paranormal
Sign in to saveParanormal events are purported or imagined phenomena described in popular culture, folklore, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Notable paranormal beliefs include those that pertain to extrasensory perceptions (for example, telepathy), and the pseudosciences of ghost hunting, cryptozoology, and ufology.
AI overview
Paranormal refers to phenomena that people claim to experience or that appear in folklore and popular culture but are considered beyond the reach of scientific explanation, such as telepathy, ghosts, unknown creatures, and unidentified flying objects. These beliefs matter because they're widespread in society and reveal what people find mysterious or meaningful, even though science has not confirmed their existence.
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Article
24 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Paranormal subjects
- Ghost hunting
- Ufology
- Cryptozoology
- Paranormal research
- Anecdotal approach
- Parapsychology
- Participant-observer approach
- Skeptical scientific investigation
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Criticism
- Belief polls
- Paranormal challenges
- See also
- Paranormal
- By location
- Authors
- Skepticism
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Paranormal events are purported or imagined phenomena described in popular culture, folklore, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Notable paranormal beliefs include those that pertain to extrasensory perceptions (for example, telepathy), and the pseudosciences of ghost hunting, cryptozoology, and ufology.
Proposals regarding the paranormal are different from scientific hypotheses, or speculations extrapolated from scientific evidence, because scientific ideas are grounded in empirical observations and experimental data gained through the scientific method. In contrast, those who argue for the existence of the paranormal explicitly do not base their arguments on empirical evidence but rather on anecdote, testimony, and suspicion. The standard scientific models give the explanation that what appears to be paranormal phenomena is usually a misinterpretation, misunderstanding, or anomalous variation of natural phenomena.