Why the “Para” in Parascience?
Why the “para” in parascience? Science was originally a subdivision of philosophy, i.e., of the intellectual pursuit of truth. But if there is a substantive basis for doubt in the larger intellectual context about the valid scope of naturalism, this methodological necessity in such special cases can amount to shunning a necessary search for truth. Therefore, while ordinary or nonproblematic science still qualifies as a legitimate child of philosophy, parascience becomes its bastard offspringunless qualified by an ongoing, extra-scientific evaluation of the validity of science’s naturalistic working assumption. Ordinary science commands great academic and public respect, based on its demonstrated usefulness and relative reliability in the domain of ordinary science. This esteem is unwarrantedly transferred to parascience and exploited without restraint by the naive and the ideologically motivated. Ultrascience and “Theistic Science” Positive arguments for “intelligent design” or creatio
