New on Youtube: “Poltergeist Phenomena and the History of Science”

I made a new video for you! This and the following videos are based on my first Forbidden Histories article, “The Naturalization of the Poltergeist” (click here to read). Here’s part 1: For those who would like to do their own historical research, here’s an UPDATED BIBLIOGRAPHY with references for the article and both parts … Read more

Positivists in Wonderland: Extended Abstract of my Talk at the Conference, Science and Spiritualism, 1750-1930

As I’m preparing my presentation for the upcoming conference on the history of science and spiritualism in Leeds, I thought I’d share an extended version of my abstract with those of you who won’t be able to attend:  Scientific Naturalism and the Study of Spiritualist Phenomena by Positivist and Materialist Representatives of Science and Medicine … Read more

The Naturalization of the ‘Poltergeist’

Ostensible ‘poltergeist phenomena’ are the very epitome of ‘things that go bump in the night’, and most modern scientists would probably relegate them to the realm of fairy tales without thinking twice. And yet, for historians studying the historical continuity of scientific interest in the supposed ‘supernatural’, they offer surprising insights. Probably coined by Martin … Read more