Skeptical About Skeptics

This section encourages readers to engage in critical thinking and adopt proactive consumer habits. Recognizing one’s own biases or ideological leanings is crucial not only in science but also as consumers when evaluating opinions on exploratory research. Opinion pieces may offer comfort and validate pre-existing beliefs, but this does not make their assertions true or informative.

In the controversial field of parapsychology, substantial statistical meta-analyses support the existence of psi phenomena. According to the Parapsychological Association, the field has progressed toward process-oriented and qualitative research to better understand the nature of these phenomena. However, the field’s infancy and its historical context leave it vulnerable to sociopolitical attacks, often motivated by personal ideologies and flawed assumptions about how psi works. Thus, it is essential to discern whether you are engaging in an intellectually honest conversation with a true skeptic.

Genuine skeptics maintain an open mind, using critical thinking to evaluate available evidence. In contrast, pseudo-skeptics present themselves as skeptics but are, in fact, dogmatic and authoritarian in their philosophical stances. The following academic article demonstrates the need for psychologists to be vigilant against biases when evaluating parapsychology research in the peer-review process: Bias in the Evaluation of Psychology Studies: A Comparison of Parapsychology Versus Neuroscience.

Below is a list of organizations and individuals that have demonstrated unreasonable biases and distorted perceptions of the parapsychology field. These links direct you to Skeptical about Skeptics, an organization dedicated to calling out pseudo-skeptics. While it’s important to acknowledge the influence of pseudo-skeptics in the media, it’s even more crucial to focus on creative exploration. Organizations that profit from dehumanizing psi experiencers, mocking cultural practices, or clinging to rigid scientific views are likely to be forgotten.