Dangerous Pursuits
Mediumship, Mind, and Music

by Stephen Braude

Trade Paperback, 324 Pages

$21.95, ISBN: 978-1-949501-15-5

Genre(s): Psychic Abilities

What's so dangerous?

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, including the evidence for postmortem survival and the unsettling question of the limits of paranormal influence. In the end, it turns out the real danger is the widespread ignorance of how these issues impact our understanding of reality.  

About the Author:

Stephen E. Braude is Emeritus Professor and former Chair of Philosophy at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Scientific Exploration. Prof. Braude is the recipient of numerous grants, fellowships, and awards, including Research Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the BIAL Foundation in Portugal, as well as the Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Society for the Study of Dissociation, and the F.W.H. Myers Memorial Medal from the Society for Psychical Research. He has published six other books and more than 100 book chapters and essays in philosophical and scientific journals.

Table of Contents
Preface
1. The Fear of Psi
2. Investigations of the Felix Experimental Group
3. Follow-Up Investigation of the Felix Circle
4. The Mediumship of Carlos Mirabelli
5. A Case Study in Shoddy Skepticism
6. Reflections on Super Psi
7. Making Sense of Mental Mediumship
8. Can the Deceased Have a Perceptual Point of View?
9. A Grumpy Guide to Parapsychology’s Terminological Blunders
10. A Peircing Examination of the Paranormal
11. Multiple Personality and the Structure of the Self
12. The Language of Jazz Improvisation
Index

What they're saying:

“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

"Stephen Braude is the most prolific of the late 20th- and early 21st- century philosophers writing about parapsychology, and his work in the philosophical aspects of parapsychology has been the most influential in this field for the past several decades...I wholeheartedly recommend that you proudly put this book alongside his other excellent tomes." — Hoyt Edge, Journal of Scientific Exploration

"Here is another outstanding collection of Braude’s shorter works...The author’s wit, honesty, and tenacity shine throughout his writings. Dr. Braude can always be counted on for either some new and surprising topic or an original view of something familiar. This book is no exception.  It looks at several mediums, one personally investigated by the author, and a couple of historical figures, D. D. Home and Carlos Mirabeli. There are some careful discussions clarifying several parapsychological themes and terminology; two pieces, the first and final essays, are in my opinion really 'on the edge' – exploring areas about which we seldom think." — Kenneth C. Turner, Journal of Parapsychology

"Braude’s rigorous approach is a corrective to shallow thinking in psychical research, and there is much of value here for anyone wishing to delve into the topics in more depth than is often the case in the literature." — Tom Ruffles, Fortean Times