Henry H. Bauer

Scientific knowledge is not always reliable or correct and should not necessarily be depended on to explain paranormal phenomena, contends Henry H. Bauer in the following viewpoint. While science is a valuable tool, it may not reveal the truth about unusual events that defy logic or leave no recordable evidence. Psychic phenomena, for example, may be better investigated through psychological or spiritual knowledge rather than through purely scientific methods, Bauer points out. Investigators who want to be open to the possibility of discovering something new should recognize the value of knowledge systems other than science. Bauer, a former chemistry professor, is the author of Science or Pseudoscience: Magnetic Healing, Psychic Phenomena, and Other Heterodoxies, from which this viewpoint is excerpted.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In Bauer’s...