Journal’s Paper on ESP Expected to Prompt Outrage

[Howler]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/science/06esp.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

[kentauros]

1. Outrage from "pseudo-sceptics" perhaps

;)

I'm still reading the story, but the "outrage" is predictable. When you approach any subject with your mind already made up (pre-conceived ideas) you're going to be perpetually outraged.

I just listened to a good radio show on sceptics that's still available for free listening at HayHouseRadio (under the "Coming up" topics in the scollable viewer):

Provocative Enlightenment
Eldon Taylor
January 5, 2011 Parapsychology and the Skeptics
Be sure to catch this one. Chris Carter, author of Parapsychology and the Skeptic and Science and the Near-Death Experience: How Consciousness Survives Death joins Eldon for a robust conversation about science, scientism, life after death and ESP or psychic abilities.

[kentauros]

3. Okay, I finished reading it and it's a rather biased piece.

I don't get the impression that the writer wanted a balanced story by the way it's written.

The first third of the story presents the sceptics comments and side on things. The middle third is a weak sampling of the experiments made, or very likely the weakest experiments and results (53% over 50% is not a very strong result in favor against chance.) The final third gives more sceptical comments from others and the writer, so we're left with a story that's just not taking the subject matter seriously. It appears to be more of a "debunking" story than simple "reporting"...

[OneGrassRoot]

2. beyond human comprehension

I don't understand the mindset of those who feel we know everything, or that what we know now is unequivocally the full extent of the truth.

About anything.

It seems very limited; not an environment which fosters growth and progress, as much as naysayers say the opposite is true. It doesn't appear to be an environment that fosters visionary and outside-the-box thinking, and I believe that is what we desperately need.

We need scientists and skeptics, but we also need those who accept the possibility that there are some things that are currently beyond the scope of current human comprehension, and it behooves us to investigate them and entertain the possibilities.

Doing things solely based upon what we know to be true (or at least think we do), and basing things strictly on history, is a very limited framework from which to evolve, imho.

I'll take a more visionary thought process any day, and will be grateful for the scientists who are open-minded enough to help bring those visions into reality.

[Howler]

4. Scientist's accept Quantum physics

Because its backed up by mathematical equations.
I agree that we don't know a whole lot about the nature of things.
But in my opinion it isn't really a leap of faith to expect that there is also a mathematical equation to prove ESP abilities that may or may not traverse space time continuum's.
After all one thing we are seeing in science is quantifiable patterns repeating throughout known nature.
No reason to suspect the same is not true for the currently unknown nature.