The Ethics of Paranormal Skepticism

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Via hayleyisaghost.co.uk by Hayley Stevens

When I first wrote and shared the code of ethics I use as a paranormal researcher, it was geared towards field-based research. I shared it so that other field-based paranormal researchers could steal it and adapt it for their own uses and I know that many have. The document is due for an update which I’m hoping to complete by the end of this month (Feb 2019).

With this in mind, I’ve been thinking a lot about what should and shouldn’t be adapted, what obstacles I’ve had to overcome as a researcher that weren’t necessarily covered in the document, what is in there that I haven’t used, and so on. For example, I’ve decided to include a section in the updated code of ethics which will cover the use of social media in relation to cases after I recently witnessed what I consider pretty unethical behaviour from an alleged skeptic based in the US. Think of it as a cautionary tale…

The man in question claimed that a member of the public had sent him a photograph for analysis. The photographer believed the photo showed a ghost – possibly of their deceased spouse. For me, this would automatically be an indicator that this case was a sensitive one that required careful handling because of the bereavement involved in the scenario. This armchair skeptic, however, saw fit to share the photo on social media, allowing hundreds of people the ability to speculate what the cause of the perceived oddity in the photo was.

(By the way, I don’t use the term ‘armchair skeptics’ dismissively but instead to label the type of people who rarely leave the relative safety of their keyboard and yet miraculously know the exact cause of a case without stepping foot in the location, or speaking to any of the eye-witnesses. Ever.)


When I questioned if the person who had sent the photo had given the okay for the photo to be discussed publicly I never received a straight answer, which in itself was the answer I guess I was looking for. Such a lack of respect for the person who had entrusted them with the photo is disgraceful and, although the photographer was not named and not even in the photo themselves, there is still a breach of confidentiality here. All cases should be treated with the same level of confidentiality and respect regardless of the level of potential harm there is. You might use extra precautions for those which are really tricky, but I believe that you should never loosen the boundaries of your code of ethics. The limits you place on yourself as a researcher should be set in stone.

The least a skeptic paranormal researcher can offer a person is dignity and respect, and if you can’t bring yourself to do that, then you need to stop engaging with the public as someone they can contact. It can be really tempting to show off the fact that you’ve got a case, or something to investigate but ultimately it doesn’t help anyone and it makes you guilty of the humble brag, my friend.

A lot of people who identify as skeptics also fall into a trap of thinking that they’re immune from the illogical and unethical behaviour they see in others simply because they know about it. This couldn’t be further from the truth at all! I’ve previously written about how knowing the shortcuts that the brain and mind make doesn’t make them any less uncanny when you experience them (Unweaving The Rainbow: On Coincidence and the Cult of Death – Aug 2018). You might be skeptics, friends, but you’re still human.

The main cause of this sort of confidence (apart from arrogance) is how easy it is to accidentally place yourself in an echo-chamber by only surrounding yourself with people who agree with you. Both believers and non-believers in all sorts of spooky and strange ideas can be guilty of this, but it makes me wince a bit when people who claim to be “rational”, “skeptical” and “scientific” fail to realise what they’re doing is just as unscientific as the dodgy ghost photo they’re trying to debunk.

Ultimately, skeptic paranormal researchers need to ensure they’re holding themselves to the same level of accountability that they hold dodgy psychics and ghost hunting celebs to. It’s difficult to assess your own behaviour in an objective manner, which is why having a code of conduct or a code of ethics is so very important.

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