Austrian Society for Parapsychology and Frontier Areas of Science

Austrian Society for Parapsychology and Frontier Areas of Science ; (ÖGPP)
purpose	Research, public relations, library
Chair:	Prof. Peter Mulacz, Deputy HR Dr. Günther Fleck
Establishment date:	December 2, 1927, re-established after the Nazi era and the war in 1946
Seat :	Vienna
Website:	http://parapsychologie.ac.at

The Austrian Society for Parapsychology (long version: Austrian Society for Parapsychology and Frontier Areas of Science ) is an association of both relevant scientists and laypeople interested in the subject. The ÖGPP is a member of the Association of Scientific Societies in Austria .

history

founding

The Austrian Society for Parapsychology was founded on December 2, 1927 in the (now defunct) Café Collonaden in Vienna - based on the model of the British Society for Psychical Research (SPR) under the name Austrian Society for Psychical Research - 45 years older . The founders were Zoë Wassilko von Serecki and the theoretical physicist Prof. Hans Thirring as well as a number of other proponents, all scientists, including the mathematician Hans Hahn , who was also a member of the Vienna Circle .

The years from the foundation to the annexation of Austria in 1938 were extremely fruitful; the society was fully integrated into the international parapsychological scene - mainly thanks to the activity of the general secretary, Zoë Wassilko von Serecki - the society was experimentally oriented and many of its leading members, e. B. the psychoanalyst Dr. Alfred Baron Winterstein, have gone public with publications.

time of the nationalsocialism

In order to avoid the threat of merging with a spiritualist association after the annexation of Austria, the company decided to dissolve itself.

After the Second World War

In 1946 the society was re-established and soon afterwards accepted as a member organization in what was then the “Notring der Scientific Societies of Austria” (today: “Association of Austrian Scientific Societies”). Zoë Wassilko von Serecki was again the driving force and general secretary, a position that she held for a total of 38 years (without taking into account the Nazi era).

After a crisis in society in the mid-1960s, Hellmut Hofmann , who was then a lecturer and later professor at what was then the Technical University of Vienna, took over the management of the company. Hofmann later held the department for the fundamentals and theory of electrical engineering .

In particular, the appearance of Uri Geller at the beginning of the 1970s brought a wave of increased interest (and also some research activity), which has since ebbed down to its previous level. In 1971 there was a major renaming, from "Austrian Society for Psychical Research" to "Austrian Society for Parapsychology". In 1997 there was a further name change with the addition of the addition "and frontier areas of the sciences".

Recent past

In 1997 Manfred Kremser replaced Hofmann as President; subsequently the seat of the society was transferred from the Vienna University of Technology to the University of Vienna , i. That is, moved to Kremser's office, the Institute for Ethnology or Cultural and Social Anthropology . In the meantime - after Prof. Kremser's death - the seat had to be relocated again.

General orientation

In view of the sometimes controversial character of parapsychology, it must be expressly emphasized that society sees itself as committed to the principles of scientificity (methodical-critical approach, verifiability, thought economy in the formation of hypotheses , falsification theorem, etc.) and communicates these requirements permanently through the board members. It is metaphorically about the narrow way between Scylla and Charybdis control, d. H. between the prejudiced skepticism of the organized skeptics or negative believers on the one hand and the superstition or gullibility on the other hand , as it is particularly widespread among the esoteric supporters .

It is about a rational approach, it is about discussing the relevant questions in a space of prudence , as Hans Bender postulated, who also coined the term parapsychology as a positive critique of superstition , always in connection with the Aspect of psycho-hygiene (mental health protection) for the purpose of reducing magical excesses and superstitious ideas - ultimately for the purpose of frightening.

Mental hygiene and consumer protection

In the last-mentioned area of mental hygiene, but especially in the protection against fraud by fraudulent "media", "clairvoyants" or "media life advisors" - who for their part often enough to usurp the word "parapsychology" and try to blur the difference between parapsychology and esotericism - there is occasional cooperation with consumer protection organizations, e.g. B. the Chamber for Workers and Employees .

tasks

According to the statutes

scientific investigations
Operation of a specialist library
Public relations (lectures, symposia, discussion events)
Scientific publications

execution

While there is no corporate research activity of the whole society, some members of the same research projects have been and are being carried out under the "auspices" of the ÖGPP .

The library is open to members with the option of borrowing. ( There are currently some restrictions in this regard due to circumstances. )

For years, lecturing has been the company's main activity. At least ten events are held per year, five per semester (the ÖGPP is based on the academic year). The semester program is available on-line on the ÖGPP website. Even if the events are primarily intended for the members (and are offered free of charge for them), interested guests are always welcome (for a small fee). A large number of past lectures are archived in the form of short reports, full texts, presentations, etc. and are also accessible on the ÖGPP website (also linked to the respective lecture titles).

The topics

Attempts are made to design the lecture program in such a way that a broad spectrum is covered: experimental investigations, theoretical concepts, phenomenon analyzes, case reports, historical presentations, philosophical consequences, theoretical questions, etc.

Prominent speakers

Many well-known names in the art have been presenters in society in the past, and this tradition continues into the present. Some examples:

Cooperation with other scientific societies

Austrian Society for the History of Science
Austrian Society for Organismic-Systemic Research and Theory

Special highlights

2000 and 2004: Participation in the science exhibition "Wissenschaft 2000" and "Wissenschaft 2004" of the VWGÖ in the Academy of Sciences and in Graz
In 2004 the ÖGPP hosted the 47th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association . The Parapsychological Association (PA) is the international professional organization of scientifically active parapsychologists and holds an annual world congress, alternating in a city in America and in Europe.
2006: international MESMER symposium at Rothmühle Castle
2008 (May) KOESTLER Symposium "Arthur Koestler - Beyond Reductionism and Chance"
2008 (Nov.) Symposium "Fascination of the Occult - Literature and Occultism"
2012 Workshop " Remote Viewing "

Organ of publication

The ÖGPP does not have a printed publication medium, but sends out a free electronic newsletter to members and interested parties at irregular intervals (at least 3 times a year), which is currently being sent out to around 850 subscribers.

public relation

Furthermore, numerous appearances by Manfred Kremser (President) and Mulacz (Vice President) in the mass media of radio and television - interviews, participation in talk shows, etc. - as well as at public discussion events should be mentioned. Except the

Factual information (explanation of various phenomena, answering specific questions)

it is always about

to correct the often misunderstood image of parapsychology in public and to free oneself from the attempt to grip esotericism by communicating the difference that should be clear enough despite the thematic overlap, namely that parapsychology conducts scientific research where esotericism simply believes .

Web links

literature

Thirring, Hans: Speech on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the Austrian Society for Psychical Research. In: The new light, Vienna. Vol. 26 (1952), H. 11 [Nov.], pp. 204-207.
Heindl, Gerhard: The Austrian Society for Parapsychology and Frontier Areas of Science 1927–1963 with a statistical appendix to 1997. Verlag Peter Lang, 1998, ISBN 978-3-631-33282-5 .