30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good book for those who want to understand how to research psi better, May 16, 2009
This review is from: A New Science of the Paranormal: The Promise of Psychical Research (Paperback)
I must say that I've never heard of Lawrence LeShan earlier although, based on the book, he was researching paranormal for several decades. He was born in 1920, he's trained and published psychotherapist, and is the author of the best selling book How to Meditate: A Guide to Self-Discovery.
"A New Science of the Paranormal" consists of seven chapters and an appendix. Each chapter also includes one or two "case histories" - a paranormal case from Lawrence's career or another famous case. The chapters in the book are:
Psychic Research and the Consistency of the Universe.
What Do We Know About Psychic Phenomena
Normal and Paranormal Communication
Designing a Science of Psychical Research
Psi and Altered States of Consciousness
The Next Step: Implications of the New Science
What Dare I Hope
The Appendix in titled: "When is Uvani".
Chapter 1 tells some history of psi research, the concepts, why is it difficult, including psychological factors. One tidbit is his current disapproval of connecting psi and quantum physics which has become so popular lately.
Chapter 2 describes the 4 things that were proven about paranormal research and 9 which are almost certain to be true.
Chapter 3 tries to compare normal and paranormal types of communication. He gets away from the "paranormal" terminology into cleaner one in order to better understand the differences and similarities between regular and "paranormal" communication types.
Chapter 4 begins what I think was the main goal in writing the book in the first place. Lawrence explains how science approaches different subjects and argues which approaches would be best for psychical research. He writes that he now believes that psi research should be approached not with more laboratory testing, like exact sciences, but like social sciences which employ other methods of research and deduction.
In Chapter 5 Lawrence describes how theories about "reality" shape the worldview and how the conflicts between observed phenomena and what we think about reality should be handled, in science. It is quite a philosophical chapter, in the good sense of the word.
Chapter 6 starts with some more psychological effects of psi events. How people reject them after they happen. This chapter also has a call to scientist to bring psi research into the mainstream science and also explains how to do this.
In Chapter 7 LeShan hopes that the acceptance of the existence of psi by the public will bring change to the way people think of the world and how they behave, to the better.
The Appendix is like a chapter by itself. In it LeShan tries to continue his design of the new science of the paranormal. He explains how we might try to overcome some difficulties with psi research by asking the right questions and thinking of it all in more abstract way, like in mathematics, for example.
The case histories after each chapter are very interesting and diverse. I've never heard of any of them although they all seem very compelling. They are all what a skeptic of psi would call "anecdotal" but again, one of the main points that Lawrence LeShan tries to pass in the book is that psi research should be taken out of the laboratory and the focus should be on these unique and very strong cases, which he calls "need-determined". These are the cases where something "paranormal" happens because of a great need of some other person.
If you're serious about psi research, consciousness and want to get a wider point of view on the various difficulties of this research and how to approach it, you should read "A New Science of the Paranormal". It is quite different from many other books which are either too unscientific on one hand, or those which are heavy on statistics on another.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A New Science of the Paranormal, January 23, 2011
This review is from: A New Science of the Paranormal: The Promise of Psychical Research (Paperback)
This review originally appeared on The Magical Buffet website on 4/21/09.
It's time for all my paranormal peeps to step up their game, and Lawrence LeShan is just the man to school you.
I recently finished reading LeShan's new book "A New Science of the Paranormal" and I have to tell you, I was blown away. Why wouldn't I be? He has twenty or so books published and he has been in the psi studying game since before I was born! This guy has probably forgotten more about psychic phenomena than I, or you for that matter, will ever know. Now LeShan is here to tell us all how to grow up and start studying it like the big boys, and let me tell you, it's simple and hard, all at the same time.
LeShan calls for an entire reevaluation as to how we look at science, and from this new perspective shows you how to apply it to studying psychic phenomena as a science. Let's be clear here, LeShan isn't telling us to forget about science, he asks you to really think about how science and scientific discovery work. Amongst many persuasive arguments, one suggestion is using the example of how physicists and mathematicians have accepted the idea that you have to change the system of reality you are using if you wish to solve certain problems as an approach to take in psychical research.
"A New Science of the Paranormal" is a fascinating read. LeShan uses passion and logic, and by the end of the book you find yourself asking, how can I help make this happen?
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lessons learned, offered alternatives, December 9, 2010
This review is from: A New Science of the Paranormal: The Promise of Psychical Research (Paperback)
Lawrence LeShan has been working in psychical research for more than fifty years. With so much experience, one would expect him to have developed a view of the field that is considerably more informed than the view held by the causal observer. A New Science of the paranormal is written in a "this is what I have learned" tone that provides important lessons. As a person who is deeply involved in the study of trans-etheric influences, I am especially interested in his viewpoint about redefining what is appropriate science for the study of things paranormal. LeShan makes a distinction between psychical research (filed study of spontaneous events) and parapsychology (laboratory study of events under controlled environment of the laboratory). This echoes our experience that the parapsychological community conducts important human potential research but that it has not been effective in the study of actual human experiences.
On page 4, LeShan notes that "The scientific study of paranormal phenomena ... is in complete disarray," and then attempts to address why this is so. One of the suggestions he offers is the idea that different principles of physics might apply in different realms or viewpoints. For instance, applying Newtonian principles to the study of light may not make sense. In the same way, does it make sense to apply mainstream physical principles to the study of subtle energy?
This book is one of those rare looks into the heart of our struggle to turn what we sense is true into a well-established basis of empirical understanding.
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