necessary to be a knowledgeable skeptic. Many of the keys to understanding
skepticism are accessible to the average person. These principles include
understanding the basics of chance and randomness; understanding scientific
methods; an appreciation of psychology (including how beliefs are formed, and
how we fool others and ourselves); and the principles of critical thinking
(Occam’s razor, logical fallacies, etc.). Many of the so-called soft sciences, such
as linguistics and sociology, have made important contributions to skepticism. I
can speak knowledgeably about skepticism, science, and many aspects of the
paranormal, but I’m not a professional scientist. I do, however, have a solid
understanding of how science works, and what makes good and bad science.
Throughout this book I share personal anecdotes. This is inevitable, as my
skepticism is an ingrained characteristic, a guide for living. It is not simply a set
of principles I pull out of a bag when it comes time to play Sherlock Holmes or
Fox Mulder. Investigation is a personal enterprise, and trying to separate out the
personal from the professional is not only pointless but counterproductive. (One
of the most popular and powerful columns in Skeptical Inquirer Magazine that
Joe Nickell ever wrote was a personal story about intuition, and how it united
him with a long-lost daughter.)
In some ways anecdotes are a bane of investigators, for they are not
evidence. In this book the anecdotes are offered not as evidence but as examples.
Personal, concrete examples illustrating a principle are much more easily learned
and remembered than generic guidelines, so I hope the reader will pardon any
digressions.
There are thousands of people in the world who call themselves paranormal
investigators, ghost hunters, or something similar. Paranormal investigation
requires no certificate; anyone can do it with no training, knowledge, or
expertise whatsoever. Whether they are effective or not— actually solve any
mysteries—is another matter entirely.
There are even some “paranormal investigation” handbooks claiming to
instruct readers on how to look into ghosts and the supernatural. The problem is
that, with a few exceptions, none of the authors have any background in logic,
investigation, or science. They may be writers, but they do little or no actual
investigation. Merely collecting ghost stories or Bigfoot reports is not
investigation. In short, most “experts” on the paranormal have little if any
credibility; they are simply folks who have an interest in the topics and decided
to write books that mostly ignore the skeptical, rational explanations in favor of
mysterymongering. Readers should research the author(s) to evaluate their
credibility and history of successful investigation and solved mysteries. If you
are going to buy a book or take a course on paranormal investigation, you
deserve to have an author or instructor who knows what he or she is talking
about.
Many people who are interested in the paranormal believe that one method
of investigation is as good as another, that there is no “correct” way to
investigate the unexplained. According to authors Marley Gibson, Dave
Schrader, and Patrick Burns in their 2009 book The Other Side: A Teen’s Guide
to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal, “There are a multitude of paranormal
investigators with differing philosophies on how to investigate. No one can truly
say that his or her methods are better than anyone else’s” (p. ix). Christopher
Moon, editor-in-chief of Haunted Times Magazine, agrees, writing in 2010 that
“if ghosts/aliens/vampires and the occasional bizarre creature haven’t been
proven to exist, then how can we say who is going about investigating it the right
or wrong way? Simply put, we can’t.”
Of course we can.
If the goal of investigation is to understand an unexplained phenomenon,
then the methods that produce information solving the mystery are the right
ones; the methods that do not help solve the mystery are the wrong ones. It’s as