LS 702 - Scientists or Psychics: Victorian Era Science, Empiricism, and Belief

(3.00 cr.)

The prelude to modern science in the work of English, American, and European scientists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: the assumptions upon which both scientists and psychics based their research, as well as the cultural milieu that inspired and supported investigations of both types. Special attention is given to theories of Charles Darwin and Francis Galton as well as other scientists who revolutionized scientific theory and investigated paranormal phenomena.