psychotronics

psychotronics

English

Etymology

From psyche + electronics, coined during the Iron Curtain decades after French term psychotronique attributed to engineer Fernand Clerc, who proposed it in November 1954's number of journal ‘Vie des Métiers’ (translatable as "Life of profession"), defining it as "use of thought and will".[1][footnotes 1]

Resumed and popularized by French technical magazine ‘Toute la Radio’ in January of the following year,[1][2][footnotes 2][3][footnotes 3] with the author mentioning Fernard Clerc as the coiner and speculating, although with technical background, on the theoretical chance of engaging in telekinesis, but particularly on the chance of operating microwave printed circuit boards by means of concentration, justifying it with the argument that "brain currents are detected and measured at the micro-volts".

In the late 1960s the term was popular among parapsychology researchers of the socialist bloc (particularly Zdeněk Rejdák, a prolific Czech scientist), and admittedly used to dub the term parapsychology to avoid its negative connotations, "to advance parapsychology as a science" (as stated in the Constitution of the Parapsychological Association in 1957) and because apparently, other than the desired scientific aptitude and status it lacked the concept of energy, which is found now in the desinence electronics. The term was then popularized in western world during the second half of the Cold War by science fiction and fears of mind control.

According to a 1983 text by parapsychology researcher Larissa Vilenskaya, "the term was first proposed with the analogy of bionics in mind", possibly referring to ‘Toute la Radio’'s article.[4]

Noun

psychotronics (uncountable)

1. A military technology dealing with electronic weapons or devices used to either degrade or enhance human health by directed energy.
   • 1998, Timothy L. Thomas, The Mind Has No Firewall, Article

     "Other researchers are studying high-frequency generators (those designed to stun the psyche with high frequency waves such as electromagnetic, acoustic, and gravitational); the manipulation or reconstruction of someone's thinking through planned measures such as reflexive control processes; the use of psychotronics, parapsychology, bioenergy, bio fields, and psychoenergy; [..]"

   • More quotations at psychotronic
2. Synonym of parapsychology

References

1. Oxford English Dictionary, psychotronics, n., (OED, 2007)
2. Hubert Larcher, La parapsychologie hier, aujourd’hui, demain, (Institut Métapsychique International, 1983)
3. Zdeněk Rejdák, Psychotronics: the state of the art, (UNESCO, 1974)
4. Larissa Vilenskaya, Psi Research: An East - West Journal on Parapsycology, Psychotronics and Psychobiophysics (1983) [p. 107], cited in Psychotronics - The Parapsychological Association

Notes

1. "Electricity, electronics, cybernetics.. and then?.. Propose Psychotronics, as 'use of thought and will'."
2. "Psychotronic? The technical vocabulary could be enriched soon with this new term? It is offered in the number of last November's 'Vie des Métiers' (which broadly translates into "Life of profession") by our colleague and spiritual friend Fernand Clerc that writes: 'Electricity, electronics, cybernetics.. and then?.. Propose Psychotronics, as 'use of thought and will'. Brain currents are detected and measured at the micro-volts. Dowsers and yogis are said to be already able, without intermediary, without amplification, only by the concentration of their thought, of dropping a droplet to the right or left of a razor blade. Dr. of Science André Sainte-Lagué says each of us has the ability to produce these infinitesimal actions at a distance. It will not be long for a sheltered from external disturbances desire of pressure to activate relays and servo motors. The heavy doors of the Chicago World Fair were opened to 'the appointed hour by the passage of the star Aldebaran instead calculated by astronomers'. It will one day be thought of President of the Republic who will operate the printed microwave circuits, embraced by the doors of the Psychotronics Applied Salon. The word is formed with a rare etymological happiness. If the "thing" becomes real, you know, thanks to Fernand Clerc, how to call it".
3. "We specialists in the field decided to adopt the term 'psychotronics' proposed, by the French engineer Fernand Clerc, in the radio-technical journal Toute la Radio. 'Parapsychology' thus reverts, like mesmerism or metapsychology, to the description of a stage of development of psychotronics."

Related terms

• psychotronic