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Science Getting To Grips With GhostsHe felt that the risk of appearing foolish was holding back scientific examination of the World Beyond.
James and this prestigious team staked everything, including the reputation of their combined mental health, on one of the most exciting psychological quests ever undertaken. A search that went against all conventional scientific belief. Their investigation into the ghost stories and supernatural phenomena that could not be explained away was a testament to the courage and conviction of William James and his colleagues to study spiritualism and science with an open mind. They took on the might of the scientific establishment, at no thought of the cost to themselves. The research project was launched linking scholars and mediums on three continents. Its brief was simple, to discover whether living humans could talk to dead ones. Newspapers warmed to the story and one described it as "remarkable experiments testing the reality of life after death." In one instance they asked an American medium while she was in a trance, in Latin a language the medium did not speak, that she "send" a symbol to a British medium. During her next trance session, the American began asking about whether an "arrow" had been received. Later, comparing notes with the British scientists, the researchers discovered that during the American's first trance, the English psychic had suddenly begun scribbling arrows. The Victorian scholars also carried out an international survey of reported ghost sightings, particularly those tied to the death of a relative or friend. Tens of thousands of people in many countries took part and hundreds of volunteers checked out the reports. After rejecting those without independent witnesses and which had been properly documented, this group of the greatest minds of the time concluded that "visits after death" which could be verified still occurred more than 400 times above chance. Without doubt many people report seeing, hearing and/or feeling friends or relatives at the moment of the other's death? Is it wishful thinking, hallucination, mental illness, a wish to personalise a tragic event, telepathy, or really a visitor from the Other Side? Science still has no answers. "Either I or the scientist is a fool with our opposing views of probability," wrote James. He was concerned that people would become "indifferent to science because science is so callously indifferent to their experiences." In other words, science would detach from the "real world" and become science for the benefit of scientists only.  
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