fantasy and paranormal

[Princess Ivy]

is paranormal study part of fantasy or something completely seperate? can the two be separated? or is it a science (not asking from pov of study, but general interest)? where does it fall on the scale. there is no doubt in my mind that strange things exist beyone our comprehension of the laws of physics. so wehre do they fall? i know that works like the tower and hive sequence are considered science fiction, and yet there are other works which are considered fantasy (prospero's children) or even horror. so what is the paranormal? does it fit or is it a genre on its own?

[Tsujigiri]

The first two books I had published were non-fiction books investigating aspects of the paranormal, I was and am still fairly sceptical about most things reported as paranormal, that said I have also experienced a fair amount that I can't explain in scientific terms.

For me is has come down to a resigned understanding that if the universe is potentially infinite, then there is no way that a finite consciousness is able to comprehend or perceive most of it.

[don sky]

Originally Posted by Tsujigiri

The first two books I had published were non-fiction books investigating aspects of the paranormal, I was and am still fairly sceptical about most things reported as paranormal, that said I have also experienced a fair amount that I can't explain in scientific terms.

For me is has come down to a resigned understanding that if the universe is potentially infinite, then there is no way that a finite consciousness is able to comprehend or perceive most of it.

Dude, you travel, you practice bu jutsu, have your own martial arts website and to top it all off, you've published not one but two books! If my jaw could drop any lower the floor would dent. That's pretty cool!
with regards to the fantasy and paranormal topic, I think paranormal studies seek to explain weird and strange happenings using scientific logic. Hence terms like ectoplasm of ghosts, residual radiation, "WHITE NOISE", etc. Fantasy is just that. Fantasy! No need to explain or justify coz its all in the imagination. That's my piece! Oh, and I also think Paranormal study is prettty futile coz they'll never get anything conclusive. SETI, Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, on the other hand...

[Tsujigiri]

Don Sky mate, you are easily impressed

[littlemissattitude]

Just as Tsujigiri, I tend to hold on to my skepticism pretty hard when dealing with things labeled "paranormal" or "supernatural". I'm a Virgo, so I never take anything at face value (although you should not take that comment as a sign that I necessarily buy into astrology ), and as an "X-files" fan, I've always thought that the show's motto, "Trust No One" is a pretty good attitude to take when considering reports of such things. But I, too, have had some experiences that I cannot explain away no matter how hard I've tried to. So I keep an open mind on the subject and I don't think that it is all fantasy and hallucination, although a good deal of what passes for it often might be. As for whether or not the subject falls into "science", I think it depends a lot on how you approach it, and on what your definitions are. I sometimes think that these things are not above or outside the normal and natural, as the words that usually label them imply, but are just outside what science currently can measure and chooses to look at.

Just my two cents' worth.

[freebird]

Hi Princess, and thank you again for yet another thought provoking thread.

I think it is unfortunate that librarians picked the category "Science Fiction" to lump together anything they could not figure out how to categorize.

The difference between Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings is vast, and my
opinion is that they are completely unrelated.
Fantasy and the paranormal are also, in my opinion, oceans apart.
Every child is fascinated by ghost stories, and stories of UFO's, and so forth.
My opinion is that people such as Art Bell and the like just cannot let go of
their childhood fascinations.
Good fantasy writing, on the other hand, reflects imagination and creativity, and, much like great music, stirs our emotions and our thoughts and our own imaginations.
Hope that made sense to someone besides me.........

[PERCON]

I think sci-fi is based on scientific phenomena, fantasy can break the laws of many scientific theories and still be sucessful, that's my opinion of it. Sci-fi = sciency stuff, fantasy = anything which doesn't rely on science.

As for the paranormal, well since scientific studies are sometimes based on paranormal activities it falls into the sci-fi side of things but is still in it's own area.

I think ghosts and things like that are due to the imagination and everyday influences which falls into neither sci-fi nor fantasy but into a non-fictional reality which then doesn't fit into anything because ghosts can't be seen as non-fictional entities they are seen as paranormal so they themselves should have their own category and so should each paranormal event. (I got a bit confuzzled but now trying to recover) The paranormal area of things is like a Misc box, shove stuff there when it's different to other things.

PERCON - 'Currently in a world of my own, stay out of my personal planetary space please "

[kyektulu]

The paranormal has nothing to do with fantasy in my view.
There are many experiences which I had had in my life which try as I might I cannot explain rationally or define as a natural occurence.
I veiw the study of the paranormal as scientific not fantastical.
Their will always be things that cannot be explained by science alone and need alternate ways to catalouge and vericate the authenticity of these events. However, just bacause they have not yet been proven to be fact we should not dismiss them completely.
I have been an avid reader of all things paranormal and occult related for as long as I can remember however it does not mean I blindly believe all of the things I read as fact, I still remain quite the sceptic but I do try to keep an open mind...

[ajdecon]

In fiction, it sort of depends on how it's treated. Science fiction stories dealing with the paranormal (like McCaffrey'sstories) generally approach it like any other weird phenomenon: it has rules, it has limits, and part of the story is figuring out the limits and why they exist. On the other hand, if you see weird stuff happening with no rhyme or reason, I tend to lump it into fantasy or horror. If the story doesn't at least try to explore the concept's rules, you can't call it SF.

As for real life... I'm with those who are skeptical, and impatient with people who make claims but refuse to even try to back it up. "Science doesn't apply, but this is true, you have to take these things on faith and believe in them"--crap. I agree there are plenty of things science can't explain, yet. The point is always to keep trying.

[silvermage2000]

I believe to a point that they can relate,but paranormal is somewhat something on it's own to,because there are some things that happen that can't be explained so therefore i't can't really be fanasy like then.