Fringe-ology
Page 38
Orch-OR theory, 101–102, 107
outer space, 153–75
out-of-body experience, 33–34, 39, 40, 149
overview effect, 161, 172–74
Overview Institute, 171–72
Oxford University, 93, 94, 103
oxygen, lack of, 39–40
pain, 5
Pape, Robert A.:
Cutting the Fuse, 187
Dying to Win, 187
parallel worlds, 106
paranormal, 1–19, 266
belief vs. skepticism, 53–81
definition of, 4–5
ghosts and, 139–52, 251–54
induced after-death communication and, 233–50
lucid dreaming and, 205–231, 255–66
near-death experiences, 21–51
neurotheology and, 177–204
outer space and, 153–75
quantum consciousness and, 83–112
UFOs, 113–37
Paranormal Challenge, 72–73
Paranormal Taint, 61–62, 63, 76, 212, 217, 221, 235
Parapsychological Association (PA), 55–59, 63, 71, 74
Seattle conference (2009), 55–59, 74–75
parapsychology, 55–81
Parnia, Sam, 39
What Happens When We Die?, 39–40
Pastoral Psychology, 185
peace, 198
Penrose, Roger, 84, 91–95, 100, 103, 107
The Emperor’s New Mind, 83, 91–93, 94, 103
Penrose-Hameroff theory of consciousness, 83–112
People, 49
Perceptual and Motor Skills, 214
Persinger, Michael, 61, 148
Philadelphia, 128, 144
Philadelphia Weekly, 131, 152
photons, 96, 97, 103–104
photosynthesis, 103
physics, 9, 12, 53–55, 76, 89, 92, 94–100, 106, 202. See also quantum mechanics
Piaget, Jean, Play, Dreams and Imitation in Childhood, 142
Pinch, Trevor, 64–65
placebo effect, 5, 12, 167–68
Planck, Max, 95
Planck Scale, 102
Plato, 6, 85
Playfair, Guy Lyon, 60, 70
Plutarch, 33
politics, 4, 14, 17, 44
poltergeists, 140–41, 146, 152, 251. See also ghosts
Popular Mechanics, 132
possibilianism, 14
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 235, 237, 238, 246
Powell, Robert, 132, 133
power of suggestion, 5
prayer, 177–204
neurological effects of, 177–204
precognition, 57
Pressman, Zev, 70
Pribram, Karl, 9
Price, Pat, 59
Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR), 63
probability, 59
pseudoscience, 65, 66
pseudoskeptics, 67
psi, 53–81, 168–69
remote viewing, 55–60
research, 57–81
telepathy skeptics vs. believers, 53–81
psychiatry, 26–27
psychics, 47–48, 69, 76–81, 149, 151, 163–64
psychokinesis (PK), 57, 156
psychology, 6, 211, 237, 238
Psychology Today, 44
public opinion, on paranormal activity, 74
PubMed, 214–15
Pyszczynski, Tom, 193
quantum consciousness, 83–112
quantum cryptography, 105
quantum mechanics, 9, 12, 53, 54, 57, 84, 85, 92, 94–112, 127, 202
manyworlds theory, 98–99
quantum tunneling, 54
Quincey, Thomas de, Confessions of an English Opium Eater, 33
Rabbinical Alliance of America, 198
radar, 124, 133
Radin, Dean, 60, 61, 78, 168–69, 197
radio, 54, 114, 157
Randi, James, 54, 66, 68, 69, 70–74, 151
Flim-Flam!, 70
Raub, L. David, 98
Rawlins, Dennis, 67–68, 69
religion, 4, 5, 8, 11, 14, 15, 16, 29, 34, 43, 84, 85, 206, 264, 265
fundamentalist, 182, 198
neurological effects of prayer, 177–204
outer space and, 153–75
See also specific religions
Religulous (film), 186
Remote Viewing (RV), 55–60, 63, 75, 81
REM sleep, 212, 214, 216–17, 246, 249
Rendlesham Forest case, 123–24
Robertson, Pat, 14, 182, 183, 198, 265
Roebke, Joshua, 104
Ron, Yuval, 194
Rosenblum (Bruce) and Kuttner (Fred), Quantum Enigma, 106
Ross, Colin, 6
Ross, Ken, 24, 45, 48, 50
Ross, Manny, 26, 27, 31, 48
Roswell, New Mexico, 121, 158–59
Royal Mail, 53
Russert, Tim, 130, 131
Rutan, Burt, 174
Sabom, Michael, 39
Sagan, Carl, 63
Saint-Denys, Marquis d’Hervey, Dreams and the Ways to Direct Them: Practical Observations, 212, 214
schizophrenia, 26, 46, 150, 186
Schlitz, Marilyn, 175
Schulze, Glen, 132, 133
Schwartz, Gary, 73
Schweickart, Rusty, 161, 162, 163
science, 5–6, 8–9, 11, 12–13, 17, 32, 54, 58, 64, 65, 72, 74, 81, 84, 92, 94–100, 105–106, 126, 217, 259, 260, 262, 264
neurological effects of prayer and meditation, 177–204
outer space and, 153–75
séance, 47, 48
Seattle, 2009 Parapsychological Association conference in, 55–59, 74–75
Seed magazine, 104
Sejnowski, Terrence, 85, 86, 126
September 11 terrorist attacks, 44, 183
sex, 50
Shapiro, Francine, 236–40
EMDR, 236
Sheldrake, Rupert, 72, 73
Siegel, Jerry, 218
Sightings (TV program), 122–23
Skeptical Inquirer, 65, 71
skepticism, 53–81, 141, 151, 174, 251
belief vs., 53–81
ghosts and, 143–44, 146–52
UFOs and, 123–28
Skeptiko, 13, 44, 72
Skeptoid, 13
skiing, 196, 197
sleep, 205
lucid dreaming, 205–231, 255–66
REM, 212, 214, 216–17, 246, 249
Smalley, Susan, 199
Smith, Paul H., 56–57, 70
Society for Neuroscience, 201
Society for Psychical Research, 152, 212
Solomon Islands, 4
Sony, 81
Sorrells, Ricky, 113–15, 119–20, 130, 134–35
Soviet Union, 59
space tourism, 171–74
space travel, 153–75
speaking in tongues, 184–85
SPECT scan, 180, 185
spirituality, 84, 85
Stanford Research Institute (SRI), 69, 70, 164, 165
Stanford University, 205, 211
statistical significance, 75
Stephenville Lights, 8, 113–23, 124, 133–37
Stoneham, Marshall, 109–110
stress, 197, 198, 199, 236, 237, 238, 246
suicide bombings, 187
supernatural, 4
definition of, 4–5
surgery, 86–87
Switzerland, 25
Szent-Györgyi, Albert, 126
Tamil Tigers, 187
Tart, Charles, 74–75
The End of Materialism, 74
technology, 5, 12, 23, 54
Tegmark, Max, 101, 102
telepathy, 4, 13, 53, 57, 99, 101, 156
skeptics vs. believers, 53–81
television, 4, 40, 62, 99, 114, 122, 157
terrorism, 44, 174, 183, 187, 188, 198
terror management theory (TMT), 193
Texas, 113, 114, 132
Stephenville Lights, 8, 113–23, 133–3
7
Thespesius, 33
Tibetan meditation, 179, 180, 184, 195–96, 199
time, 9, 17, 34
Time magazine, 49
Tollaksen, Jeff, 9
Tolle, Eckhart, 199
Tolstoy, Leo, War and Peace, 109
tourism:
space, 171–74
UFO, 120–22
Truzzi, Marcello, 63, 67
Tsakiris, Alex, 13–14, 44, 72
Tuszynski, Jack, 101, 111
twins, 60
UFO Magazine, 134
unidentified flying objects (UFOs), 3, 4, 8, 17, 113–37, 150
media on, 114, 117, 118–20, 128–35
Roswell, 121
skeptics, 123–28
Stephenville Lights, 113–23, 124, 128–37
tourism, 120–22
University College London, 109
University of Arizona, 86, 109
University of Chicago, 27
University of Pennsylvania, 177–78, 183, 184
Utts, Jessica, 62–63, 168–69
Seeing Through Statistics, 62
van der Kolk, Bessel, 250
van Eeden, Frederik, The Study of Dreams, 212, 214
Vanilla Sky (film), 206, 210
Veteran’s Administration (VA) Hospital, Chicago, 238–40
vets, IADC therapy for, 233–35, 238–43, 246, 247–50
Vietnam War, 35, 154, 233
IADC therapy for vets, 233–34, 238–43, 246, 247–50
Virgin Galactic, 171–74
visual perceptions, 190–92
Waggoner, Robert, 259
Waldman, Mark Robert, 194–202
Wall Street Journal, The, 131
Washington, D.C., 124, 183
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, 4
What the Bleep Do We Know? (documentary), 100–101, 102, 106, 108, 186
Wheeler, John, 97
White, Frank, 161–64, 172–73
Wilber, Ken, 17, 201
Wilson, Sheryl, 148
Windbridge Institute, 77–78
Wired, 41, 174
Wise, Jeff, 44
Wiseman, Richard, 55, 61, 72
Woerlee, G. M., 38, 39
Woolf, Nancy, 111
yoga, 209
Zeilinger, Anton, 104–105, 106, 110
Zetetic, The, 67
Zurich, 25
Acknowledgments
AFTER HAVING SPENT MANY years working on this book, in one form or another, I have a lot of people to thank.
My agent, Andrew Stuart, for all his support and advice.
My editors, Eric Brandt, who handled this book at its inception, and especially Roger Freet, who steered it home with wit and an evident passion to serve both me and, more importantly, the reading public. Thanks for making this book better. Also Amanda Wood, Christina Bailly, and Darcy Cohan for all their help.
I’d also like to thank all my sources for this book, from those who shall remain nameless to those who gave so generously of their time to make this book possible. I’d like to single out Dianne Gray, Willoughby Britton, Stuart Hameroff, Jim Trolinger, Jack Tuszynski, Angelia Joiner, Dean Radin, Jessica Utts, Edgar Mitchell, Andrew Newberg, Mark Robert Waldman, Keelin, Stephen LaBerge and Allan Botkin for reading over select portions of this manuscript.
My colleagues in Philadelphia and elsewhere, who have contributed to my career in various ways: Theresa Conroy, Will Bunch, Stu Bykofsky, Sasha Issenberg, Benjamin Wallace, Jessica Pressler, Lee Gutkind, Liz Spikol, Brian Hickey, Brian McManus, Jeff Barg, Chris McDougall, Ralph Cipriano, and Kia Gregory. Of course, those with whom I have shared the most beers and long conversations belong in a special category in my heart, mind and liver: Chris Brennan, Mike Newall, Dan Kennedy, Rich Rys, Jason Fagone, Jeff Deeney, Chris Thompson, Jonathan Valania and Michael Rosenwald.
To all those who have ever hired me to work in journalism, including Sara Kelly, Tim Whitaker, Larry Platt, and Tom McGrath, you have my eternal gratitude.
To Tim Haas, for his help with nettlesome technology.
Stephen H. Segal belongs in his own category, for all his help in the writing and thinking that went into this book. So does Lou Gentile, who got me started on this book and unfortunately did not live to see it. Thank you both for your friendship.
To my family, both blood and in-laws, for all the good times, advice, support and love; for the days that have already been and the days yet to come.
To Lisa Stachler Volk, my wife, for the best years of my life and a honeymoon that will never end.
And my father, Gerald Volk, for teaching me that “Life is good.”
About the Author
Steve Volk is a longtime staff writer and regular contributor at Philadelphia magazine. His work has been published by Rolling Stone, VIBE, Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, The New Republic, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Weekly, The Philadelphia Inquirer, St. Petersburg Times, and In Pittsburgh Weekly. Volk has received dozens of state and national journalism awards and appeared on numerous radio and television talk shows in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. He lives in Philadelphia. Visit the author online at www.stevevolk.com.
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Credits
Jacket design: Faceout Studio; Tim Green
Copyright
FRINGE-OLOGY: How I Tried To Explain Away the Unexplainable—And Couldn’t. Copyright © 2011 by Steve Volk.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Volk, Steve.
Fringe-ology : how I tried to explain away the unexplainable—and couldn’t / Steve Volk. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978–0–06–185771–3
EPub Edition © 2011 ISBN: 9780062092120
1. Parapsychology. 2. Supernatural. I. Title.
BF1031.V65 2011
130—dc 222010048655
11 12 13 14 15 RRD(H) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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