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From: simard@loral.UUCP (Ray Simard)
Newsgroups: net.philosophy,net.sci,net.misc
Subject: Re: Mind and Brain
Message-ID: <294@loral.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 24-Jul-84 16:21:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: loral.294
Posted: Tue Jul 24 16:21:25 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jul-84 19:50:45 EDT
References: brl-vgr.507 <569@ihuxj.UUCP>, <93@mouton.UUCP>, <1135@rti-sel.UUCP> <3328@brl-tgr.ARPA> <1556@sun.uuRe: Mind and Brain
Organization: Loral Instrumentation, San Diego, CA
Lines: 51

Rich, et al:

It seems that there is a kind of pseudo-science at work here that
is based on the premise that "nothing exists until its existence is
proven".  Beg to differ!

A true scientific approach would be that until proven ONE WAY OR THE OTHER,
a suspected entity or phenomenon MAY exist.  We just plain don't know!

There is much too much evidence of PSI events and experience (mixed with
plenty of misinterpretation, fraud and swamp gas, admittedly) to stubbornly
deny, simply because a suitably rigorous scientific procedure has not yet
proven its validity.  This only means that PSI lies in the gray area
between the certainty of its validity and the certainty of its nonexistence.

A recent NOVA program presented a pretty interesting (and balanced) view
of the history of PSI research.  It included plenty of room for accepting
the fraud or imprecision of those studies and observation where such were
present, and still came out with a rather convincing case for something
real at work.

It surprises me that anyone beating the drum of 'scientific method'
would not take a glance at the history of scientific research of all
kinds and note the myriad statements of "can't be - impossible" that
turned out to be nothing of the kind.

Think about it...

Just suppose that there are phenomena active that are manifest
in PSI-type experiences.  These need not be separate from the physical
universe, but merely aspects of it that we do not yet understand
(what self-respecting scientist would deny there are plenty of those?).
Over human history, these unexplained and perhaps disquieting events
are 'explained' by those experiencing them (and those close to them)
in whatever way they can believe (since a bad explanation is less
terrifying than none at all!).  Since mental states of concentration,
relaxation and confidence (in religious terms, faith) are necessary
for the experience to occur, repeatability may be difficult to achieve.
Also, the subconsious may easily find reasons to block the surfacing
of a PSI-type event to consiousness and the subject will be totally
unaware of either the event or the cause of its blockage.

To those who have had these experiences, they stand proven thereby.
To others, an scientific approach can only be (at this time, anyway)
that "I may not be willing to pronounce this certain, but neither
can I pronounce it impossible".
-- 
Ray Simard
Loral Instrumentation, San Diego
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