L. Stafford Betty
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195335224
- eISBN:
- 9780199868810
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335224.003.0022
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
A good course on death does more than explore the way we die and grieve. It does more than show us how to prepare a living will or to decide whether physician-assisted suicide is ethical. It does ...
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A good course on death does more than explore the way we die and grieve. It does more than show us how to prepare a living will or to decide whether physician-assisted suicide is ethical. It does more than survey the various religious views on death and afterlife or the philosophical arguments for or against survival of bodily death. A complete course will address the question of meaning. What is the meaning of death? The meaning of death hinges on the question of afterlife—as does the meaning of life. Do we survive death? If so, what do we survive into? There is no evidence more helpful in deciding how to answer these questions than that coming out of psychical research. This chapter looks at the most important of these evidences: near-death experiences, deathbed visions, studies of children who remember previous lives, and mediumistic accounts of the world beyond.Less
A good course on death does more than explore the way we die and grieve. It does more than show us how to prepare a living will or to decide whether physician-assisted suicide is ethical. It does more than survey the various religious views on death and afterlife or the philosophical arguments for or against survival of bodily death. A complete course will address the question of meaning. What is the meaning of death? The meaning of death hinges on the question of afterlife—as does the meaning of life. Do we survive death? If so, what do we survive into? There is no evidence more helpful in deciding how to answer these questions than that coming out of psychical research. This chapter looks at the most important of these evidences: near-death experiences, deathbed visions, studies of children who remember previous lives, and mediumistic accounts of the world beyond.
Paul Marshall
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199279432
- eISBN:
- 9780191603440
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199279438.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
The classic characterizations of extrovertive mystical experience by R. M. Bucke, Rudolf Otto, W. T. Stace, and R. C. Zaehner are summarized and their limitations exposed. The author proceeds to give ...
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The classic characterizations of extrovertive mystical experience by R. M. Bucke, Rudolf Otto, W. T. Stace, and R. C. Zaehner are summarized and their limitations exposed. The author proceeds to give a more nuanced description of extrovertive phenomenology, based on his study of a large number of mystical accounts. Several kinds of extrovertive unity are distinguished, and details are given of other notable characteristics: self-transcendence, expansive knowledge, all-encompassing love, visual and auditory phenomena, altered time-experience, presences and realities, somatic phenomena, paranormal phenomena, and fusion of characteristics, including synaesthesia. The experiences are often uplifting, but there can be disturbing features too, especially in cases associated with drugs, mental breakdown, and kundalini arousal.Less
The classic characterizations of extrovertive mystical experience by R. M. Bucke, Rudolf Otto, W. T. Stace, and R. C. Zaehner are summarized and their limitations exposed. The author proceeds to give a more nuanced description of extrovertive phenomenology, based on his study of a large number of mystical accounts. Several kinds of extrovertive unity are distinguished, and details are given of other notable characteristics: self-transcendence, expansive knowledge, all-encompassing love, visual and auditory phenomena, altered time-experience, presences and realities, somatic phenomena, paranormal phenomena, and fusion of characteristics, including synaesthesia. The experiences are often uplifting, but there can be disturbing features too, especially in cases associated with drugs, mental breakdown, and kundalini arousal.
June O. Leavitt
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199827831
- eISBN:
- 9780199919444
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199827831.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
This book aims to show that the “Kafkaesque” in Franz Kafka may be immediate or residual impressions of the clairvoyance which Kafka admitted he suffered from: Those aspects of his writings in which ...
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This book aims to show that the “Kafkaesque” in Franz Kafka may be immediate or residual impressions of the clairvoyance which Kafka admitted he suffered from: Those aspects of his writings in which the solid basis of human cognition totters, and objects are severed from physical referents, can be understood as mystical states of consciousness. However, this book also demonstrates how the age in which Kafka lived shaped his mystical states. Kafka lived during the modern Spiritual Revival, a powerful movement which resisted materialism, rejected the adulation of science and Darwin and idealized clairvoyant modes of consciousness. Key personalities who were Kafka’s contemporaries encouraged the counterculture to seek the true essence of reality by inducing out-of-body experiences and producing spiritual visions through meditative techniques. Most importantly, they inspired the representation of altered perception in art and literature. Leaders of the Spiritual Revival also called for changes in lifestyle in order to help transform consciousness. Vegetarianism became essential to reach higher consciousness and to return humanity to its divine nature. It is no surprise that Kafka became a vegetarian and wrote several important narratives from an animal’s point of view. Interweaving the occult discourse on clairvoyance, the divine nature of animal life, vegetarianism, the spiritual sources of dreams, and the eternal nature of the soul with Kafka’s dream-chronicles, animal narratives, diaries, letters, and stories, this book takes the reader through the mystical textuality of a great psychic writer and through the fascinating epoch of the great Spiritual Revival.Less
This book aims to show that the “Kafkaesque” in Franz Kafka may be immediate or residual impressions of the clairvoyance which Kafka admitted he suffered from: Those aspects of his writings in which the solid basis of human cognition totters, and objects are severed from physical referents, can be understood as mystical states of consciousness. However, this book also demonstrates how the age in which Kafka lived shaped his mystical states. Kafka lived during the modern Spiritual Revival, a powerful movement which resisted materialism, rejected the adulation of science and Darwin and idealized clairvoyant modes of consciousness. Key personalities who were Kafka’s contemporaries encouraged the counterculture to seek the true essence of reality by inducing out-of-body experiences and producing spiritual visions through meditative techniques. Most importantly, they inspired the representation of altered perception in art and literature. Leaders of the Spiritual Revival also called for changes in lifestyle in order to help transform consciousness. Vegetarianism became essential to reach higher consciousness and to return humanity to its divine nature. It is no surprise that Kafka became a vegetarian and wrote several important narratives from an animal’s point of view. Interweaving the occult discourse on clairvoyance, the divine nature of animal life, vegetarianism, the spiritual sources of dreams, and the eternal nature of the soul with Kafka’s dream-chronicles, animal narratives, diaries, letters, and stories, this book takes the reader through the mystical textuality of a great psychic writer and through the fascinating epoch of the great Spiritual Revival.
June O. Leavitt
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199827831
- eISBN:
- 9780199919444
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199827831.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
This chapter creates a classification of signs by which clairvoyant textuality can be evaluated. Subsequently, it examines Kafka’s writings for such signs. Certain diary entries are marked by the ...
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This chapter creates a classification of signs by which clairvoyant textuality can be evaluated. Subsequently, it examines Kafka’s writings for such signs. Certain diary entries are marked by the intrusion of a disembodied being which Kafka designates as “You.” The confusing dialogues which ensue suggest that Kafka’s clairvoyance may have caused apparitions. The dialogues also reflect occult ideology which granted existence to spiritual beings. The story “Unhappiness” is another example of the intrusion of a spiritual entity into a Kafka text. The struggle which takes place between the narrator and the spirit can be interpreted as dramatization of the conflict which Kafka described to Steiner. This chapter also argues that the story “Description of a Struggle,” dramatizes an out-of-body experience which a clairvoyant might have had. The story may also be an attempt at artistic representation of theories espoused by psychical researchers and occult ideologues during Kafka’s lifetime.Less
This chapter creates a classification of signs by which clairvoyant textuality can be evaluated. Subsequently, it examines Kafka’s writings for such signs. Certain diary entries are marked by the intrusion of a disembodied being which Kafka designates as “You.” The confusing dialogues which ensue suggest that Kafka’s clairvoyance may have caused apparitions. The dialogues also reflect occult ideology which granted existence to spiritual beings. The story “Unhappiness” is another example of the intrusion of a spiritual entity into a Kafka text. The struggle which takes place between the narrator and the spirit can be interpreted as dramatization of the conflict which Kafka described to Steiner. This chapter also argues that the story “Description of a Struggle,” dramatizes an out-of-body experience which a clairvoyant might have had. The story may also be an attempt at artistic representation of theories espoused by psychical researchers and occult ideologues during Kafka’s lifetime.
David J. Bartholomew
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198270140
- eISBN:
- 9780191683923
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198270140.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Philosophy of Religion
The certainties which underpinned Christian belief have crumbled in a world where science sets the standard of what is true. A rational case for belief must therefore be constructed out of ...
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The certainties which underpinned Christian belief have crumbled in a world where science sets the standard of what is true. A rational case for belief must therefore be constructed out of uncertainties. Probability theory provides the tools for measuring and combining uncertainties and is thus the key to progress. This book examines four much debated topics where the logic of uncertain reference can be brought to bear. These are: miracles, the paranormal, God's existence, and the Bible. Given the great diversity of evidence, it is not surprising that opposite conclusions have been drawn by supposedly rational people. An assessment of the state of the argument from a probabilistic perspective is overdue. In this book the author examines and refutes some of the more extravagant claims, evaluates the weight of some of the quantitative evidence, and provides an answer to the fundamental question: can a rational person be a Christian?Less
The certainties which underpinned Christian belief have crumbled in a world where science sets the standard of what is true. A rational case for belief must therefore be constructed out of uncertainties. Probability theory provides the tools for measuring and combining uncertainties and is thus the key to progress. This book examines four much debated topics where the logic of uncertain reference can be brought to bear. These are: miracles, the paranormal, God's existence, and the Bible. Given the great diversity of evidence, it is not surprising that opposite conclusions have been drawn by supposedly rational people. An assessment of the state of the argument from a probabilistic perspective is overdue. In this book the author examines and refutes some of the more extravagant claims, evaluates the weight of some of the quantitative evidence, and provides an answer to the fundamental question: can a rational person be a Christian?
Abby Day
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199577873
- eISBN:
- 9780191731143
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577873.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Belief narratives relating to supernatural or paranormal events were common in the interviews, irrespective of informants’ religious or spiritual beliefs: even atheists sense ghosts. The findings and ...
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Belief narratives relating to supernatural or paranormal events were common in the interviews, irrespective of informants’ religious or spiritual beliefs: even atheists sense ghosts. The findings and cross-cultural examples explored here contrast with other work in the field where such experiences are described, but insufficiently analysed, as common, folk, invisible or implicit religion. Scholars in the study of religion are often ill-equipped with appropriate concepts and terminology, mainly because they often seek to classify such experiences into different realms, such as sacred/profane or this world/other world. Those divisions do not seem to be significant, if they are apparent at all, to the informants who experience such phenomena. The majority of those experiences occur through bereavement, where belief narratives describing the experience of ‘sensing’ deceased relatives suggest a self-conscious desire and performative strategy to continue their belongings.Many people do not need religion or God to mediate those experiences, prompting the author to analyse the experiences as sensual, emotional, cognitive, self-mediated, and performative, produced in specific social contexts and explained with reference to longings for belongings. They are frequently supported by collective, social interpretations. In illustrating how informants experienced transcendent, non-material feelings and sensations in their ‘here and now’, transcendence is relocated to a non-spatial, temporal, social realm. That shift is made possible by ‘believing through bereaving’, supported by collective memory and desires for continuing relationships.Less
Belief narratives relating to supernatural or paranormal events were common in the interviews, irrespective of informants’ religious or spiritual beliefs: even atheists sense ghosts. The findings and cross-cultural examples explored here contrast with other work in the field where such experiences are described, but insufficiently analysed, as common, folk, invisible or implicit religion. Scholars in the study of religion are often ill-equipped with appropriate concepts and terminology, mainly because they often seek to classify such experiences into different realms, such as sacred/profane or this world/other world. Those divisions do not seem to be significant, if they are apparent at all, to the informants who experience such phenomena. The majority of those experiences occur through bereavement, where belief narratives describing the experience of ‘sensing’ deceased relatives suggest a self-conscious desire and performative strategy to continue their belongings.Many people do not need religion or God to mediate those experiences, prompting the author to analyse the experiences as sensual, emotional, cognitive, self-mediated, and performative, produced in specific social contexts and explained with reference to longings for belongings. They are frequently supported by collective, social interpretations. In illustrating how informants experienced transcendent, non-material feelings and sensations in their ‘here and now’, transcendence is relocated to a non-spatial, temporal, social realm. That shift is made possible by ‘believing through bereaving’, supported by collective memory and desires for continuing relationships.
Jeffrey J. Kripal
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199751198
- eISBN:
- 9780199918782
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199751198.003.0017
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter proceeds from the assumption that the direct personal experiences of the students inevitably constitute either the unspoken subtext or the creative context of a class on mysticism. The ...
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This chapter proceeds from the assumption that the direct personal experiences of the students inevitably constitute either the unspoken subtext or the creative context of a class on mysticism. The course provides an intellectual safe space through which the students can speak their own secrets and make some sense of them in relationship to their own cultural and religious traditions. The proposed class does so with respect to three main topics: mystical eroticism and sexuality, modern spirituality and the “free spirit,” and the paranormal. It provides the space within which one can meet students on a potentially deep level and speak with them about their own ambivalent relationships to all those historical realities that form the foundation and substance of a course on mysticism: tradition and text, ritual and doctrine, body and gender, scripture and religious authority, language and culture, orthodoxy and heterodoxy.Less
This chapter proceeds from the assumption that the direct personal experiences of the students inevitably constitute either the unspoken subtext or the creative context of a class on mysticism. The course provides an intellectual safe space through which the students can speak their own secrets and make some sense of them in relationship to their own cultural and religious traditions. The proposed class does so with respect to three main topics: mystical eroticism and sexuality, modern spirituality and the “free spirit,” and the paranormal. It provides the space within which one can meet students on a potentially deep level and speak with them about their own ambivalent relationships to all those historical realities that form the foundation and substance of a course on mysticism: tradition and text, ritual and doctrine, body and gender, scripture and religious authority, language and culture, orthodoxy and heterodoxy.
Lynn Schofield Clark
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195300239
- eISBN:
- 9780199850525
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195300239.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the Left Behind series are but the latest manifestations of American teenagers' long-standing fascination with the supernatural and the paranormal. This ...
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Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the Left Behind series are but the latest manifestations of American teenagers' long-standing fascination with the supernatural and the paranormal. This book explores the implications of this fascination for contemporary religious and spiritual practices. Relying on stories gleaned from more than 250 in-depth interviews with teens and their families, the book seeks to discover what today's teens really believe and why. It finds that as adherence to formal religious bodies declines, interest in alternative spiritualities as well as belief in “superstition” grow accordingly. Ironically, the book argues, fundamentalist Christian alarmism about the forces of evil has also fed belief in a wider array of supernatural entities. Resisting the claim that the media “brainwash” teens, the book argues that today's popular stories of demons, hell, and the afterlife actually have their roots in the US's religious heritage. The book considers why some young people are nervous about supernatural stories in the media, while others comfortably and often unself-consciously blur the boundaries between those stories of the realm beyond that belong to traditional religion and those offered by the entertainment media. At a time of increased religious pluralism and declining participation in formal religious institutions, the book says, we must completely re-examine what young people mean—and what they may believe—when they identify themselves as “spiritual” or “religious”. Offering insights into how the entertainment media shape contemporary religious ideas and practices, the book paints a portrait of the spiritual state of America's youth.Less
Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the Left Behind series are but the latest manifestations of American teenagers' long-standing fascination with the supernatural and the paranormal. This book explores the implications of this fascination for contemporary religious and spiritual practices. Relying on stories gleaned from more than 250 in-depth interviews with teens and their families, the book seeks to discover what today's teens really believe and why. It finds that as adherence to formal religious bodies declines, interest in alternative spiritualities as well as belief in “superstition” grow accordingly. Ironically, the book argues, fundamentalist Christian alarmism about the forces of evil has also fed belief in a wider array of supernatural entities. Resisting the claim that the media “brainwash” teens, the book argues that today's popular stories of demons, hell, and the afterlife actually have their roots in the US's religious heritage. The book considers why some young people are nervous about supernatural stories in the media, while others comfortably and often unself-consciously blur the boundaries between those stories of the realm beyond that belong to traditional religion and those offered by the entertainment media. At a time of increased religious pluralism and declining participation in formal religious institutions, the book says, we must completely re-examine what young people mean—and what they may believe—when they identify themselves as “spiritual” or “religious”. Offering insights into how the entertainment media shape contemporary religious ideas and practices, the book paints a portrait of the spiritual state of America's youth.
Lynn Schofield Clark
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195300239
- eISBN:
- 9780199850525
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195300239.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter sums up the key findings of this study on the influence of the supernatural and paranormal on the religious beliefs and practices of American teenagers. It discusses the proposed theory ...
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This chapter sums up the key findings of this study on the influence of the supernatural and paranormal on the religious beliefs and practices of American teenagers. It discusses the proposed theory called “the religion of the possible” and considers the role of the media in religious change and in the context of religious pluralism. It suggests that media education and media literacy should train teenagers to recognize the distinctions between reality and fantasy.Less
This chapter sums up the key findings of this study on the influence of the supernatural and paranormal on the religious beliefs and practices of American teenagers. It discusses the proposed theory called “the religion of the possible” and considers the role of the media in religious change and in the context of religious pluralism. It suggests that media education and media literacy should train teenagers to recognize the distinctions between reality and fantasy.
Ariel Glucklich
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195108798
- eISBN:
- 9780199853434
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195108798.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
For a variety of reasons, the topic of magic has become dominated by speculation about supernatural causality and miraculous achievements and, following closely on the heels of these, mischiefmakers ...
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For a variety of reasons, the topic of magic has become dominated by speculation about supernatural causality and miraculous achievements and, following closely on the heels of these, mischiefmakers and scroundrels. Some magicians in Banaras boast about miraculous acts they have performed or cures they have effected. The magician's need to advertise locally, matched sometimes by a desire to impress a foreign scholar, is understandable. Miraculous claims therefore accompany magical practice as a matter of course. Furthermore, magic goes hand in hand with the paranormal by its very nature. A magician is successful if he can either demonstrate or effectively advertise miraculous accomplishments. The simplest reason for associating magic with miracles is not truly intrinsic to either, but it is predictable. It is simple public relations based on sound business thinking. But like all overzealous advertising, it carries risks. When the focus of research shifts to the “magical consciousness”—to the experience of magical interrelatedness—then the question of miracles becomes irrelevant.Less
For a variety of reasons, the topic of magic has become dominated by speculation about supernatural causality and miraculous achievements and, following closely on the heels of these, mischiefmakers and scroundrels. Some magicians in Banaras boast about miraculous acts they have performed or cures they have effected. The magician's need to advertise locally, matched sometimes by a desire to impress a foreign scholar, is understandable. Miraculous claims therefore accompany magical practice as a matter of course. Furthermore, magic goes hand in hand with the paranormal by its very nature. A magician is successful if he can either demonstrate or effectively advertise miraculous accomplishments. The simplest reason for associating magic with miracles is not truly intrinsic to either, but it is predictable. It is simple public relations based on sound business thinking. But like all overzealous advertising, it carries risks. When the focus of research shifts to the “magical consciousness”—to the experience of magical interrelatedness—then the question of miracles becomes irrelevant.
DAVID J. BARTHOLOMEW
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198270140
- eISBN:
- 9780191683923
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198270140.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter focuses on the paranormal — a collection of things such as telepathy, precognition, the occult, astrology, and the like — as another set of phenomena that does not necessarily entail ...
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This chapter focuses on the paranormal — a collection of things such as telepathy, precognition, the occult, astrology, and the like — as another set of phenomena that does not necessarily entail religion, but could also serve as basis for claiming that science cannot explain everything in this world. Analyzing such phenomena has a surer foundation because of its accessibility to scientific investigation; also, as several people take these seriously, Christians take interest in exposing these as false beliefs. The chapter attempts to answer the following questions: Are there any genuine paranormal events? Do these events result from unrecognized laws of nature? What do such events tell us about what is external to the world of senses?Less
This chapter focuses on the paranormal — a collection of things such as telepathy, precognition, the occult, astrology, and the like — as another set of phenomena that does not necessarily entail religion, but could also serve as basis for claiming that science cannot explain everything in this world. Analyzing such phenomena has a surer foundation because of its accessibility to scientific investigation; also, as several people take these seriously, Christians take interest in exposing these as false beliefs. The chapter attempts to answer the following questions: Are there any genuine paranormal events? Do these events result from unrecognized laws of nature? What do such events tell us about what is external to the world of senses?
Bradley J. Birzer
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780813166186
- eISBN:
- 9780813166643
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813166186.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
Unbeknownst to most lovers of the horror genre in fiction, the famous and well-published Russell Kirk is also the same Russell Kirk who founded postwar conservatism. Beginning in the late 1940s, Kirk ...
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Unbeknownst to most lovers of the horror genre in fiction, the famous and well-published Russell Kirk is also the same Russell Kirk who founded postwar conservatism. Beginning in the late 1940s, Kirk began to write a series of profitable short stories for periodicals. He published his first novel, Old House of Fear, in 1961 and continued to publish his fiction until the end of his life. Most of his stories deals with theological issues as well as issues of place and region.Less
Unbeknownst to most lovers of the horror genre in fiction, the famous and well-published Russell Kirk is also the same Russell Kirk who founded postwar conservatism. Beginning in the late 1940s, Kirk began to write a series of profitable short stories for periodicals. He published his first novel, Old House of Fear, in 1961 and continued to publish his fiction until the end of his life. Most of his stories deals with theological issues as well as issues of place and region.
Stephen E. Braude
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226071527
- eISBN:
- 9780226071534
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226071534.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
For over thirty years, the author of this book has studied the paranormal in everyday life, from extrasensory perception and psychokinesis to mediumship and materialization. The book is an account of ...
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For over thirty years, the author of this book has studied the paranormal in everyday life, from extrasensory perception and psychokinesis to mediumship and materialization. The book is an account of his most memorable encounters with such phenomena. Here the author recounts in detail five particular cases—some that challenge our most fundamental scientific beliefs and others that expose our own credulousness—beginning with a south Florida woman who can make thin gold-colored foil appear spontaneously on her skin. He then travels to New York and California to test psychokinetic superstars—and frauds—such as Joe Nuzum, who claim to move objects using only their minds. Along the way, the author also investigates the allegations of K.R., a policeman in Annapolis who believes he can transfer images from photographs onto other objects—including his own body—and Ted Serios, a deceased Chicago elevator operator who could make a variety of different images appear on Polaroid film. Ultimately, the author considers his wife's surprisingly fruitful experiments with astrology, which she has used to guide professional soccer teams to the top of their leagues, as well as his own personal experiences with synchronicity—a phenomenon, he argues, that may need to be explained in terms of a refined, extensive, and dramatic form of psychokinesis.Less
For over thirty years, the author of this book has studied the paranormal in everyday life, from extrasensory perception and psychokinesis to mediumship and materialization. The book is an account of his most memorable encounters with such phenomena. Here the author recounts in detail five particular cases—some that challenge our most fundamental scientific beliefs and others that expose our own credulousness—beginning with a south Florida woman who can make thin gold-colored foil appear spontaneously on her skin. He then travels to New York and California to test psychokinetic superstars—and frauds—such as Joe Nuzum, who claim to move objects using only their minds. Along the way, the author also investigates the allegations of K.R., a policeman in Annapolis who believes he can transfer images from photographs onto other objects—including his own body—and Ted Serios, a deceased Chicago elevator operator who could make a variety of different images appear on Polaroid film. Ultimately, the author considers his wife's surprisingly fruitful experiments with astrology, which she has used to guide professional soccer teams to the top of their leagues, as well as his own personal experiences with synchronicity—a phenomenon, he argues, that may need to be explained in terms of a refined, extensive, and dramatic form of psychokinesis.
Peter Lamont
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198568773
- eISBN:
- 9780191693779
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198568773.003.0003
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
There are many examples of believers in spiritualism coming to similarly strange conclusions. They can be seen as glaring illustrations of how people can base their beliefs upon a lack of critical ...
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There are many examples of believers in spiritualism coming to similarly strange conclusions. They can be seen as glaring illustrations of how people can base their beliefs upon a lack of critical thinking, and as evidence to support a very old argument that continues to this day: that belief in the paranormal is the product of ignorance, gullibility and wishful thinking. The history of the paranormal illustrates that there are all sorts of people who believe in the paranormal, as there are all sorts of people who disbelieve. Meanwhile, disbelief in the paranormal has also been based upon ignorance, gullibility and wishful thinking, and paranormal phenomena have been not only supported but also rejected by appealing to misleading evidence. It may be that there is an overall difference between believers and disbelievers in terms of how they observe and think, but the findings at present are, at best, inconclusive.Less
There are many examples of believers in spiritualism coming to similarly strange conclusions. They can be seen as glaring illustrations of how people can base their beliefs upon a lack of critical thinking, and as evidence to support a very old argument that continues to this day: that belief in the paranormal is the product of ignorance, gullibility and wishful thinking. The history of the paranormal illustrates that there are all sorts of people who believe in the paranormal, as there are all sorts of people who disbelieve. Meanwhile, disbelief in the paranormal has also been based upon ignorance, gullibility and wishful thinking, and paranormal phenomena have been not only supported but also rejected by appealing to misleading evidence. It may be that there is an overall difference between believers and disbelievers in terms of how they observe and think, but the findings at present are, at best, inconclusive.
Albert Mosley
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195114409
- eISBN:
- 9780199785827
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019511440X.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This essay explores the traditional African philosophical foundations that gave rise to current perspectives on the supernatural within contemporary African philosophical thought. It rejects the ...
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This essay explores the traditional African philosophical foundations that gave rise to current perspectives on the supernatural within contemporary African philosophical thought. It rejects the comparative Western tenet that while Western ontology is grounded on facts about nature, traditional African ontology is rooted in metaphysical fantasy. Critiquing African ontology outside the contextual framework that gives it structure and meaning will result in unjustifiable biases.Less
This essay explores the traditional African philosophical foundations that gave rise to current perspectives on the supernatural within contemporary African philosophical thought. It rejects the comparative Western tenet that while Western ontology is grounded on facts about nature, traditional African ontology is rooted in metaphysical fantasy. Critiquing African ontology outside the contextual framework that gives it structure and meaning will result in unjustifiable biases.
Tiya Miles
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781469626338
- eISBN:
- 9781469626352
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469626338.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, African-American History
This chapter recounts the rise of Savannah, Georgia as a key tourist attraction for visitors interested in the paranormal. The chapter focuses on the Sorrel-Weed House, reportedly Savannah’s most ...
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This chapter recounts the rise of Savannah, Georgia as a key tourist attraction for visitors interested in the paranormal. The chapter focuses on the Sorrel-Weed House, reportedly Savannah’s most haunted abode, to examine how stories of race, gender, and sexual improprieties during slavery drive “dark tourism” ventures today. It connects this analysis to historical context about black slaves, free blacks, and Haitian immigrants in 1830s-1860s Savannah.Less
This chapter recounts the rise of Savannah, Georgia as a key tourist attraction for visitors interested in the paranormal. The chapter focuses on the Sorrel-Weed House, reportedly Savannah’s most haunted abode, to examine how stories of race, gender, and sexual improprieties during slavery drive “dark tourism” ventures today. It connects this analysis to historical context about black slaves, free blacks, and Haitian immigrants in 1830s-1860s Savannah.
Ian Bogost
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816699117
- eISBN:
- 9781452952406
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816699117.003.0017
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Media Studies
In this chapter, Bogost discusses the sublime agony that comes with mastering a craft—and still failing. He begins by talking about the superstitions of pro sports players. They are the best at what ...
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In this chapter, Bogost discusses the sublime agony that comes with mastering a craft—and still failing. He begins by talking about the superstitions of pro sports players. They are the best at what they do—something most of us will never experience, Bogost says—but sometimes, unaccountably, conditions will keep them from performing as expected. To make up for this confusing gap in skill and performance, people turn to superstition. The same is often true for video game players. In specific, Bogost discusses the game Swing Copters, made by the creator of Flappy Bird. Before an update that altered the way Swing Copters is played, it depended much more on the experience and skill of the player than Flappy Bird did. Swing Copters opened up a connection to the sublime in that its gameplay demanded an inexplicable level of skill—but even then, minute causes could make the most expert player fail.Less
In this chapter, Bogost discusses the sublime agony that comes with mastering a craft—and still failing. He begins by talking about the superstitions of pro sports players. They are the best at what they do—something most of us will never experience, Bogost says—but sometimes, unaccountably, conditions will keep them from performing as expected. To make up for this confusing gap in skill and performance, people turn to superstition. The same is often true for video game players. In specific, Bogost discusses the game Swing Copters, made by the creator of Flappy Bird. Before an update that altered the way Swing Copters is played, it depended much more on the experience and skill of the player than Flappy Bird did. Swing Copters opened up a connection to the sublime in that its gameplay demanded an inexplicable level of skill—but even then, minute causes could make the most expert player fail.
Melissa Daggett
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781496810083
- eISBN:
- 9781496810120
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781496810083.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This chapter summarizes the first twenty-five years of Spiritualism on a national level. The Banner of Light continues to be the premier Spiritualist newspaper, and Fanny Conant’s column, “The ...
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This chapter summarizes the first twenty-five years of Spiritualism on a national level. The Banner of Light continues to be the premier Spiritualist newspaper, and Fanny Conant’s column, “The Messenger,” is profiled. The column was composed of responses to the families and friends of fallen soldiers, both Confederate and Union, who were denied the “good death.” This chapter also discusses the Anglo séance circles in New Orleans and their nocturnal paranormal events, such as rappings, apparitions, tipping tables and slate writing. The tradition of Spiritualist lectures continued at new venues such as Minerva Hall. James Peebles, the Spiritual Pilgrim, spent two winters in New Orleans lecturing and invoking his favorite spiritual guide, Black Hawk. The chief later become the favorite guide of the eclectic twentieth-century Spiritual churches. By the mid-1870s, the fabric of Spiritualism became frayed, faded, and torn apart by relentless truth seekers and their convicted multitudes.Less
This chapter summarizes the first twenty-five years of Spiritualism on a national level. The Banner of Light continues to be the premier Spiritualist newspaper, and Fanny Conant’s column, “The Messenger,” is profiled. The column was composed of responses to the families and friends of fallen soldiers, both Confederate and Union, who were denied the “good death.” This chapter also discusses the Anglo séance circles in New Orleans and their nocturnal paranormal events, such as rappings, apparitions, tipping tables and slate writing. The tradition of Spiritualist lectures continued at new venues such as Minerva Hall. James Peebles, the Spiritual Pilgrim, spent two winters in New Orleans lecturing and invoking his favorite spiritual guide, Black Hawk. The chief later become the favorite guide of the eclectic twentieth-century Spiritual churches. By the mid-1870s, the fabric of Spiritualism became frayed, faded, and torn apart by relentless truth seekers and their convicted multitudes.
George M. Young
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199892945
- eISBN:
- 9780199950577
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199892945.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter discusses Cosmism and related developments in Russia today. Institutions for the study and propagation of Cosmism include the Fedorov Museum in Moscow and the Tsiolkovsky Museum of ...
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This chapter discusses Cosmism and related developments in Russia today. Institutions for the study and propagation of Cosmism include the Fedorov Museum in Moscow and the Tsiolkovsky Museum of Cosmonautics and Chizhevsky Center in Kaluga. Related institutions and movements include ISRICA, the Institute for Research into Cosmic Anthropoecology in Irkutsk; the Neo-Eurasianist followers of Lev Gumilev; the Hyperborean movement; and the Russian transhumanist and immortalist movements led by Igor Vishev and Danila Medvedev. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the significance and prospects of the Cosmist tendency.Less
This chapter discusses Cosmism and related developments in Russia today. Institutions for the study and propagation of Cosmism include the Fedorov Museum in Moscow and the Tsiolkovsky Museum of Cosmonautics and Chizhevsky Center in Kaluga. Related institutions and movements include ISRICA, the Institute for Research into Cosmic Anthropoecology in Irkutsk; the Neo-Eurasianist followers of Lev Gumilev; the Hyperborean movement; and the Russian transhumanist and immortalist movements led by Igor Vishev and Danila Medvedev. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the significance and prospects of the Cosmist tendency.
Christopher C. French and Krissy Wilson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198568773
- eISBN:
- 9780191693779
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198568773.003.0002
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
It is clear that a wide range of situations exist that can potentially lead people to believe that they have experienced the paranormal when in fact they have not. The question regarding possible ...
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It is clear that a wide range of situations exist that can potentially lead people to believe that they have experienced the paranormal when in fact they have not. The question regarding possible differences between believers and non-believers in the paranormal in terms of proneness to cognitive biases can now be answered rather more definitively than has been possible previously. Believers in the paranormal tend to be poorer at syllogistic reasoning, have a more distorted concept of randomness leading them to see meaning where there is none, are more susceptible to experiencing anomalous sensations and are, in certain circumstances, more suggestible. Memory biases in the accuracy of eyewitness testimony for ostensibly paranormal events have also often been reported, and evidence is beginning to accumulate that believers may be more prone to false memories.Less
It is clear that a wide range of situations exist that can potentially lead people to believe that they have experienced the paranormal when in fact they have not. The question regarding possible differences between believers and non-believers in the paranormal in terms of proneness to cognitive biases can now be answered rather more definitively than has been possible previously. Believers in the paranormal tend to be poorer at syllogistic reasoning, have a more distorted concept of randomness leading them to see meaning where there is none, are more susceptible to experiencing anomalous sensations and are, in certain circumstances, more suggestible. Memory biases in the accuracy of eyewitness testimony for ostensibly paranormal events have also often been reported, and evidence is beginning to accumulate that believers may be more prone to false memories.
