Major reports of paranormal phenomena always stir up debate between those who believe the reports may be genuine and those who try to debunk them. On one end of the spectrum, some people seem to believe the reports no matter what evidence is brought against them. On the other end, some seem determined that paranormal phenomena do not exist and will find any reason possible to dismiss evidence. Many reasonable and curious people stand somewhere between these two extremes.
We will look at two cases in which prominent debunkers were convinced by personal experience that—while many frauds or cases in which ordinary explanations are to be found may exist—there are awe-inspiring and mysterious phenomena in this world that defy ordinary explanation.
More Than ‘Just a Coincidence’
Dr. Michael Shermer is the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, the executive director of the Skeptics Society, and a monthly columnist for Scientific American.
He wrote in his column on Sept. 16, 2014, about an experience that led him to conclude, “We should not shut the doors of perception when they may be opened to us to marvel in the mysterious.”
