A common methodology for the study of unexplained facts

A common methodology for the study of unexplained facts is based on the principles of scientific methodology. This technique consists of 5 stages, each of which can be formulated goals, objectives, actions, and insights.

The main purpose of the paranormal researcher is to identify the scientific explanation of the phenomenon from the point of view of an existing paradigm, or by its expansion due to new knowledge.

For a more comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon need to collect:

• the maximum number of instances of the manifestation of this phenomenon for further analysis;
• information about the development of the phenomenon since its birth to the current moment;
• information about the relationship of the witnesses to the phenomenon, including cultivated through the media and works of mass culture.

Every fact, which says a witness must be considered separately from the others, acting according to the following pattern reflected on the line of a condition of fact:

Stage 1 – "Fact". At this stage it is necessary to record all the source information from the source or description of an eyewitness. If this news article, you need a full copy of the description of events, as well as share photos and videos. This will help not only to see the big picture, but also to understand how the journalist presented this information to the reader, what does it shows to witness and the events described.

Stage 2 – Research. You need to look for the information about this fact in other sources. If necessary to Supplement the narrative part of the fact new data. Also at this stage the analysis of the description of a witness, material evidence, the comparison of their contents with characteristics consistent with known versions.

Stage 3 – "Hypothesis". At this stage, the analysis of the description of an eyewitness or material evidence shows that information is sufficient to correlate fact with one or more versions listed in the appropriate section.

Stage 4 – "Investigation". Performed verification of hypotheses and their confirmation or refutation. If necessary, the original data of the investigated fact and compared with similar facts, experiments or expeditions to collect data. If all the hypotheses are refuted, is returned to the second stage of work with the aim of finding new data to generate new hypotheses.

Stage 5 – "the End". If one of the hypotheses was confirmed by a third-party data or complete coincidence of the object of investigation (its appearance, character movements, sound, etc.) with one version in the appropriate section, the investigation of fact is completed. If new information about facts, refuting made as a result of the investigation findings, the process may return to any of the stages.

Summarizing the results of closed facts, the researcher has many possible explanations for each phenomenon (for example, to the UFO phenomenon including possible explanations are the highlights, sky lanterns, pyrotechnics, etc.). But the investigation part was the facts and do not reach the final stage, and such facts remain unexplained. You must understand that this can happen not only because the fact is paranormal (i.e. unknown to modern science) cause. The reason for the inability to complete the investigation may be given the lack of witness information (for example, one photo of the bright spots for 80% of the frame), or a lack of knowledge of the experts involved in the investigation. In fact, such facts are not investigated to the end not for lack of possible explanations, but because of their abundance and the inability to reduce their number.

True paranormal can be considered only the facts that cannot be explained by known versions. From the totality of such facts relating to the same phenomenon, it is necessary to allocate one or more paranormal components with common characteristics – the paranormal. They should be examined in the framework of studying the phenomenon.

Paranormal phenomena can be studied independently from each other or together, if they discovered the relationship (for example, if the phenomenon is often or always manifested simultaneously in one and the same object). The study builds a hypothesis that explains the studied phenomenon. In accordance with this hypothesis, preparing the experiment, allowing her to confirm or deny.

Popper's criterion is put forward as the main differences between scientific theories from pseudoscientific opportunity to experiment, especially one that could give to refute this theory result. Therefore, the experiment is a cornerstone in the empirical approach to knowledge. The experiment can be conducted both in the laboratory (which is preferred), and in the pilot of the expedition (if you conduct an experiment in laboratory conditions is impossible). Thus calculate the possible results of the experiment. If initially described this phenomenon experimentally to repeat fails, then the experiment is considered a failure, and the hypothesis on which it is based, needs to be corrected. This cycle (experiment — analysis results — correction hypothesis) is repeated until then, until the phenomenon cannot be played back repeatedly, and describe the algorithm of its play.

After managed to achieve repeat playback of the phenomenon, this is a deeper study. Examines the boundary conditions under which the phenomenon occurs; there are attempts to repeat the phenomenon in places far from its original origin, etc., as a result of accumulating the amount of information sufficient to construct a theory explaining the paranormal phenomenon.

The development of the theory is iterative, and experimental investigation of the phenomenon. The resulting theory must be strictly scientifically described and confirmed by the results of the relevant experiments. Obtained as a result of this work, the explanation of paranormal phenomena is introduced in section Version with reference to the studied phenomenon.

The phenomenon is completely explained in that case, if all components of its paranormal can be explained by the corresponding versions.

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»