Inparapsychology,psychometry(fromGreek:ψυχή,psukhē,"spirit, soul" and μέτρον,metron,"measure" ),[1]also known astoken-object reading,[2]orpsychoscopy,[3]is a form ofextrasensory perceptioncharacterized by the claimed ability to glean accurate knowledge of an object's history by making physical contact with that object.[4]Supporters assert that an object may have anenergy fieldthat transfers knowledge regarding that object's history.[4]
There is no evidence that psychometry exists, and the concept has been widely criticized.[4][5]
History
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Joseph Rodes Buchanancoined the word "psychometry" (measuring thesoul) in 1842.[6][7]Buchanan developed the idea that all things give off anemanation.[8]
The Past is entombed in the Present!The world is its own enduring monument; and that which is true of its physical, is likewise true of its mental career. The discoveries of Psychometry will enable us to explore the history of man, as those of geology enable us to explore the history of the earth. There are mental fossils for psychologists as well as mineral fossils for thegeologists;and I believe that hereafter the psychologist and the geologist will go hand in hand — the one portraying the earth, its animals and its vegetation, while the other portrays the human beings who have roamed over its surface in the shadows, and the darkness of primeval barbarism! Aye, the mental telescope is now discovered which may pierce the depths of the past and bring us in full view of the grand and tragic passages of ancient history![9]
Buchanan asserted that his particular psychism would supersede empiric science. He wrote a comprehensive treatise,Manual of Psychometry: the Dawn of a New Civilization(1885), detailing how the direct knowledge of psychometry would be applied to and affect the many various branches of science.[10]
The thermometer measures caloric (thermotemperature). The barometer measures the weight (baro,weight) of the atmosphere; the electrometer measures electric conditions; the psychometer measures the soul (psyche). In the case of Psychometry, however, the measuring assumes a new character, as the object measured and the measuring instrument are the same psychic element, and its measuring power is not limited to the psychic as it was developed in the first experiments, but has appeared by successive investigation to manifest a wider and wider area of power, until it became apparent that this psychic capacity was really the measure of all things in the Universe.[11]
Buchanan continued to promote psychometry throughout his life and his followers believed that it would revolutionize science in a comprehensive way as "the dawn of a new civilization".[12]Buchanan's work on psychometry was continued by the geologistWilliam Denton(1823–1883). In 1863, Denton published a book on the subjectThe Soul of Things.Their work was criticized byJoseph Jastrowas based ondelusionandwishful thinking.[13]
Others, such asStephen Pearl Andrews,who promoted Psychometry along with his own new science ofUniversology,built upon Buchanan's ideas. As a lecturer, Andrews asserted that such inquiries, as paraphrased by an 1878New York Timesarticle, "demonstrated that the sympathy between the mind and body is an exact science".[14]
In the later nineteenth century demonstrations of psychometry became a popular part of stage acts andséances,with participants providing a personal object for "reading" by amediumor psychic. It is also commonly offered atpsychicfairs as a type ofpsychic reading.[15]
Scientific reception
editSkeptics explain alleged successes of psychometry bycold readingandconfirmation bias.[4][16][17][18] SkepticRobert Todd Carrolldescribes psychometry as apseudoscience.[5]
The majority of police departments polled do not use psychics and do not consider them credible or useful on cases.[19][20][21][22]Proponents of psychometry have argued thatpsychic detectiveshave been used by law enforcement agencies on specific cases. However, psychologistLeonard Zusnehas noted that "enquiries with police officials [...] reveal that the involvement of psychics has not been very helpful, and that second-hand reports of it are often in gross error."[4]
See also
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References
edit- ^Buchanan 1893,p.3.
- ^PsychometryArchived2010-08-24 at theWayback Machine– Key Words Frequently Used in Parapsychology, Parapsychological Association (2006-12-17)
- ^Tischner, Rudolf,Telepathy and ClairvoyanceGreat Britain, Steven Austin & Sons, Ltd. 1924,p. 70.ISBN1-84664-135-7
- ^abcdeZusne, Leonard;Jones, Warren H. (1989).Anomalistic Psychology: A Study of Magical Thinking.Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. pp. 193–194.ISBN978-0-805-80507-9
- ^ab"Psychometry".The Skeptic's Dictionary.
- ^Spence, LewisEncyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, Part 2,Kessinger Publishing, LLC (2003),p. 754.ISBN0-7661-2817-2
- ^Mark A. Lause (University of Cincinnati):Joseph Rodes Buchanan(Internet Archive)
- ^"Psychometry at paralumun".Archived from the original on April 9, 2000.
- ^Buchanan 1893,p.73.
- ^Buchanan 1893,pp. 4–5.
- ^Buchanan 1893,pp. 3–4.
- ^Buchanan's Journal of Man.,Vol. I. August, 1887. No. 7.
- ^Jastrow, Joseph.(1935).Wish and Wisdom: Episodes in the Vagaries of Belief.D. Appleton-Century Company. pp. 314–322. (Published in 1962 by Dover Books asError and Eccentricity in Human Belief).
- ^A discourse on Seven Sciences.; Cerebral Physiology, Cerebral Psychology, Sarcognomy, Psychometry, Pneumatology, Pathology, and Cerebral Pathology.The New York Times,March 17, 1878
- ^Marcelle S. FischlerLong Island Journal; Where $20 Will Buy A Peek at the Futurenytimes,December 15, 2002.
- ^Hoebens, Piet Hein;Truzzi, Marcello.(1985).Reflections on Psychic Sleuths.InA Skeptic's Handbook of Parapsychology,ed.Paul Kurtz.Prometheus Books. pp. 631–643.ISBN0-87975-300-5
- ^Carroll, Robert Todd.(2003).The Skeptic's Dictionary: A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions.John Wiley & Sons. p. 316.ISBN978-0-471-27242-7
- ^Stollznow, Karen(12 April 2010)."A Psychometry Reading".Skeptical Inquirer.Center for Inquiry.Retrieved12 February2018.
- ^Barnes, Hannah (2009-11-23)."Can psychics help to solve crime??".BBC.Retrieved2009-11-22.
- ^Silence, Eddie (2006-03-29)."Do the police use psychics?".Critical Thinking Association (UK).Retrieved2007-05-25.
- ^"Police reject psychic advice".Bay Of Plenty Times.Retrieved2007-05-21.
- ^Nickell, Joe(29 April 2004)."Police Psychics: Do They Really Solve Crimes?".csicop.org.
Works cited
edit- Buchanan, Joseph Rodes(1893).Manual of Psychometry: The Dawn of a New Civilization.Boston: F. H. Hodges.
Further reading
edit- Denton, William (1863).The Soul of Things, Or, Psychometric Researches and Discoveries.Boston: Walker, Wise & Co.
- Nickell, Joe(1994).Psychic Sleuths: ESP and Sensational Cases.Prometheus Books.ISBN0-87975-880-5.
- Randi, James(1982).Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions.Prometheus Books.ISBN0-87975-198-3.
- Wilson, Colin(1985).The Psychic Detectives: The Story of Psychometry and Paranormal Crime Detection.Mercury House.ISBN0-330-28119-4.
- Wiseman, Richard(2011).Paranormality: Why We See What Isn't There.Macmillan.ISBN978-0-230-75298-6.
External links
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- Psychometry Experiment,a project that gave residents in Ontario, Canada the opportunity to participate in a psychometry study
- "Psychometry"inThe Skeptic's Dictionary