pp. 235-259:
Maupassant's Le Horla and the Cultural-Historical Transformation of the Alien
James Allan Cheyne
Abstract – Making sense of anomalous experiences often requires that people turn to available cultural narrativep. Le Horla, by Guy de Maupassant, tells the tale of a 19th century intellectual, a lightly fictionalized account of Maupassant’s own experiences, who draws on diverse cultural resources to interpret a complex array of highly unusual experiencep. The seminal experience of the tale is a vivid account of hypnagogic hallucinations with sleep paralysis (SP). SP experiences have frequently been implicated as sources of traditional narratives of alien spirit attacks and abductions and, more recently, as the experiential foundation of a modern legend of abduction by extraterrestrial alienp. I argue that one effect of the increasing availability and popularization of scientific worldviews in the 19th century, with specific reference to psychology, psychiatry and neurology, provided new and ever-changing grounds and material for explaining bizarre and uncanny experiencep. The resulting accounts did not, however, simply replace traditional narrative themes with scientific explanations but often conflated them. These hybridized accounts are often most at odds with mainstream scientific explanations, because scientific accounts change with time but discarded scientific theories often remain sedimented in the cultural tradition.
Keywords: Anomalous experience – culture – explanation – narrative – science – understanding
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pp. 260-269:
Contendedness obliges: Results of the GfA Member Survey 2015
Gerhard Mayer
Abstract – Abstract – In July 2015, an online survey was conducted among the members of the Gesellschaft für Anomalistik [Society for Anomalistics] inquiring about the members’ fields of interests, their special wishes and needs concerning the association’s work and also their favorite general topics and themes in anomalisticp. This article also presents the responses to several sociodemographic questions as well as to a number of prefered anomalistic areas of interest prevalent among GfA members.
Keywords: Gesellschaft für Anomalistik [Society for Anomalistics] – questionnaire survey – main areas of interest – Zeitschrift für Anomalistik
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pp. 270-280:
Standard Values and a Short Form of the German Version of the Transliminality Scale
Sebastian Bartoschek, Anna Beniermann
Abstract – The concept of transliminality provides a perceptual approach to discover paranormal experiences without pathologizing. The Transliminality Scale by Thalbourne (1998) is used to survey individual transliminality. A German version of this scale has been available since 2011. The present study shows standard values on the basis of an online poll (N = 474). While there was no correspondence between the age of respondents and individual transliminality, main gender effects were detected. Women showed higher transliminality values than men. In addition, based on stepwise regression analysis, a reduced version of the scale is presented. The remaining five items explain 82 per cent of the variance.
Keywords: transliminality – TLS – RTS – paranormal beliefs
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pp. 281-316:
Intuition, Control and Belief in Astrology
Tim Sandmann
Abstract – Based on two online surveys (N1=1460 / N2=826) this study examined which personality traits and experiences promote belief in astrology. It turned out that faith in intuition is an important predictor of belief in astrology. Furthermore the results point to a correlation between the loss of perceived control and belief in astrology. However, the attempt failed to experimentally verify the causal effect of perceived control. There is evidence that the gender differences in belief in astrology can be partly explained by differences in faith in intuition and perceived control.
Keywords: Belief in astrology – faith in intuition – perceived control – loss of control – gender differences – online survey – German students
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Comments:
- Suitbert Ertel: Paper Requires Some Late Suggestions for Improvement
- Ulrike Voltmer: Astrology Believer—Female—Preference for Intuition
The author responds:
- Tim Sandmann: Defense of Research Purposes
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pp. 317-325:
Physical Obstacles to the Realization of the Idea that is Layed out in the “Welsbach Patent”
Mario Sedlak
Abstract – The idea to cool down the earth with particles in the atmosphere which absorb heat radiation of long wavelengths and emit the absorbed energy at shorter wavelengths contradicts the 2nd law of thermodynamics and Kirchhoff’s law of thermal radiation. In reality, particles with the suggested emission and absorption spectrum rather would further heat-up the earth. The patented idea rests on a misunderstood physical background of gas lantern mantles, which where invented by Carl Auer von Welsbach. The patent text does not provide a working mechanism which could be used for geoengineering. The relation to anomalistics is established through the chemtrail scene in which the “Welsbach Patent” is often quoted. A critical analysis of the active principle, as given in the patent specifications, seems to be hardly known even among scientists.
Keywords: Welsbach Patent – geoengineering – chemtrails – physics
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pp. 326-328:
Continued Discussions on Previous Papers
Re the Book Review of “Heiliges Licht“ by Charis K. Skarlakidis, reviewed by Wolfram Mandel, Zeitschrift für Anomalistik 15 (2015), p. 200-205:
- Ulrich Magin: “Holy Light“ also at Mt. Athos and at Hornbach
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pp. 329-358:
Conference Reports on the Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association and the Society for Psychical Research, University of Greenwich, 2015
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- Gerd H. Hövelmann, Ricarda R. Zöhn, Gerhard Mayer, Eberhard Bauer: Parapsychology at the Prime Meridian.
- Gerd H. Hövelmann: Introduction and History—Measuring the Discipline, 1982-2015
- Ricarda R. Zöhn, Gerd H. Hövelmann: Tour de force: Between Theory and Research Practice
- Gerhard Mayer: “Building Links Between Communities”. Joint Annual PA/SPR Conference, Greenwich, 2015—Impressions and Thoughts
- Eberhard Bauer: Award-Afterword
pp. 359-365:
Bibliography: Academic Theses on Anomalistics, 2011-2015
Gerd H. Hövelmann
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pp. 366-387:
Essay Review with Discussion: Conspiracy Theories—an Orthodox Basic Groundwork
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Alan Schink
Comments:
- Sebastian Bartoschek: About Criticism, Straw Men, and Conspiracy Theories
The author responds:
- Alan Schink: Confusion about Conspiracy Theories
pp. 388-419:
Book Reviews
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- Gerhard Mayer, Michael Schetsche, Ina Schmied-Knittel, Dieter Vaitl (2015): An den Grenzen der Erkenntnis. Handbuch der wissenschaftlichen Anomalistik
Reviewer: Christa A. Tuczay - Lars Robert Krautschick (2015): Gespenster der Technokratie. Medien-Reflexion im Horror-Film
Reviewer: Gerhard Mayer - Peter Costello (2012): In Search of Lake Monsters
Reviewer: Ulrich Magin - Jack Hunter, David Luke (Eds.) (2014): Talking with the Spirits: Ethnographies from Between the Worlds
Reviewer: Gerhard Mayer - Karl Sigmund (2015): Sie nannten sich Der Wiener Kreip. Exaktes Denken am Rande des Untergangs
Reviewer: Wilfried Kugel - Brian A. Sharpless, Karl Doghramji (2015): Sleep Paralysis: Historical, Psychological, and Medical Perspectives
Reviewer: Gerhard Mayer
pp. 420-426:
Abstract Service
Gerd H. Hövelmann, Andreas Sommer