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Parapsychological Association

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The Parapsychological Association (PA) was formed in 1957 as a professional society for parapsychologists following an initiative by Joseph B. Rhine. Its purpose has been "to advance parapsychology as a science, to disseminate knowledge of the field, and to integrate the findings with those of other branches of science." The work of the association is reported in the Journal of Parapsychology and the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research.[1]

The Parapsychological Association became affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1969, and it is still an affiliate as of 2019.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

History

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The Association was created in Durham, North Carolina, on June 19, 1957. Its formation was proposed by Rhine, then Director of the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University, at a Workshop in Parapsychology held there. Using the occasion afforded by this wide representation of the field, Rhine proposed that the group form itself into the nucleus of an international professional society in parapsychology.[citation needed]

Its first president was R. A. McConnell, then of the Biophysics Department, University of Pittsburgh, and the first vice-president was Gertrude R. Schmeidler of the Department of Psychology, City College of New York. Rhea White was named Secretary Treasurer. Four others were elected to the council, bringing the total to seven: Margaret Anderson, Remi J. Cadoret, Karlis Osis, and W. G. Roll. One of the co-founding supporters of PA was anthropologist Margaret Mead.[8]

In 1984, Richard Feynman spoke at the annual convention of the association.[9]

Activities

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In 1969 the association became formally affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).[10][11] The work of the association is reported in the Journal of Parapsychology and the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research.[1] The Association confers the Outstanding Career Award to recognize members who have sustained 20 years of research or service contributions to advance the discipline.[12]

The current president of the PA is American clinical psychologist James C. Carpenter.[13]

Criticism

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The association has its critics, including physicist John Archibald Wheeler, who tried but failed to convince the AAAS to expel the organization in 1979.[14] During his presentation Wheeler incorrectly stated that J. B. Rhine had committed fraud as a student. Wheeler retracted that statement in a letter to the journal Science.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Psi Journals & Publications". Parapsychological Association. Archived from the original on 2002-12-11. Retrieved 2010-05-20. (primary source)
  2. ^ "Parapsychology and the Integrity of Science". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  3. ^ "List of AAAS Affiliates". AAAS. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  4. ^ "About The Parapsychological Association". Parapsychological Association. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  5. ^ "Parapsychology". Annalisa Ventola. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  6. ^ "What is Parapsychology?". Parapsychology and Magic. Russian Information Network.
  7. ^ "What on earth?". Halfway There. 18 August 2007.
  8. ^ Melton, J. G. (1996). Parapsychological Association. In Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology. Thomson Gale. ISBN 978-0-8103-9487-2.
  9. ^ Solfvin, Jerry (1985). "Preface: The Twenty-seventh Annual Convention". In White, Rhea; Solfvin, Jerry (eds.). Research in parapsychology, 1984 : abstracts and papers from the twenty-seventh Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association, 1984. London: Scarecrow Press. p. vii. ISBN 978-0-8108-1812-5.
  10. ^ Etzel Cardeña (January 27, 2014). "A call for an open, informed study of all aspects of consciousness". Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 8: 17. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00017. PMC 3902298. PMID 24478682.
  11. ^ "AAAS Affiliates". American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  12. ^ "Outstanding Career Award - The Parapsychological Association". www.parapsych.org. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  13. ^ "Board of Directors - The Parapsychological Association". www.parapsych.org.
  14. ^ Wheeler, John Archibald. "Drive the Pseudos out of the Workshop of Science". Archived from the original on 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
  15. ^ Wheeler, J. A. (1979). "Parapsychology - A correction". Science. 205 (4402): 144–148. doi:10.1126/science.205.4402.144-b. PMID 17750301.
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