George Hansen
George Hansen
George Hansen is a parapsychologist known for theoretical and methodological contributions to psi research, and for detailed historical and critical analysis of paranormal inquiry.
Published work and research engagement
Hansen has contributed to remote viewing methodology and critique. Working with Jessica M. Utts and Betty Markwick, he identified specific statistical and procedural problems in the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) remote viewing experiments, including inadequate randomization documentation and judging procedure ambiguities [see the Remote viewing statistical evaluation and analysis page for detail on this critique].
He was also part of the research collaboration at the Psychophysical Research Laboratories (PRL) that included automated ganzfeld instrumentation work with Rick E. Berger and Charles Honorton [see the Rick E. Berger scientist page].
The trickster concept
Hansen’s most prominent theoretical contribution is the “trickster” framework for understanding paranormal phenomena. In his 2001 book The Trickster and the Paranormal [1], he argues that psi phenomena exhibit properties of inconsistency and disruption—appearing sometimes strong but also unreliable across experiments and contexts, resistant to sustained practical application, and seeming to resist prediction and control [5]. This framework has become a point of reference in parapsychological discourse. James Kennedy describes the trickster concept as indicating “that the phenomena are sometimes strong but also inconsistent” [5], and the concept has been engaged in recent conference presentations and methodological discussion [6].
The trickster idea is neither a claim that psi is real nor a debunking claim—it is a descriptive model of the pattern researchers observe when investigating anomalous phenomena: sporadic success alongside systematic failure, and effects that appear to evade standardization [5].
Historical and critical work
Hansen has contributed to historical scholarship on parapsychology and the sociology of skepticism. He maintained a memorial website documenting Marcello Truzzi’s work and legacy in anomalistics [3], and his writing has engaged with the institutional history of parapsychological organizations and their interface with organized skepticism [3].
For detailed methodological work involving Hansen’s contributions, see the Remote viewing statistical evaluation and analysis page.
References
- McLenon, J. (2006). Book Review: The Trickster and the Paranormal. Journal of Near-Death Studies, 24.
- Caroline A. Watt, Valášek, Milan (2015). Postscript to Watt (2014) on precognitive dreaming: Investigating anomalous cognition and psychological factors. Journal of Parapsychology.
- H, M. T. G. (2005). Marcello Truzzi (1935-2003) Deviance and Anomalistics: Tests of Science Prof. Zeitschrift für Anomalistik / Journal of Anomalistics, 5, 5.
- Journal of Near-Death Studies, Volume 24, Number 3, Spring 2006. (2006). Journal of Near-Death Studies, 24.
- Kennedy, J. E. (2024). Coming to Terms With the Psi-Trickster. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 38, pp. 110–121. https://doi.org/10.31275/20242755
- Mayer (2016). Size Matters Two conference reports from the border areas of science Gerhard Mayer 1 In June of this year I took part in two events that in some respects could not be more opposite. Zeitschrift für Anomalistik / Journal of Anomalistics, 16, 429.
More questions answered
- Pool the effect sizes across every ganzfeld study you hold and compare your number to the published Storm and Tressoldi meta-analyses—do they agree?
- Has the effect size for PK data increased in the last 50 years?
- Tell me about the clairvoyance work of the last 50 years
- What trends can you see in precognition research?
- What trends can you see in ESP research in the last 50 years?
- What are parapsychology's current arguments to justify that the phenomena are real and should be taken seriously?