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An anomalous phenomenon is an observed phenomenon for which there is no suitable scientific explanation. Because they don't fit in the established framework, they are the subject of much controversy. While some phenomena aren't widely accepted as real phenomena by mainstream scientists, calling their study pseudoscience, other phenomena are acknowledged as being a reality, but then its interpretation is what causes controversy. For example, many believe that the phenomenon of UFOs is real, but their speculations differ as to exactly what such objects actually are. Examples of Anomalous phenomenaSome examples of anomalous phenomena are: As the framework of scientific knowledge expands, some anomalies get explained logically, losing their status as unexplained phenomena. For instance, while the idea of stones falling from the sky was long ridiculed, meteorites are now acknowledged and well understood. Though actually a subcategory of anomalous phenomena, paranormal phenomena are studied
in the field of parapsychology, and can be divided into three main classes:Written works- Classical civilization included unique signs and prodigies of nature in works of paradoxography such as The Phaenomena (240 BC) by Aratus of Soli.
- Inoue Enryo, a Japanese educator and philosopher, authored the six-volume The Study of Yōkai (妖怪学). As a result, he was best known as Dr. Ghost (お化け博士) or Dr. Yōkai (妖怪博士).
- Charles Fort, in his four works on anomalies, lambasted and ridiculed the scientists of his day for their shortsightedness. Some of the anomalies listed in his work have been explained and incorporated into modern science (e.g. meteors), while others continue to be unexplained.
- William R. Corliss' Science Frontiers has covered reports in the scientific literature regarding anomalies for years. He, through his Sourcebook Project, has published a
large body of reports collected in many of the scientific disciplines. - Leonard George, a psychologist who specializes in anomalous phenomena, compiled an authoritative encyclopedia of unusual experiences, activities, and beliefs in his 1995 book Alternative Realities.
- Fortean Times, a British monthly magazine, continues in the spirit of Fort's work by publishing reports of anomalous phenomena and longer investigative articles.
- The Anomalist, edited by Patrick Huyghe and Dennis Stacy, is another magazine/journal devoted to the study of anomalies (which may be called anomalistics).
- Strange Magazine is another magazine devoted to the study of anomalies in the spirit of Fort's work.
- Fate Magazine, with the slogan "True Reports of the Strange and Unknown" has been published continuously since 1948, and is the longest-running publication of its kind.
Further reading- Handbook of Unusual Natural Phenomena: Eyewitness Accounts of Nature's Greatest Mysteries, William R. Corliss, Anchor Press, Doubleday, 1983, trade paperback, 423 pages, ISBN 0-385-14754-6
- Remote Viewing Secrets, Joseph McMoneagle, Hampton Roads, 2000, paperback, 296 pages, ISBN 1-57174-159-3
- The Conscious Universe, Dean Radin PhD, Harper, 1997, hardback, 362 pages, ISBN 0-06-251502-0
- Channeling: Investigations on Receiving Information from Paranormal Sources. John Klimo, St. Martins Press, 1987. ISBN 0874774314
- Mr. Wilson's Cabinet Of Wonder: Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast, and Other Marvels of Jurassic Technology, Lawrence Weschler, 1996, trade paperback, 192 pages, ISBN 0679764895 (see web site link above)
See also Paranormal فراهنجار Paranormal Paranormale 超常現象 Zjawiska paranormalne Paranormal Paranormal Аномальные явления Paranormal
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