Society for Scientific Exploration
Encyclopedia
The Society for Scientific Exploration, or SSE, is a professional organization of scientists and other scholars committed to studying unusual and unexplained phenomena that cross traditional scientific boundaries and may be ignored or inadequately studied within mainstream science. The opinions of the organization are usually at odds with those of mainstream science.
It holds annual meetings and publishes a quarterly peer reviewed journal called Journal of Scientific Exploration
(JSE).
in 1982.
As of 2008, the SSE has approximately 800 members in 45 countries.
Of the SSE and its journal, journalist Michael D. Lemonick writes, "Pretty much anything that might have shown up on The X-Files
or in the National Enquirer shows up first here. But what also shows up is a surprising attitude of skepticism
."
, the Journal of Scientific Exploration, was established to provide a scientific forum for ufology
, parapsychology
and cryptozoology
, having published research articles, essays, book reviews and letters on those and many other topics that are largely ignored in mainstream journals.
The journal has published articles implying that certain topics, like paranormal activities, dowsing and reincarnation, are true and have been verified scientifically. The articles try to convince other scientists that further research into those topics is warranted, and they are often written by scientists with impressive academic credentials, but the mainstream scientific community has deliberately ignored all of them.
writes, "among other things, consciousness physics, astrology and parapsychology ... [M]any of the scientists here are on the faculty at major universities, and were doing fine at conventional research. But sometimes that gets boring."
The meetings last usually three days and consist of "invited lectures, contributed talks and poster sessions selected by a program committee."
According to experimental psychologist Roger D. Nelson
, head of the Global Consciousness Project
, the SSE aims to "give everyone a respectful hearing. If we think a speaker is doing bad science
, we consider it our duty to criticize it. We get our share of lunatics, but they don't hang around long."
. The Skeptical Inquirer
published an article by Robert Sheaffer
who wrote that the SSE was a non-mainstream organization that was biased towards uncritically believing UFO phenomena, that the panel included many scientists that were UFO advocates but no scientists that were skeptics of UFO claims, and that all the uphold cases were old cases that had failed to convince any skeptic of its accuracy or veracity. These included the Cash-Landrum incident
, the Trans-en-Provence Case
and the Aurora, Texas UFO Incident.
As of 2008, the Leaders Emeritus were Peter A. Sturrock
, from the Department of Physics & Department of Applied Physics of Stanford University
and Larry Frederick and Charles Tolbert from the Department of Astronomy of University of Virginia
.
It holds annual meetings and publishes a quarterly peer reviewed journal called Journal of Scientific Exploration
Journal of Scientific Exploration
The Journal of Scientific Exploration is a quarterly scientific journal of fringe science published by the Society for Scientific Exploration that was established in 1987...
(JSE).
History
The Society was founded in 1982 by fourteen scientists and scholars, and the first SSE meeting took place at the University of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
in 1982.
As of 2008, the SSE has approximately 800 members in 45 countries.
Of the SSE and its journal, journalist Michael D. Lemonick writes, "Pretty much anything that might have shown up on The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
or in the National Enquirer shows up first here. But what also shows up is a surprising attitude of skepticism
Scientific skepticism
Scientific skepticism is the practice of questioning the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence or reproducibility, as part of a methodological norm pursuing "the extension of certified knowledge". For example, Robert K...
."
Journal
The society's peer reviewed scientific journalScientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
, the Journal of Scientific Exploration, was established to provide a scientific forum for ufology
Ufology
Ufology is a neologism coined to describe the collective efforts of those who study reports and associated evidence of unidentified flying objects . UFOs have been subject to various investigations over the years by governments, independent groups, and scientists...
, parapsychology
Parapsychology
The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir, and originates from para meaning "alongside", and psychology. The term was adopted by J.B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research...
and cryptozoology
Cryptozoology
Cryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...
, having published research articles, essays, book reviews and letters on those and many other topics that are largely ignored in mainstream journals.
The journal has published articles implying that certain topics, like paranormal activities, dowsing and reincarnation, are true and have been verified scientifically. The articles try to convince other scientists that further research into those topics is warranted, and they are often written by scientists with impressive academic credentials, but the mainstream scientific community has deliberately ignored all of them.
Annual meeting
The SSE holds an annual scientific meeting in the USA every spring and periodic meetings in Europe. In the USA meeting, around a hundred of researchers who came to hear talks on, as journalist Michael LemonickMichael Lemonick
Michael Lemonick is the senior staff writer at Climate Central and a former senior science writer at Time magazine. He has also written for Discover magazine, Yale Environment 360, Scientific American, and others, and has written a number of popular-level books on science and astrophysics,...
writes, "among other things, consciousness physics, astrology and parapsychology ... [M]any of the scientists here are on the faculty at major universities, and were doing fine at conventional research. But sometimes that gets boring."
The meetings last usually three days and consist of "invited lectures, contributed talks and poster sessions selected by a program committee."
According to experimental psychologist Roger D. Nelson
Roger D. Nelson
Roger D. Nelson is the director of the Global Consciousness Project , an international, multi-laboratory collaboration founded in 1997 to study collective consciousness. From 1980 to 2002, he was Coordinator of Research at the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research laboratory at Princeton...
, head of the Global Consciousness Project
Global Consciousness Project
The Global Consciousness Project is a parapsychology experiment begun in 1998 as an attempt to detect possible interactions of "global consciousness" with physical systems...
, the SSE aims to "give everyone a respectful hearing. If we think a speaker is doing bad science
Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
, we consider it our duty to criticize it. We get our share of lunatics, but they don't hang around long."
Young Investigators Program
The Young Investigators Program was created in response of enquiries of young scholars on the topics explored by the society. It's designed by its participants intends to "provide information and resources for the scholarly study of anomalous phenomena and other frontier areas of science".1998 UFO panel
On June 19, 1998 it was reported that "an international panel of scientists" was convened to conduct "the first independent review of UFO phenomena since 1966", according to the wording used by Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. The Skeptical Inquirer
Skeptical Inquirer
The Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....
published an article by Robert Sheaffer
Robert Sheaffer
Robert Sheaffer , in Chicago, IL is a freelance writer and a prominent investigator of unidentified flying objects, Christianity, academic feminism, and many other subjects...
who wrote that the SSE was a non-mainstream organization that was biased towards uncritically believing UFO phenomena, that the panel included many scientists that were UFO advocates but no scientists that were skeptics of UFO claims, and that all the uphold cases were old cases that had failed to convince any skeptic of its accuracy or veracity. These included the Cash-Landrum incident
Cash-Landrum incident
The Cash-Landrum Incident was a reported Unidentified Flying Object sighting from the United States in 1980, which the witnesses insist was responsible for damage to their health...
, the Trans-en-Provence Case
Trans-en-Provence Case
The Trans-en-Provence Case is one of the rare cases where a UFO is said to have left physical evidence, in the form of burnt residue from a field. The event took place on January 8, 1981, outside the town of Trans-en-Provence in the French département of Var...
and the Aurora, Texas UFO Incident.
Membership
As of 2005:- the president was Charles Tolbert, an astronomer at the University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. - the editor of SSE's journal was Henry BauerHenry BauerHenry H. Bauer is an emeritus professor of chemistry and science studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University . He is the author of several books and articles on such topics as the Loch Ness Monster and Immanuel Velikovsky, and is an AIDS denialist...
, a dean emeritus at Virginia Tech.
As of 2008, the Leaders Emeritus were Peter A. Sturrock
Peter A. Sturrock
Peter Andrew Sturrock is a British scientist.An emeritus professor of applied physics at Stanford University, much of Sturrock's career has been devoted to astrophysics, plasma physics, and solar physics, but Sturrock is interested in other fields, including ufology, scientific inference and in...
, from the Department of Physics & Department of Applied Physics of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and Larry Frederick and Charles Tolbert from the Department of Astronomy of University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
.