Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site opus.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!houxz!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!hao!cires!nbires!opus!rcd From: rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) Newsgroups: net.sci,net.philosophy Subject: Re: Mind and Brain and Ki Message-ID: <677@opus.UUCP> Date: Tue, 7-Aug-84 03:41:11 EDT Article-I.D.: opus.677 Posted: Tue Aug 7 03:41:11 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 12-Aug-84 01:25:51 EDT References: <215@imsvax.UUCP> <118@mouton.UUCP> Organization: NBI, Boulder Lines: 32 >> On the other hand, if he says, "This is true, but I can't prove it.", >> then I'll laugh in his face and tell him to move to net.religion :-). >> Ray Chen >A lot of people are saying "PSI does not exist," as if they're experts >or something. What if I say electrons don't exist because I've never seen >any evidence for them?... > >When you people say PSI (and all that other mumbo-jumbo) doesn't exist, >how do you explain (to yourself) the existence of acupuncture, all those >wierd things the asians do with karate, aikido, ta-chien... Look carefully at what Ray was postulating: If someone says, "This is true but I can't prove it", you're safe to laugh in his face. If instead he says, "Something is happening here and I don't know what it is..." [do you, Mr. Jones--oops, sorry!:-], as is generally the case with, say, acupuncture, then you say, "gee, yeah, I hope that investigation turns up something soon." There's a big difference between saying "we don't know what's going on here" and "there's something going on that you can't explain." In truth, if I'm going to be careful I should say "I don't know of anything which is not explained by conventional science but which is explained by some unconventional Psi concepts" - but I've gotten so fed up with the interminable hedging, waffling, changes of position, and just plain lying of most of the Psi camp that I say "Psi doesn't exist" for the sake of simplicity. When I see any significant information coming from them, I may change the way I say it. -- Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086 ...Lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip it's been.