Academics in dispute over 'ghost professor' job

by SIMON FORSYTH

     CONTROVERSY HAS erupted within the hallowed halls of academia over the granting of a professorship in parapsychology, writes Simon Forsyth.

This year (2004), Lund University in Sweden will appoint its first professor of parapsychology, hypnology and clairvoyance to teach and study various disciplines under the banner of the paranormal. Utrecht University in the Netherlands and Edinburgh University in Scotland also have chairs in parapsychology.

According to published reports more than 30 candidates, including an East Indian medium and an American witch, have applied for the post which is financed by a donation. University records explain that funding for the so-called "ghost professor" post originated more than 40 years ago when the will of a dead Danish margarine manufacturer provided money for a college-level research position in the paranormal. Financing to set up such a post was first offered to universities in Copenhagen and Stockholm. However, only Lund accepted the donation.

A Lund University official reports that three expert reviewers of the application process have been appointed. They include Prof Jessica Utts of UCLA in America, Prof Sven Carlsson of Goteborg, Sweden and Prof Henry Montgomery of Stockholm.

The first professor to assume this special position will begin work later this year. However, disagreement continues to build over the new post as traditional scientists point to a lack of proof of supernatural phenomena. They complain that, despite decades of research and observation, there is still no proof that abilities such as telekinesis, ESP and clairvoyance exist. A controversial divide is therefore growing between those scientists who consider such work to be a foolish lack of resources and those who support any studies into new realms.

Dan Larhammar, professor at the Department of Neuroscience at Uppsala University in Sweden and chairman of an association supporting adult education about methods and results in science, questioned the viability of selecting a professor in parapsychology. According to Prof Larhammar the reason why he and many others are critical of the professorship is that "research has been carried out in parapsychology for a hundred years trying to verify the existence of the purported phenomena, but without succeeding.

"This is called the 100 year argument", Larhammar added. "It seems futile indeed to pursue this effort further. Another reason is that during these 100 years neuroscience has made enormous progress. All of that progress without exception points to a perfect correlation between cognition or thoughts and brain activity. There is no evidence whatsoever that thoughts can be propagated in air, let alone a mechanism for how this could happen."

Prof Larhammar also cited the so-called "evolutionary argument." This states that, if psychic abilities existed, they should be expected to constitute a major evolutionary advantage and should thus be expected to spread rapidly in the population. Adamant that this has not happened, the professor emphasised his opposition to the post by asking:

"Why should there be research done on something that is without any prospect of success? It is questionable whether a state-owned university should devote itself to it. We have an enormous amount of fact to lean on when saying that the activity of the brain is bound to the brain itself and to the body. Therefore, it is fruitless to continue research on parapsychology."

However, other scientists were quick to defend the position. Prof Brian Josephson of the Cavendish Lab, Cambridge was eager to praise the Lund University appointment because "we simply don't understand things like telepathy very well and, in view of its importance, it would be of value to understand it better."

Prof Josephson also separated the question of whether the research was worthwhile from the other issues involved.

"While quite a number of scientists are open minded about psychic abilities there are some who are pathologically and irrationally opposed to the possibility," Prof Josephson said. "A number of them belong to an organization called CSICOP." (Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal.)

According to its official description, the group encourages the "critical investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims from a responsible, scientific point of view and disseminates factual information about the results of such inquiries to the scientific community and the public."

Beyond the paranormal, it also promotes science and scientific inquiry, critical thinking, science education and the use of reason in examining important issues. The group maintains a network of people interested in critically examining paranormal claims and encourages research by objective and impartial inquiry.

Prof Josephson assigned some of the negative sentiment over the Lund position to this group and its agenda.

"The organization is influential and spreads a lot of hostile propaganda, which has really interfered with the science, since all such work is in a sense damned at the outset."

Prof Josephson pointed to perhaps CSICOP's most well known member as an example of the group's intent. James Randi still offers his well-publicised standing offer of a $1 million award for clear evidence of the existence of the paranormal.

"A little problem with this 'much-touted' award, to use the propagandists' own characteristic terminology, is that the foundation itself determines eligibility of a proposed test for investigation," Prof Josephson said.

"So far Randi and CSICOP has disallowed all tests that might have a chance of winning the prize, which makes it hardly surprising that no one has as yet won the award, which is often quoted as evidence that the effects are not real."

Ciarn O'Keeffe, of Liverpool Hope University's Psychology Department, also expressed support for the Lund University appointment. He hopes it will push legitimate research beyond New Age philosophy. He told The Psychic Times:

"Parapsychology is a scientific discipline which has influenced experimental protocol in science for years. The appointment increases the gap between the true science and its incorrectly associated links with New Age philosophy, ufology and cryptozoology.

"I congratulate the appointee and look forward to the publication of controlled psychic studies from various perspectives - as well as scientific attempts to find natural explanations for apparent phenomena."