Log In
Or create an account ->
Imperial Library
Home
About
News
Upload
Forum
Help
Login/SignUp
Index
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction: Popular Paranormality vs. Skepticism
Fort Mifflin
No Nonsense, Please
Worldviews
Organizing Principles
1
Amateur Research and Investigation Groups (ARIGs)
Leisure Time
Defining Amateur Research and Investigation Groups
The Experience
Citizen Science
Organization
Studies of Amateurs on the Fringe
Categories
“Scientificity”
2
The Paranormal in Popular Culture
Paranormal versus Supernatural
Paranormal Themes in Pop Culture
Paranormal Media
Paranormal TV
Media Contribute to Beliefs
The Internet
3
Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Investigators
Psychical Research
Parapsychology
Harry Price
What Do Ghost/ARIGs Do?
As Seen on TV
Affiliations and Education
4
Seeking Monsters: Bigfoot and Other Cryptids
Historical Zoology
P-G Film
Champ
Crypto-Media
Your Average Cryptozoologist
Professional Cryptozoology
5
UFO Spotters
Flying Saucers
Investigating UFOs
MUFON
Contactees and Abductees
Today’s Ufologists
Crashed Saucers and the Modern Era
Alien TV
6
Twenty-first Century ARIGs
Paranormal Technology and Gadgets
ARIGs on the Web
Conferences
Professionalism
Educating the Public
How-to …
Social Aspects and Potential Harm
7
Science and the Public
What Is Science?
What Is “the Public”?
The Scientific Method—There Isn’t One
Why Science Is Privileged
Science Becomes Exclusive
On the Fringes
The Scientific Ethos
Image of Science
Science Talk
Sounds Sciencey
8
Science and the Paranormal
Science Rejects the Paranormal
Excluded from the Scientific Establishment
Animosity and Resentment
Public Interest Remains
Higher Learning
Personal Values
The Velikovsky Affair, or How to Tell What Is Worthwhile Scientific Work
Mind the Gap
Bigfoot’s DNA
9
ARIG Portrayal of Science to the Public
Scientifical in the Media
Sciencey-Sounding Language
We Use “Scientific Methods”
Approach
Case Documentation
Paranormal Theories
Ghost Theories
UFO Theories
Cryptid Theories
Contacting Scientific-Minded Groups
10
Methods and Evidence
People as Instruments
Technology
Visual Evidence
Cameras Lie
Videos
Hoaxes
Audio Evidence
EVP
Mystery Animal Sounds
Physical Evidence
Animal Traces and DNA
UFO Traces and Remains
Ectoplasm
Injuries and Bad Feelings
Apparitions
Rock Throwing
Atmospheric Conditions
Occult and Religious Practices
Psychics
Ouija
Dowsing and Pendulums
Religion
New Age
Native Beliefs
Spirit Cleansing
11
Inquiry and Investigation
What Is “Investigation”?
Bias
Approaching Investigation with a Pre-Existing Notion
Ruling Out Causes
Skeptical Investigators
Sham Inquiry
12
Pseudoscience
The Demarcation Problem
Is What ARIGs Do Pseudoscience?
Media Influence
The Fringe
The Cranks
Supernatural Creep and Conspiratorial Thinking
Skepticism
Conclusion: Beyond the Veil
Once and Former Ghost Hunters
Into the Swamp
Inside-Outside
Science is…
Science Appreciation
Sham Inquiry
Rational Paranormal Investigation: The Alternative to Sham Inquiry
Reassessing Goals
Framework for Paranormal Investigation
Innovation and Growth
Appendix: Ghost Hunting Guidebooks
A 1973 Practical Guide
Well-Meaning Nonsense, 2003
Ghost Tech and Science, 2012
Sciencey Real Ghost Hunting, 2003
Array of E-Books
Ultimate Ghost Hunting Guide by Jeff Terrozas, 2011
Ghost Seekers Field Guide, Volume 1 by Frank Potterstone, 2011
Ultimate Ghost Hunter Field Guide by Brandy Burgess, n.d.
Ghost Hunting 101: The Ultimate Resource for Beginner and Experienced Ghost Hunters by Ghostly World, 2015
The “Ultimate” Conclusion
Chapter Notes
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Conclusion
References
List of Names and Terms
← Prev
Back
Next →
← Prev
Back
Next →