Dangerous Pursuits is a wry allusion to philosopher Stephen Braude's obstacle- strewn career path over the past several decades—to the vindictive hostility, ridicule, and condescension he's encountered for his decision to look carefully at the data and theoretical issues of parapsychology. The diverse chapters, which are incisive but not without humor, focus on the topic of mediumship, and in the process address major parapsychological themes.
"Stephen Braude is a professional philosopher and well-established author both of books and articles who is particularly noted for two things. One is for his work in certain Borderland areas in which topics within philosophy, psychology, parapsychology and psychiatry meet, overlap and interact (or should interact). The other is for the clarity and pithiness of expression with which he handles abstruse and difficult issues. He has a gift for analogies, often amusing ones, which cut through layers of nonsense (often pretentious nonsense loaded with jargon) and expose the nub of a question. If Braude's views are correct – and they are certainly cogently argued – these topics are potentially of considerable and wide-ranging importance."
(Alan Gauld, University of Nottingham)
He
studied Philosophy and English at Oberlin College and the University
of London, and in 1971 he received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from
the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
After
publishing a number of articles in the philosophy of language, temporal
logic, and the philosophy of time, he turned his attention to several
related problems in the philosophy of science and the philosophy
of mind in particular, questions concerning causality, scientific explanation generally, and psychological explanation specifically.
One of his overriding concerns was to demonstrate the inadequacy
of mechanistic theories in psychology and cognitive science.
Prof.
Braude also examined the evidence of parapsychology to see whether
it would provide new insights into these and other traditional philosophical
issues.
After
that, he shifted his focus to problems in philosophical psychopathology, writing extensively on the connections between dissociation and
classic philosophical problems as well as central issues in parapsychologyfor
example, the unity of consciousness, multiple personality and moral
responsibility, and the nature of mental mediumship.
Prof.
Braude is past President of the Parapsychological Association and is the recipient of several grants and fellowships, including Research
Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the
BIAL Foundation in Portugal. He has published more than 60 philosophical
essays in such journals as Noûs; The Philosophical Review;
Philosophical Studies; Analysis; Inquiry; Philosophia; Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society; Philosophy, Psychiatry and Psychology; Social Philosophy and Policy; New Ideas in Psychology; The Journal of Scientific Exploration; and The Journal of Trauma and Dissociation.
He has also written six books: ESP and Psychokinesis: A Philosophical Examination (1979; revised edition 2002); The Limits of Influence: Psychokinesis and the Philosophy of Science (1986; revised edition 1997); First Person Plural: Multiple Personality and the Philosophy of Mind (1991; revised edition 1995); Immortal Remains: The Evidence for Life After Death (2003); and The Gold Leaf Lady and Other Parapsychological Investigations (2007). His latest book is Crimes of Reason: On Mind, Nature and the Paranormal (2014), now available in three formats: 1 - Hardcover, 2 - Paperback, and 3 - Kindle (Amazon e-device).
SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION
ON PROF. BRAUDE'S BOOKS.
Stephen Braude receives the SPR's Myers Memorial Medal
The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is proud to recognize Professor Stephen E. Braude’s significant contributions to psychical research with the award of the Society’s prestigious Myers Memorial Medal.
Professor Braude presented the Society’s Gwen Tate Memorial Lecture in London on 9 October, with the title ‘Physical Mediumship Today’, and the Myers Memorial Medal was presented on the same evening.
Named after Frederic Myers, this is awarded from time to time to recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to psychical research. Professor Braude joins a distinguished roll: previous recipients have been John Beloff, Alan Gauld, Robert L Morris, Archie Roy, Ian Stevenson, Donald West and Erlendur Haraldsson.
Stephen Braude is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Maryland. He is a past President of the Parapsychological Association and is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Scientific Exploration. In addition to his work in parapsychology he has published in a wide range of areas, including the philosophy of science and philosophy of mind. He has been awarded a number of grants and fellowships, including from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the BIAL Foundation.
In addition to more than sixty philosophical and scientific papers, he has written six books: ESP and Psychokinesis: A Philosophical Examination (1979; revised edition 2002); The Limits of Influence: Psychokinesis and the Philosophy of Science (1986; revised edition 1997); First Person Plural: Multiple Personality and the Philosophy of Mind (1991; revised edition 1995); Immortal Remains: The Evidence for Life After Death (2003); and The Gold Leaf Lady and Other Parapsychological Investigations (2007). His latest book is Crimes of Reason: On Mind, Nature and the Paranormal (2014.)
The full title of Professor Braude’s lecture to the SPR is ‘Physical Mediumship Today: Investigation of the Felix Experimental Group’. He ... discuss(ed) his visits to Kai Muegge’s Felix Circle in Germany, which is devoted to physical mediumship. Professor Braude has attended séances there over a four-year period, and recently published an article in the Journal of Scientific Exploration on investigations conducted by himself and others.
Professor Braude's lecture, preceded by the medal presentation, took place in the lecture hall of the Kensington Library.
CLICK RECTANGLE "AUTHORS" TO HEAR THE IMPOSSIBLE: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click image for Skeptiko mp3 Interview: Interview with Dr. Stephen Braude
reveals challenges
and opportunities
of controversial psi research into
mediumship and psychokinesis.
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Click this image for the
"Ghost buster"
article
in Style Magazine
"Spotlight"
:
Click image for Wisconsin Public Radio Podcast Interview about Magic:
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Professor Braude is also
Editor-in-Chief
of the Journal of the
Society for Scientific Exploration ScientificExploration.org
"Stephen Braude's books are known for their original and penetrating insights; Dangerous Pursuits is no exception. Ranging from mediumship and parapsychology to multiple personality and jazz, Braude is an equal opportunity challenger, taking on unconventional thinkers as well as conventional paradigms. Although his topics are weighty, his clarity of expression and his wry sense of humor make every chapter a delight to read and to contemplate."
— Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., co-editor
Varieties of Anomalous Experience
"Stephen Braude has excellent factual knowledge of the psychic, the mind, mediumship and related areas, and then shares his clear and deeper thinking about what they might be, how they work, and what are dead ends in our thinking that we can avoid.
He's not afraid to wrestle with complexities others skim over…like mediums who cheat sometimes, or just what is this "person" that we think might survive death. You can read a lot of Dangerous Pursuits for the pleasure of satisfying your curiosity, but you're also going to be thinking a lot more deeply as you read along. Excellent!"
— Charles T. Tart, Ph.D., author of Altered States of Consciousness
and Transpersonal Psychologies
CRIMES OF REASON
ON MIND, NATURE, AND THE PARANORMAL
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
(July 16, 2014)
"Stephen Braude is a professional philosopher and well established author both of books and articles who is particularly noted for two things.
One is for his work in certain Borderland areas in which topics within philosophy, psychology, parapsychology and psychiatry meet, overlap and interact (or should interact). The other is for the clarity and pithiness of expression with which he handles abstruse and difficult issues.
He has a gift for analogies, often amusing ones, which cut through layers of nonsense (often pretentious nonsense loaded with jargon) and expose the nub of a question. If Braude's views are correct – and they are certainly cogently argued – these topics are potentially of considerable and wide-ranging importance."
(Alan Gauld, University of Nottingham)
The Gold Leaf Lady and Other
Parapsychological Investigations University of Chicago Press, 2007
“This book isn’t just good, it’s excellent. Stephen Braude is at the top of the intellectual food chain in the study of paranormal phenomena..."
—Fred Frohock, author of Lives of the Psychics: The Shared Worlds of Science and Mysticism
“The Gold Leaf Lady is a read not to be missed. To initiates it offers valuable updates and insights. To those inconversant with the current state of parapsychological research, it may rank as the best introduction available.”
—AntiMatters