Investigating the Supernatural: From Spiritism and Occultism to Psychical Research and Metapsychics in France, 1853–1931 -Sofie Lachapelle

Investigating the Supernatural: From Spiritism and Occultism to Psychical Research and Metapsychics in France, 1853–1931 - Sofie Lachapelle

Book in English.

This work offers an in-depth look at France from the 1850s to the 1930s, a time when spiritualistic séances and the study of the supernatural were widely popular among both academics and the general public. Sofie Lachapelle examines five groups that attempted to understand and justify supernatural phenomena from different perspectives:

• Spiritualists , who sought to create a new "science" that focused on the spirit world and the afterlife.
• Occultists , who wanted to combine ancient revelations and modern science.
• Doctors, psychiatrists, and psychologists who explained supernatural experiences from the perspective of pathology.
• Psychic researchers , who utilized popular experiences of unexplained phenomena to establish a new field of research.
• Metapsychics , who sought to create a new science from unknown natural forces.

Lachapelle examines the practices, goals, and levels of success of these groups, as well as their interactions with each other and with mainstream science. He highlights how supernatural phenomena were considered worthy of serious study, and how spiritualists and metapsychics in particular challenged traditional science. The work illuminates how these efforts ultimately led to the marginalization of psychic research and metapsychics.

The book also introduces fascinating characters, such as Allan Kardec , a former mathematics teacher who wrote popular works on the science of spiritism and the afterlife. Investigating the Supernatural offers a lively and entertaining look at the interface between scientific culture and supernatural research in late 19th and early 20th century France. This book is an excellent choice for anyone interested in the multidimensional relationship between science and the supernatural.