Scientifical Americans
The Culture of Amateur Paranormal Researchers
Sharon A. Hill
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina
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© 2017 Sharon A. Hill. All rights reserved
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction: Popular Paranormality vs. Skepticism
1. Amateur Research and Investigation Groups (ARIGs)
2. The Paranormal in Popular Culture
3. Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Investigators
4. Seeking Monsters: Bigfoot and Other Cryptids
5. UFO Spotters
6. Twenty-first Century ARIGs
7. Science and the Public
8. Science and the Paranormal
9. ARIG Portrayal of Science to the Public
10. Methods and Evidence
11. Inquiry and Investigation
12. Pseudoscience
Conclusion: Beyond the Veil
Appendix: Ghost Hunting Guidebooks
Chapter Notes
References
List of Names and Terms
Acknowledgments
I want to express deepest thanks to those who contributed in inexpressible ways to the completion of this project, with special acknowledgment of the following: my family; personal supporters and patrons of DoubtfulNews.com; Kenny Biddle for being “Awesome”; Ron Bolton for the invitation to Fort Mifflin; Jeb Card for countless suggestions, information, and advice; Jason Korbus and Bobby Nelson; Sharon and Matt Madison; Chip and Grace Denman for use of a much-needed quiet retreat; Torkel Ødegärd; Ben Radford; and Jim Veihdeffer for proofreading and editing suggestions.
Preface
As a skeptic who has not found compelling evidence for the paranormal, yet remains fascinated by these subjects, I’m often asked how I ended up researching and writing about strange claims and the people who investigate them. The short answer is that I love the idea of ghosts, Bigfoot, and UFOs. I expect I always will.
My childhood was rife with media on paranormal subjects. The first books I chose for myself were on haunted houses and monsters. I was an avid viewer of the real-life mini-documentary TV show In Search Of… hosted by Leonard Nimoy. I accepted that Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster were out there waiting for us to find. I read and wrote ghost stories hoping I would get to experience this phenomenon myself someday. Alien visitation viscerally terrified me and demon possession was about the scariest thing I could imagine. In later years, influenced by scientific training and skeptical literature on these topics, I lost my confidence that these claims were as witnesses concluded. Eventually, I realized that they were still interesting but in a new way. Reports of paranormal phenomena are worthy of serious research if only because they are so ubiquitous and influential in human experience. Whether the cause is in our minds or out of this world, paranormal experiences profoundly affect the people who have them. The event can change a life for better or worse.
I can’t recall when I noticed the glossing of paranormal discussion with sciencey-sounding concepts. Such language had always been there. Realization that symbols of science were a key part of portraying paranormal investigation and that non-scientists were claiming a scientific role dawned on me gradually as I became personally and professionally involved in the public understanding of science. Feel free to categorize me as a science “cheerleader” since I am not quiet about recognizing the great accomplishments derived from scientific research. Yet, I understand that science is done by people who aren’t flawless or unbiased. Scientists are not better people than non-scientists, but as with any other profession, practicing scientists acquire different skills and experience beyond that of most amateurs. Science is a discipline, not a hobby. Even though science is not perfect, it still is superbly useful and there is no justification for non-experts to usurp earned authority of professionals.
Admittedly, the public does not have easy access to the insider beat of science or the depth of technical knowledge to understand the foundation of scientific consensus on a subject and make a fully-informed judgment on many technical topics. Instead, they rely on media’s “balanced” presentation of the story which, unfortunately, often includes equal space for enthusiastic but mistaken supporters of a scientifically untenable, wrongheaded idea. Many people are impressed with the seemingly sophisticated language and imagery used by non-scientific amateurs, but attempts to fake scientific credentials are often blatantly obvious to anyone who is familiar with science. They are not being scientific in their explanations, they are being scientifical—a word I use in this volume to connote the attempt to be scientific without achieving it. This book confronts sham inquiry and pseudoscience of paranormal protocols and concepts as followed by many modern researchers.
Individual and social belief and practice regarding the supernatural, paranormal, and the mystical is found in every society and culture. The term paranormal, so popular in American entertainment in the early twenty-first century, evokes the discussion in this volume of the complex and nuanced view American society has about science—as an authority, an icon, an image, a mindset, a community, a mission, a gimmick, or a scapegoat. Uncritical acceptance of paranormal explanations may ultimately lead to invoking other mistaken beliefs or result in faulty conclusions, it can cause unhealthy fear and distress, and it may distract from responsibilities of real life and real problems to be solved. Ignoring this important topic would be, paradoxically, unscientific.
Repeated surveys consistently demonstrate that paranormal belief is common among at least half of the U.S. population, that this has remained so over many decades, that it is a reoccurring and important theme in popular culture, and that it is part of the human experience to entertain thoughts regarding that which may be beyond our mundane daily environment. Per the Baylor Religion Surveys of 2005 and 2007, more than half of Americans say they have researched at least one paranormal topic. The alleged prophecies of Nostradamus, for example, is an extremely popular subject as many people find the idea of a historical psychic seer who advised great leaders of his time as romantic and mysterious. Ghosts, UFOs, and cryptids (hidden animals) are close behind (Bader et al. 2010). We’ve all read some book or article or watched a documentary about these topics at some time in our lives and wondered how much of it was true. If you believe the extraordinary claims are or could be true, you are far more likely to seek out more information about them. In Paranormal America, Bader, Mencken, and Baker (2010) see indications that paranormal belief will likely continue to grow in the United States. View the expanded cable selection on television on any night and odds are you will find a program depicting paranormal investigation.
Media coverage and television popularity alone suggests that paranormal investigation is trendy. There are many possible reasons why this is so. No doubt some get a rush at the thought of facing scary situations. People frequently participate in paranormal investigation activities to satisfy personal curiosity about an unsettling experience they have had themselves. Socializing with like-minded people who appreciate the same esoteric subject
s is enjoyable. Or, a person may find an ego boost by being part of something that science “can’t” solve. Participation in an investigation like those depicted on TV empowers an individual. Viewers see it being done on TV and think, “Hey, I can do better than that” or “That looks like fun.” Involvement in fringe activities could be as simple as escaping the drudgery of daily life and finding novelty in the mundane (Sagan 1972). In a more philosophical sense, Molle and Bader (2013) suggest that the lack of control and involvement people have with modern technology and complicated science results in the “embedding” of these difficult concepts into structures they feel they can control and participate in, such as ghost hunting.
The core of this volume is my study of amateur research and investigation groups (ARIGs) who are passionate about extraordinary claims and the paranormal. In order to fully understand why it was useful to examine this section of American society, I provide further justification for why paranormal themes are worth paying attention to. I also describe how these groups gained popularity. Finally, I explain what function they serve, what outcomes they produce, and how they reflect science in American society.
Many sources cited in this volume go into depth on various aspects of science, the paranormal, psychology, sociology, and the media. There hasn’t been a work that focused on how (and perhaps why) amateurs use science in a portrayal of paranormality. My findings reflect not only on the media influence of active paranormal investigation in America but the state of science appreciation and education as well. The passionate pursuit of the mysterious and unknown speaks volumes about meaning we seek in life (and death) and how we view the world. Questionable conclusions and claims about the paranormal are presented to the public as authoritative. Therefore, I have inserted myself into the conversation about popular paranormality to challenge those conclusions and even the claims themselves. Yet, we must be clear that people who have paranormal experiences and interests are not weird, crazy, or stupid. And, scientists are not cold, unfeeling, and closed-minded. To make progress in understanding, those limiting stereotypes must be discarded. We should be able to discuss these issues through civil discourse, not insults and ad hominem attacks.
Researchers and readers interested in a mysterious universe, hopefully, will not see this book as mean-spirited but as constructive criticism that leads forward toward progress. The experience will be a bit like looking in the mirror, I’m afraid, and it will not always be a flattering reflection. Please don’t take it personally. The patterns I identify should be changed but I’m not discouraging research into fringe fields. I am, instead, encouraging new and better approaches to paranormal field research and investigation—jettisoning the wastes of time and effort, rejecting the media-derived expectations and preconceptions, and reflecting upon the ultimate point of this effort. An amateur researcher who can thoughtfully explain what he intends to do and exactly why has a worthwhile mission—more power to him. I discovered that in digging deeper, past what the popular media presents as paranormal investigation, the discoveries become more illuminating. See if you think so too.
Introduction: Popular Paranormality vs. Skepticism
Fort Mifflin
It was a warm, clear summer evening at Fort Mifflin, a decommissioned military site and National Historic Landmark, located on the Delaware River just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An online acquaintance graciously invited me to join his paranormal investigation team and two other such groups to experience the Fort’s ghostly reputation. Some locations harbor a strong “sense of place.” Historical sites like Fort Mifflin feel like sacred ground, imbued with meaning and holding wisps of memories of past events. Access to the Fort after public hours is provided by appointment to groups who seek evidence of the paranormal. I was along as a guest to observe the researchers and to see if I could experience at least some of the phenomena they assured me was common at the location. I felt privileged to walk along the Fort walls at sunset and to silently appreciate the efforts undertaken here at peace and during battle. Then, I returned to the well-lit hall to watch the teams unpack their cases of equipment and gear up for the night ahead, stashing extra batteries, flashlights, cameras and gadgets in their pockets.
Small groups of three to five people fanned out to various areas to try their luck at communicating with spirits of Revolutionary and Civil War officers, soldiers, and prisoners who passed through this walled fortress in the swamp. When the groups came back together to get fresh batteries for their gear and reapply bug repellent, they reported what they found. Those in my group placed their electromagnetic field meters (EMF) on a ledge or table inside the stone buildings and asked questions into the darkness. The constant drip of water, chorus of frogs, and droning mosquitoes around my head were loud in the otherwise peaceful night, except for the occasional deafening cargo plane coming in for a landing at the adjacent international airport. Green and red lights of EMF meters flashed. Seasoned participants claimed to feel a presence beside them, even lightly touched as if by a spectral breeze, as we stood elbow to elbow listening intently in the stifling stone structures. As the night progressed, the groups reported experiences. One lucky guy from another team said he saw a full-body apparition in Revolutionary period clothing. Another participant reported seeing a shadow figure run outside the entrance gate. As the participants stood around chatting, they discussed their current cases back home, one of which involved a child’s haunted room, and another, an exorcism they attempted.
I was not touched by any spirits this night, only by the hordes of vampiric insects. Yet, the human behavior I observed was curious. More irritating than the biting insects was the unimpressive evidence uncritically claimed to be “paranormal” that suitably impressed everyone else. I saw hype and hope but nothing convincing about these famously haunted grounds. Paranormal enthusiasts obviously love these experiences. They buy gadgets and spend their weekends in old buildings listening for the tiniest taps or thumps, ultimately concluding they have had a paranormal encounter.
I went back to my hotel room well after midnight and ruminated. There was something to this experience, but I did not grasp it. Amateur investigators seeking ghosts were finding something else while searching for the paranormal—hope, purpose, and excitement. They were, to my eyes, playing scientist in an attempt to order and reinforce their view of the world.
Missing was a curiosity about what might really be going on, a drive to dig deep into other explanations, and any inclination to make non-paranormal conclusions. Too many of the amateur investigators I studied for several years sought a paranormal explanation as a goal, and then gave up when they felt they achieved that to their own satisfaction. Questions asked of the spirits into empty air didn’t seem to be the right questions. I heard no sufficiently satisfying replies.
There is a difference between enjoying a subject or activity as a hobby or entertainment and publicly claiming expertise and authority in that field. Those interested in paranormal and unusual claims cross that line by delivering information and opinions to the public. As a public declaration, this means criticism of it is fair game. This I have done for years. This book examines how amateur researchers present themselves to their clients and the public as serious and scientific investigators of the paranormal—a topic not explored in depth before. My intent is not to promote or discourage belief but to consider what ghost researchers, ufologists, and cryptozoologists present to the public considering the history of these fields, the media influence, and the standards of scientific investigation. Theirs is a narrow view of these topics—they follow what they have seen others do. The ideas to which they subscribe are deeply enmeshed with their personal identity.
Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, welcomes paranormal investigators for after-hours visits. Investigators report multiple sightings of apparitions of soldiers, collection of EVPs, and appearance of strange lights. Photograph by Kenneth Biddle.
The approach I take is broad and is that of thoughtful skepticism
. I question where these researchers obtained their strongly held opinions about the paranormal, investigation, and science. By the end of this survey, I will volunteer my suggestions to improve approaches to investigation of these strange experiences and claims to better illuminate what is physically there. Or not.
No Nonsense, Please
To be skeptical means to harbor reasonable reservations about certain claims…. It means to want more evidence before making up one’s mind—Pigliucci 2010: 137
All of us are skeptical about something we’re not prepared to accept. I am skeptical by nature and have intentionally nurtured that conservative habit because I want the best answer, the likely truth. I have cultivated an intolerance to nonsense, but I understand how alluring nonsense beliefs can be.
There are those of us that hold the position that seeking the best evidence, and using reason, logic, and tools of science, is the most effective and reliable way to make truth claims. We eschew the subjective and do not accept weak evidence for an extraordinary claim. These characteristics are the basis for a modern skeptical approach. People tend to throw the concept of skepticism around selectively and shallowly, or they equate it to cynicism (as a bad thing) or to being a debunker who ruins the mystery. You will often hear “I’m a skeptic” or “I’m skeptical” from people who are not sure about or who doubt some claim. That is a common, casual use of the term. Simply calling oneself a “skeptic” is not the same as thoughtfully practicing it, however. When I refer to skeptic from this point forward, I mean those who follow a skeptical method to assessing questionable claims. As I wrote in The Media Guide to Skepticism, the modern version of skepticism strives to apply a few tenets and objectives.
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