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Libra Esoterica

Parapsychology, Philosophy, and Spirituality

A Postmodern Exploration

by David Ray Griffin

  • First published:
  • 20th century
  • Language: English

Description

Description from OpenAlex (opens in a new tab)

Examines why parapsychology has been held in disdain by scientists, philosophers, and theologians, explores the evidence for ESP, psychokinesis, and life after death, and suggests that these phenomena provide support for a meaningful postmodern spirituality. In this book, David Ray Griffin, best known for his work on the problem of evil, turns his attention to the even more controversial topic of parapsychology. Griffin examines why scientists, philosophers, and theologians have held parapsychology in disdain and argues that neither a priori philosophical attacks nor wholesale rejection of the evidence can withstand scrutiny. After articulating a constructive postmodern philosophy that allows the parapsychological evidence to be taken seriously, Griffin examines this evidence extensively. He identifies four types of repeatable phenomena that suggest the reality of extrasensory perception and psychokinesis. Then, on the basis of a nondualistic distinction between mind and brain, which makes the idea of life after death conceivable, he examines five types of evidence for the reality of life after death: messages from mediums; apparitions; cases of the possession type; cases of the reincarnation type; and out-of-body experiences. His philosophical and empirical examinations of these phenomena suggest that they provide support for a postmodern spirituality that overcomes the thinness of modern religion without returning to supernaturalism.

Provenance

Why this book is in the catalog

Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Afterlife, reincarnation, and near-death experiences, Consciousness, mysticism, and metaphysics, Demonology, angelology, and possession, Out-of-body, astral, and dream studies, Parapsychology and psychical research, Psychokinesis and remote viewing, and Spiritualism, mediumship, and channeling.

  • Demonology, angelology, and possession

    Retained metadata contains “possession” in the description.

    • “possession”· in description
  • Spiritualism, mediumship, and channeling

    Retained metadata contains “Mediums” in the description.

    • “Mediums”· in description
  • Afterlife, reincarnation, and near-death experiences

    Retained metadata contains “Life after death” in the description and “Reincarnation” in the description.

    • “Life after death”· in description
    • “Reincarnation”· in description
  • Parapsychology and psychical research

    Controlled discovery queries from crossref, libris, and openalex matched “parapsychology”. Retained metadata contains “Parapsychology” in the title, “esp” in the description, “Extrasensory perception” in the description, and 3 additional metadata match(es).

    • “parapsychology”· via Crossref
    • “parapsychology”· via Libris, National Library of Sweden
    • “parapsychology”· via OpenAlex
    • “Parapsychology”· in title
    • “esp”· in description
    • “Extrasensory perception”· in description
  • Psychokinesis and remote viewing

    Controlled discovery queries from openalex matched “psychokinesis”. Retained metadata contains “Psychokinesis” in the description.

    • “psychokinesis”· via OpenAlex
    • “Psychokinesis”· in description
  • Out-of-body, astral, and dream studies

    Retained metadata contains “out-of-body” in the description and “Out-of-body experiences” in the description.

    • “out-of-body”· in description
    • “Out-of-body experiences”· in description
  • Consciousness, mysticism, and metaphysics

    Retained metadata contains “Mysticism” in the subject metadata.

    • “Mysticism”· in subject

Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.

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Editions

One edition cataloged here.

A Postmodern Exploration

Crossref publisher-supplied book record

1997-12-31State University of New York Press; State University of New York Press eBooks; SUNY Press; SUNY Press eBooksEnglish
  • 9780791433157
  • 9780791433164
  • 9781438404851
  • 0791433153
  • +2 more
Catalog record

Subjects

18 subject headings

Identifiers & provenance

How this record was assembled, and the authority identifiers it carries.

Catalog id
crossref:10.1515/9781438404851
Edition coverage
Multi source partial
Retrieved