Science Fair Project Encyclopedia

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Categories: Occult | Paranormal phenomena

Anomalous phenomenon

Anomalous phenomena are phenomena which are observed and for which there are no suitable explanations in the context of a specific body of scientific knowledge, e.g. astronomy or biology.

Many bodies of knowledge exhibit "anomaly gaps" where theory does not explain (or seem to explain) one or more observations. Common examples though are out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, extrasensory perception, ghosts, UFO's, alien abductions and close encounters.

These concepts are not widely accepted as real by mainstream scientists, some of whom go as far as calling the study of them pseudoscience. Other anomalous phenomena verge into the fringes of what is known as pathological science, such as cold fusion; while there are some serious, competent scientists researching the phenomenon, there are also many less competent, biased cranks, and even cultists.

As the body of knowledge available expands, some anomalies are incorporated into an explanatory framework and lose their standing as anomalies. For instance, while the idea of stones falling from the sky was long ridiculed, meteorites are now acknowledged and well understood.

Often used as a synonym, but actually a subclass are the paranormal phenomena, studied by parapsychology.

Paranormal phenomena can be divided into three main classes:

Mental phenomena, unusual mental states or abilities, such as telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition

Physical phenomena, unusual physical occurrences that may be controlled by a consciousness, such as psychokinesis, poltergeists, stigmata or materializations

Out-of-body experiences (OBE's) and near-death experiences (NDE's)

Contents

Written works

Classical civilization included unique signs and prodigies of nature in works of paradoxography such as The Phaenomena (240 BC) by Aratus of Soli.

Inoue Enryo, a Japanese educator and philosopher, authored a six-volume The Study of Yōkai (妖怪学). As a result, he was best known as Dr. Ghost (お化け博士) or Dr. Yōkai (妖怪博士).

Charles Fort, in his four works on anomalies, lambasted and ridiculed the scientists of his day for their short-sightedness. Some of the anomalies listed in his work have been explained and incorporated into modern science, while others continue to be unexplained.

William R. Corliss' Science Frontiers has covered reports in the scientific literature regarding anomalies for years. He, through his Sourcebook Project, has published a large body of reports collected in many of the scientific disciplines.

Leonard George, a psychologist who specializes in anomalous phenomena, compiled an authoritative encyclopedia of unusual experiences, activities, and beliefs in his 1995 book, Alternative Realities.

The Fortean Times, a British monthly magazine, continues in the spirit of Fort's work by publishing reports of anomalous phenomena and longer investigative articles.

The Anomalist, edited by Patrick Huyghe and Dennis Stacy, is another magazine/journal devoted to the study of anomalies (which may be called anomalistics).

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