A foundational model for understanding parascience—fields of inquiry that exist alongside conventional science without necessarily opposing it—along two fundamental dimensions. The first axis runs from Empirically Testable (claims that could potentially be investigated through observation and experiment) to Empirically Untestable (claims that currently resist scientific investigation due to methodology limits or phenomenon nature). The second axis runs from Mainstream-Compatible (findings could potentially integrate with conventional science) to Mainstream-Incompatible (findings would require fundamental revision of scientific paradigms). These two axes create four parascience categories: testable-compatible (fringe physics, some parapsychology research), testable-incompatible (phenomena that would break known physics if confirmed), untestable-compatible (philosophical questions, some spiritual experiences), untestable-incompatible (realms claimed to be beyond any possible investigation). The model reveals that parascience isn't a single thing—it's a diverse landscape of claims with different relationships to scientific method and scientific orthodoxy.
The 2 Axes of the Parascience Spectrum "You lump all parascience together as 'woo.' The 2 Axes show otherwise: telepathy research is testable but incompatible (would break physics). Meditation experiences are untestable but compatible (they don't contradict science). Different axes, different statuses. Not all parascience is the same kind of not-science."
by Dumu The Void February 25, 2026
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