Un i v e r s i t y
o f N i c e S o p h i a A n t i p
o l i s
Zetetics Teachings
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More details in the French version <----
Scientific Methodology
and the "paranormal"
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The "paranormal"
phenomena I. Claimed
"facts". Explanation and analysis of the substance
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The "paranormal"
phenomena II. Claimed
"facts". Reflexion and analysis of the form
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Presentation
Zetetics teaching has been created in 1993-94
at the Faculty of Science in Nice by Henri BROCH, Doctor
in Sciences, Professor of Physics at the University of Nice-Sophia
Antipolis, France (----> Henri
BROCH <----). This teaching, concerning
the "Licences" (first cycle of scientific studies) and
under the patronage of the Department of Physics of the University,
includes three main optional parts. listed hereunder
The objective of teaching Zetetics (under
the responsability of Professor Henri Broch) consists in shaping the necessary approach for
an hypothesis or a result to qualify as being scientific. This is done via the appealing help of the pseudosciences
and of paranormal phenomena, all in an easily accessible and memorizable
form.
Courses in Zetetics are open to four components
of the scientific "Licences". This teaching is quite
successful and represents now more than 3000 registered students.
----> More details in the French version <----
Zetetics Course
(1st semester)
Scientific Methodology
and the "Paranormal" |
Course + Practicals : 19,5 h
Pr. Henri BROCH
Observation & Experimentation
The Induction-Deduction-Retroaction cycle,
the interaction concept, the "bio-specific" case of
the electric force, orders of magnitude, units,... Is there a
method of exploring the universe around us ? What are the basic
principles ? What are the limits of the precision of a measurement,
of a calculation ?...
Dimensional analysis & The laws of
scale
Fundamental quantities, derived quantities,...
What are their relation and interdependance ? Dimensional equations
and illustrations of the interest of the dimensional analysis. Isometry,
allometry,... How do global sizes vary ? How to determine a law
of scale ? Demonstrations of the interest of scale analysis in complex situations...
Statistical methods, Probabilities &
Correlations
Statistical processing and random events,..
frequency, variance, standard-deviation, mode, median, mean,...
How to define and to use these parameters ? Binomial law, Poisson
& Laplace-Gauss distributions: when, how and why should one
use them ? What is a correlation and how to calculate one ? What
information will be gained ? This without omitting to distinguish
the correlation and causality...
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Basic rules as
applied to the "paranormal" |
State of things, Demarcation science
/ pseudo-sciences
Beliefs /age and sex; beliefs / academic
level; beliefs / occupation. In
what frame do pseudosciences blossom ? What are its psychosociological
indicators ? How does the paranormal evolve ?
One scientific method cannot cope with all
the fields of research but can a unique methodology be defined
? Are sciences, non-sciences and pseudosciences equal cognitive
fields ? What boundaries separate these fields of knowledge ?
How do we define a science ? What objective criteria differentiate
science and pseudoscience ? What criteria will give both hypothesis
and results a scientific label ?
Shaping of the Art of Doubt and structuring
the real tool offered by the Zetetics.
Facets of Zetetics
Organization of the Facets and Effects of
the truly functional tool: Zetetics, the Art of Doubt.
What one should remember
and what one should do : ----> The Facets of Zetetics
Effects of Zetetics
Somewhat particular Facets are distinguished
and they are studied under the form of "Effects".
What one should try to
detect : ----> The Effects of Zetetics
Zetetics (2nd semester)
The "paranormal"
phenomena I
Claimed "facts".
Explanation and analysis of the substance
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Course + Practicals : 19,5 h
Pr. Henri BROCH
This part and the following (in the 2nd
year of study) is centered on the concrete applications
of the methodology defined in the here-above teaching unit of
the 1st semester. The structure of the teaching is the following:
- -- Course: audiovisual courses on various themes (cf. in fine)
leading - via the motivating means of parasciences and paranormal
phenomena - to the shaping of the essential approach for an
hypothesis or a result to qualify as being scientific. The
elaboration of this teaching has needed a rather important work
and more than 1200 slides have been created.
- -- Practical
Work: this part covers the analysis of
experiments as well as experimentations directly "in
the field" by small group of students. The themes cover
the entire field of paranormal phenomena (i.e.: radiesthesy,
spiritism, astrology, antique techniques, magic medicines, fire
walking, etc...).
- -- The students are assessed on the complete
report
(presentation, protocol, results, analysis, conclusion) on their
experimentation. Paper, films, slides, video, CD-Rom, web sites...:
various forms are admitted.
Astrology or Star power
What is astrology ? What are its techniques
? What are the required basics to be known concerning celestial
mouvements ? How can a scientific approach help in evaluating
this divinatory art ? Appraisal of "scientific" work,
study of twins being presented as evidence...
Spatial archaeology or Extraterrestrials
in Antiquity
Egypt's pyramids, Nazca patterns, megalithic
observatories, electricity and magnetism in Antiquity, precolombian
airplanes, Mayan astronaut... Are these achievements the fruit
of contacts with extraterrestrials ? What was the technical knowledge
of the ancients ?
Supernatural manifestations or Thaumaturgy
in the course of centuries
Fire-walking, mysteries of antique temples,
liquefaction of San Gennaro's blood, spontaneous human combustion,
curse of the pharaos, "Holy Shroud of Turin", sarcophagus
of Arles /Tech, fakirism, levitations, crying or bleeding statues,...
What does the history of science and of techniques reveal us ?
What are the results of a truly scientific investigation on all
these wonders ?
Psi powers or The sixth sense in action
Psychokinesis, dowsing, spiritism, Geller
effect and metal bending, clairvoyance, 6th sense, bioenergetics,
Kirlian photography, filipino healers, blind motorcyclist, magnetisers,
ectoplasm casting, telepathy, mental photography,... How to cope
with all these phenomena ? The Zetetic
Challenge and its 200.000 euros (ca. 200.000 USD).
How can physics and chemistry help us ?
Zetetics (4th semester)
The "paranormal"
phenomena II
Claimed "facts".
Reflexion and analysis of the form.
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Course + Practicals : 24 h
Pr. Henri BROCH
"Media-lies" and pseudosciences
or The defaced truth
Distortion of the thinking process and mystification
of knowledge: does the education system have to deal with the
diffusion of pseudosciences and with their emergence as "media
stars" ? Distorted truths: parapsychology at the University,
"gelleritis", corpses of extraterrestrials, Bigfoot,
the famous "memory of water",... Biased information
? Drifting deontology ?...
"Exaggerated coincidences" or
The mathematical approach to the extraordinary
Premonitory dreams, extrasensory perception,
biorythms, amazing events, paradoxes... Can the paranormal be
addressed in a somewhat more mathematical way ? Reliability interpretations
and probabilities,...
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FIELDS OF EXPERIMENTATION
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A non exhaustive list :
- "Holy Shroud of Turin": the
fabrication, 3-D effect, ... If
you want to see Pr. Henri Broch making a shroud of Turin, click
here !
- Magnetism and radiesthesy, water divining
rods, pendulum experimentation of Pr Y. Rocard,...
- Ancient techniques and processes / Nazca
drawings, orientation and building of pyramids,...
- Social psychology, commitment, validation
of an assertion,...
- Principle of authority, induction, polls,...
- Moulding of ectoplasms,...
- Moulding of bigfoot, of Yeti footprints,...
- Oui-ja board, spirit glass, table rapping,...
- Bermuda triangle / hurricane path,...
- Psychokinesis,...
- Mental photography,...
- Catalepsy, nail board,...
- Homeopathy / "water memory",
high dilutions yet strong actions,...
- Ultrasonic whistle, zener cards / ESP,
telepathy,...
- Poltergeists,..
- Levitation /techniques, public tests
- "Devil fires", spontaneous human
combustion,...
- Caracterology, clairvoyance, predictions,...
- TV shows,...
- Hypnosis,...
- Transmateriality, real images / parabolic
mirrors, optical illusions,...
- Crying or bleeding statues,...
- Sects, gurus,...
- UFOs, Roswell,...
- Rain and spots of blood,...
- X-files, ...
- Fire-walking: experimentation techniques,
underlying physics,...
- etc,...
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Z-Files, Excerpts
from the students' works ? ---> Students' works
Pictures data bank
? ---> Pictures
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More details in the French version <----
The Facets and Effects
of Zetetics
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© H.Broch The Facets of Zetetics
- Anomalies do not constitute well-grounded basis
- A scenario is not a law (a
scenario is nothing more than a scenario)
- Quantity is not quality
- A written sentence is not auto-validating
- Analogy is not a proof
- Absence of proof is not proof of nonexistence
- The non-impossibility is not an argument
of existence
- Possible is not always possible
- Competitive is not necessarily contradictory
- Good faith is not a decisive argument
- Use the plausibility cursor
- Position the hypothesis on the plausibility
scale
- Grant its full weight to the uncertainty
of a result
- A global analysis is often conclusive
- Remain careful throughout the interpretation
- Beware of the selective expounding
and the subjective validating
- Nature is reliable
- Parcimony should be the rule
- The mode of rejection of data is significant.
- A scientific theory can be tested
- Inference is necessary
- An extraordinary allegation needs
a more than ordinary proof.
- The bizarre is probable
- To err is human, permanent fallibility
is not
- The source of information is fundamental
- The competence of the informant is
also fundamental
- The force of a belief can be huge
- Conjuring has an essential role
- The history of science and techniques
is useful
- The context is important
- Alternative is fruitful
- The burden of proof belongs to he
who declares
...
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© H.Broch The Effects of Zetetics
· The H'mm Effect
The principle of insufficient reason or principle
of indifference (as illustrated by the shrugging of one's shoulders).
Frequently intervening in the determination of the Ho "null
hypothesis"
· The Snow ball
Effect
A states that B has learned from C that D had... Nth
level account where each intermediary adds an element of his
own to the primary story
· The Escalation Effect
It is an adhesion effect, an escalation of commitment.
An adhesion to the behavior of decision, rather than an
adhesion to the reasons, good or bad, supposed to orientate
our choice. Eventual persevering in the sole activity of decision.
Errare humanum est, sed perseverare diabolicum.
· The Bi-standard
Effect
Modifying the rules of the game according to the other
party's reaction. This double standard is frequently used by
the adepts of pseudosciences and even more so by those of the
"alternative" medicines (overlapping of the two groups
is of course not null)
· The Rivulet
Effect
If small rivulets make big rivers, minute omissions
(or errors) allow grandiose theories. The essential question:
have all the elements been (correctly) provided ? Units used,
global coherence, values as a function of time,...
- The Biped Effect
Reasoning from a firm conviction towards a possible
cause ("backwards" reasoning) is one of the most pernicious
and less easily identifiable Effects. Quite often it is
confusing cause and effect
· The Hoop Effect
Vicious circle, quite common with psychics. It consists
in admitting as fact precisely what is going to be demonstrated.
The starting point might be non clearly stated and the Effect
becomes a (hard to detect) kind of circular reasoning.
- The Well Effect
The more a speech is "profound", in the
sense of... hollow, the more the audience will recognize
itself. The Well (or "Barnum") Effect presents a sequence
of hollow sentences that might be accepted as genuinely true
by persons who will give a meaning to these sentences by adding
the proper circumstances.
- The Impact Effect
Using the connotation (the "weight") to
introduce a meaning, more or less different from the one generally
attributed to the words used.
- The stork Effect
The Stork Effect is simply the confusion between correlation
and causality
· The Lotus Effect
The Lotus Effect (daughter of the Stork Effect) consists
in interpreting an inverse correlation as a direct one and thus
resulting in a wrong causality.
- The Doormat Effect
The choice of words is as important as the
weight of words (Impact Effect). The Doormat Effect consists
in designating something by a word destined
to something else. This permits implications in
no way connected with those normally allowed. This is the fundamental
Effect in the field of "paranormal" phenomena.
...
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----> More details in the French version <----
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