EXPERIMENTAL SPIRITISM
A Field That Differs From The Exact Sciences
Science of Observation | Theory + Phenomena
The scientific studies of
Spiritism are, in many ways, similar to those of traditional science. Just as they
did with Kardec, they continue to follow, in many ways, the well known
"Scientific Method" of Galileo and Newton : an observation of
something that is happening, a hypothesis or a preliminary explanation,
experimentation - with repetition of the phenomena - to test the hypothesis, and
then
analysis and comparison of the results of each repetition, followed by law and
theory. However, as noted by Kardec, Spiritism, at the same time, forms a distinct scientific field, differing from the exact sciences, because, as Kardec wrote, Spiritist (or mediumistic) phenomena "must be observed in passing. It is through a long, careful observation that one discovers the proofs that escape the first glance, especially when one is unfamiliar with the conditions required to produce the phenomena or when one has prejudged them." |
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Why is that? It is because the
objects of study are spirits who are merely the souls of men, and just like
each of us, they have their own thoughts, desires, and intentions. Therefore,
the mediumistic phenomena can not be produced at will. No one can force
the spirit under observation to do or say anything unless they want to, and the
spirit will only act when it chooses to do so. This is very different from the exact sciences where
you can test your hypothesis by repeating a phenomena at will, and as many times
as you wish. Not only that, but discarnate spirits, just like their incarnate
counterparts,
are each at their own level of advancement and knowledge, thus adding to the variety of data
collected and in need of careful scrutiny.