Abstract: Observing the Human as Human – Jacob W. Glazier

Observing the Human as a Human: Parapsychology and Human Science Research Observing the Human as a Human: Parapsychology and Human Science Research Observing the Human as a Human: Parapsychology and Human Science Research Observing the Human as a Human: Parapsychology and Human Science Research Psi in Practice: Observation talk | September 4, 2026 | Online at Airmeet Observing the Human as a Human:Parapsychology and Human Science Research Jacob W. Glazier University of West Georgia Observation occupies a precarious place in scientific investigation. This is due, in part, to the researcher being the one who is observing, and, given the nature of parapsychological investigation, that which is observed is often another human. Such a reflective, paradoxical nature is captured nicely when Merleau-Ponty (1964/1968) writes, “Since the seer is caught up in what he sees, it is still himself he sees. There is a fundamental narcissism of all vision” (p. 139). Observation, in this regard, is best understood from the vantage point of human science. A human science paradigm does not just rest on the qualitative side of the quantitative/qualitative methods distinction. Instead, it is an entirely…

≈