Among researchers of anomalous experiences, Jerome Clark is in the pantheon with guys like Jacques Vallee and John Keel. Over the course of more than three decades researching UFOs, paranormal and Fortean phenomena, Clark has authored almost 20 books, including his authoritative UFO Encyclopedia. A self-described ‘skeptical Fortean’, Clark’s views have often stirred debate, but he is recognised by most – including card-carrying skeptics – as a high-quality researcher worth listening to.
Clark’s importance to the field was recognised last year by the Society for Scientific Exploration (SSE), when it awarded him its ‘Dinsdale Award’ “for his prolific publications and editorial work on anomalies, concentrating especially on the UFO phenomenon, which have brought to the general publication comprehensive and trustworthy information presented from a sophisticated perspective.” In accepting his award, Clark gave a fascinating talk on “Subjectivity in Anomalous Experiences”, which I’ve embedded below. Here’s the summary:
The long debate about the existence or nonexistence of extraordinary phenomena, from supernatural entities and fantastic monsters to mystery airships and UFOs, has long been predicated on an unexamined literalism. Either these things exist, it is presumed, or they are the products of error and deception. To a degree, this is a defensible approach. Beyond that, however, the frame of reference is woefully inadequate, failing to explain vividly felt encounters with otherworldly beings and beasts which over all of history human beings have experienced, even as no compelling evidence of their presence in consensus reality has ever emerged. Clark’s lecture discusses anomalous events vs. experience anomalies, which – though epistemologically unrelated –have a curiously parasitic relationship, and calls for a radical new understanding of the strange occurrences that have plagued, infuriated and fascinated human beings at all times and places.
As usual with YouTube videos, the talk is broken up into 10 minute segments. Here’s the first part – there should be links within the movie to subsequent segments. If not: Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.
Besides his Fortean-themed research, another little-known fact about Jerome Clark is that he is a songwriter of some note – his songs have been performed by artists including Emmylou Harris, and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Now if he combined those two interests, we might hear some rather interesting country songs…
