Rich Robbins, associate dean of Bucknell University’s College of Arts and Sciences and a certified parapsychologist, will present his annual “Ghosts and Hauntings: Decide for Yourself” talk on Tuesday, Oct. 23, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the MacDonald Commons. His talk is free and open to the public.
Robbins will introduce theories of what ghosts and other related phenomena are, offer a discussion of evidence for and against the existence of ghosts — including alleged ghost photos and examples of electronic voice phenomena — and provide an introduction to ghost hunting and identification of local “hot spots.”
“Almost everyone has had an experience or knows someone who has experienced an event attributed to a ghost or haunting,” said Robbins. “This interdisciplinary presentation will include perspectives from psychology, human physiology, folklore, religion, sociology, philosophy and parapsychology, and will critically consider several questions including ‘Are ghosts real?’ ‘What is the difference between a ghost and a haunting?’ and ‘What is the evidence that ghosts exist?'”
Robbins has been giving this presentation at Bucknell since 2008. As a certified parapsychologist, he has participated in several ghost hunts, consulted on books about hauntings and has given interviews in the media regarding those subjects.