dean@mind.UUCP (Dean Radin) (11/12/86)
The Parapsychological Association (PA) is an international professional organization of scientists and scholars interested in the serious study of so-called psi phenomena. The PA has been an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) since 1969; the membership is currently about 300. As in any scientific field, there is an enormous amount of material on this topic available for study if one takes the time to find it. Unlike other fields, however, this one has been plagued with more than its share of irrational behavior on the part of proponents and skeptics alike, which has only served to obscure what is scientifically known about such phenomena. The fact is that there are about three dozen scientists in the free world -- mostly physicists, engineers, and psychologists -- who are working full-time in this field. I am the Public Information Officer of the PA for 1986. If you have questions about this organization, or about contemporary research methods and topics, send me mail. (Anticipating a likely question, let me mention that among the requirements for membership in the PA are a Ph.D. from an accredited university, demonstrated scholarship in a recognized discipline, and serious interest in the study of psi phenomena.)