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Weird Studies

Episode 208 – Unbridled Creation: On Kenneth Batcheldor's Theory of the Paranormal

Weird Studies

Phil Ford and J. F. Martel

Arts, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.8784 Ratings

🗓️ 11 March 2026

⏱️ 81 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kenneth Batcheldor was a British clinical psychologist who, during the final two decades of his life, investigated the paranormal through direct experiments in table-turning. The final fruit of that work was an essay, compiled from Batcheldor’s notebooks by Patric Giesler, entitled “Notes on the Elusiveness Problem in Relation to a Radical View of Paranormality.” Published in the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research in 1994, it remained unknown to JF and Phil until Shannon Taggart called their attention to it quite recently. Since the theory Batcheldor presents here with admirable lucidity is deeply attuned to ideas they have been discussing on Weird Studies for nearly a decade, they decided to devote an episode to it. The core idea is by far the weirdest of all—in a sense, it is the weird itself. Read Batcheldor's essay on the Weird Studies Patreon. Visit Weirdosphere to enroll in Phil's upcoming 5-week course, "A Musical Tarot." Pierre-Yves Martel's Weird Studies: Volume 3 will be available for preorder on March 13. Visit his Bandcamp page for details. REFERENCES K. M. Wehrstein, “Kenneth Batcheldor” in Psi Encyclopedia   Kenneth Batcheldor, “Notes on the Elusiveness Problem in Relation to a Radical View of Paranormality,” ed. Patric Giesler, The Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research 88, no. 2 (1994): 90-116.  Kenneth Batcheldor, “Contributions to the Theory of PK Induction from Sitter-Group Work,” Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research 78 (1984): 105-122.  George P. Hansen, The Trickster and the Paranormal  Quintin Meillassoux, After Finitude  Joshua Ramey, “Contingency Without Reason: Speculation after Meillassoux”  Kenneth Batcheldor, Videos of Table Tipping  Weird Studies, Episode 24 with Lionel Snell  David Lynch, Wild at Heart  William James, The Principles of Psychology Tom Cheetham, Imaginal Love  A. Irving Hallowell, Ojibwa Ontology, Behavior, and World View  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Spector Vision Radio

0:03.3

There's been a horrible accident, I said hastily.

0:11.0

I don't know what happened.

0:14.9

Corcoran's eyeless skull gawked, his lower jaw having sagged more since I first found him, making it look like his corpse

0:24.1

was trying to scream.

0:27.7

His body is just a casing to be discarded, the man said softly.

0:33.8

What's important is that he will not deny him burial in the method we prepared for him.

0:43.3

We're his protectors.

0:46.3

Stop us from doing his will and you'll be harmed.

0:52.3

His transition has come and we are ready.

0:58.0

Go back in the house.

1:03.0

No one needs to know.

1:09.0

Knife Point Horror

1:12.4

Tales of Supernatural Suspense

1:15.5

Written, Produced and narrated by Soren Narnia

1:18.7

Now transmitting from Specter Vision Radio

1:22.3

Anywhere You Hear Podcasts

1:25.1

Music I'm anywhere you hear podcasts. Welcome to Weird Studies, an arts and philosophy podcast with hosts Phil Ford and J.F. Martel.

1:42.3

For more episodes or to support the podcast, go to

1:46.0

weirdstudies.com. Hi, welcome to Weird Studies. This is Phil.

2:15.4

This week, J.F. and I are discussing Kenneth Bacheldor's essay notes on the elusiveness problem

2:21.5

in relation to a radical view of paranormality, from the Journal of the American Society for Psychical

...

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