Paranormal Beliefs: A Sociological IntroductionDespite the continued and growing popularity of such phenom- ena as angels, witches, extra-sensory perception, psychics, astrology, foretelling the future, living past lives, ghosts, and communicating with the dead, such beliefs have received little scrutiny from sociologists. Who believes in them? Why? And with what consequences? A paranormal belief system is generated as a result of cultural, social, and social-psychological forces; it is linked with social institutions in identifiable ways and has identifiable consequences. According to the author, the explication of how paranormal beliefs are accepted or rejected yields richer understanding of social structures and dynamics. Accepting one or more of the beliefs--or accepting a cosmology that rules them out of the realm of the possible--tells us a great deal about the believers and disbelievers as well as the society in which they live. This compelling, well-documented work presents a much-needed sociological examination of the role paranormal beliefs play in our society. |
From inside the book
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Page 182
... spiritual is the " higher " one . Our human form is higher than that of animals , it is true , but lower than that of angels . When we die , we enter that higher plane . The " Why ? " questions that a spiritualist asks do not seek ...
... spiritual is the " higher " one . Our human form is higher than that of animals , it is true , but lower than that of angels . When we die , we enter that higher plane . The " Why ? " questions that a spiritualist asks do not seek ...
Page 248
... spiritual way of think- ing about the emergence of the species . Parapsychologists insist that the effects they observe in their exper- iments are real and are caused not by mysterious , spiritual forces , but by agents explicable ...
... spiritual way of think- ing about the emergence of the species . Parapsychologists insist that the effects they observe in their exper- iments are real and are caused not by mysterious , spiritual forces , but by agents explicable ...
Page 270
... spiritual dimension , but I would not go so far as to say that the apparitions some people see in the middle of the night are necessarily dead spirits trying to communicate with their loved ones . This may be true , but again , I am ...
... spiritual dimension , but I would not go so far as to say that the apparitions some people see in the middle of the night are necessarily dead spirits trying to communicate with their loved ones . This may be true , but again , I am ...
Common terms and phrases
accept aliens angels asked assertions astrology Christian conspiracy theories contactees conventional crank creationism creationists Dean Radin debunker devil dimension dream earth empirical ence entists epistemology evidence evolution evolutionists exist experience explanation extraterrestrial craft extraterrestrial hypothesis fact faith false falsifiability feel forces Gallup poll ghosts heaven Hence human influence instance issue lives look mainstream major material means million mind observed occult paranormal belief systems paranormal beliefs paranormal claims paranormal phenomena paranormal thinking paranormalists parapsychology percent person perspective physical planets powers predictions principle pseudoscience psychic psychokinesis question Radin reality reason reject religion religious remote viewing reports respondents Roswell Roswell incident scientific scientists believe secular secular humanism sense Skeptical Inquirer social society sociological sociologists someone specific spiritual story supermarket tabloids tabloids teleology telepathy things tion traditional true truth ufologists UFOs universe validity versus violate wrong X-Files