Show NotesSeason 2 Episode 1 ‘The Case for Skepticism’Today’s episode is about skeptical perspectives on the paranormal. My first guest is Professor Chris French. Chris is the Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and also a Patron of the British Humanist Association. His main current area of research is the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. He frequently appears on radio and television casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims. His most recent book is The Science of Weird S**t, published by MIT press.Dr. Cal Cooper appears on What Lies Beyond for the second time. Cal’s a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, holding postgraduate degrees in psychology, social science research methods and education. He has a long-time association with the University of Northampton, and is based there as a senior lecturer in psychology.In this episode, Chris talks about his transition from paranormal believer to skeptic. We then discuss Anomalistic Psychology, which attempts to find ordinary psychological explanations for the apparently paranormal. We also discuss problems with replication in parapsychology, which means that some researchers seem to find positive results in their experiments, but others don’t. Our discussion demonstrates why multiple perspectives are important, and why anomalistic psychology can make a crucial contribution to our understanding of paranormal experience.Thanks for reading WHAT LIES BEYOND! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.ResourcesWebsite of Chris French:http://profchrisfrench.comWebsite of Cal Cooper:https://www.callumecooper.comChris French’s book:French, C. (2024). The science of weird S**t: Why our mind conjure the paranormal. MIT Press.Jim Matlock’s reincarnation course:https://jamesgmatlock.com/signs-of-reincarnation-course/Chris French and Chris Roe British Psychological Society debate: Will the debate over psi ever be settled?Transparent psi project:https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/transparent-psi-projectTitle Music: ‘Stranger things’ by Music Unlimited on Pixabey. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whatliesbeyond.substack.com

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