Encounters With the Paranormal: Science, Knowledge, and Belief

True to the form of Skeptical Enquirer magazine, Encounters with the Paranormal will ruffle more than a few feathers. This collection of articles from the pages of the controversial publication addresses paranormal phenomena from out-of-body experiences to UFOs and includes topics that most people don't immediately associate with the word "paranormal," such as subliminal messages and conspiracy theories. Readers might question why essays such as Martin Gardner's "Science vs. Beauty?" are included in a skeptical address of the paranormal, but this is the book's only glaring flaw. Once past these misplaced, but entertaining defenses of science and skepticism, the reader is treated to a host of thought-provoking articles like Susan Blackmore's analysis of near-death experiences and lucid dreams and the test of psychic crime detectives' success by Wiseman, West, and Stemman. While not everyone will agree with everything in Encounters with the Paranormal, it is a stimulating discourse and testimony that those with doctoral degrees don't necessarily know everything. --Brian Patterson