Extraordinary Beliefs

This book examines the remarkable feats of mesmerists, mediums and mind-readers, and provides a new psychology of extraordinary beliefs.

Informationen zum Autor Dr Peter Lamont is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh. He is Programme Director of the MSc in History and Theory of Psychology, and Honorary Secretary of the British Psychological Society (History and Philosophy of Psychology Section). He is also a longstanding member of the Koestler Parapsychology Unit, a former professional magician, an Associate of the Inner Magic Circle and Past President of the Edinburgh Magic Circle. He has published extensively on the history and psychology of magic and the paranormal. Klappentext This book examines the remarkable feats of mesmerists, mediums and mind-readers, and provides a new psychology of extraordinary beliefs. Zusammenfassung Mesmerists! mediums and psychics have long exhibited extraordinary phenomena. In doing so! they have provoked extraordinary beliefs. What has made these feats so convincing? How have people come to the conclusions they have drawn? In this fascinating historical study! Peter Lamont reveals what we continue to believe about extraordinary phenomena. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1. Introduction; 2. The making of the extraordinary; 3. The making of mesmeric phenomena; 4. The making of spiritualist phenomena; 5. The making of psychic phenomena; 6. The making of paranormal phenomena; 7. The making of extraordinary beliefs.

Résumé
Mesmerists, mediums and psychics have long exhibited extraordinary phenomena. In doing so, they have provoked extraordinary beliefs. What has made these feats so convincing? How have people come to the conclusions they have drawn? In this fascinating historical study, Peter Lamont reveals what we continue to believe about extraordinary phenomena.

Contenu

1. Introduction; 2. The making of the extraordinary; 3. The making of mesmeric phenomena; 4. The making of spiritualist phenomena; 5. The making of psychic phenomena; 6. The making of paranormal phenomena; 7. The making of extraordinary beliefs.