|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Psychokinesis, involving the study of mental interaction with material items, whether animate eor inanimate |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Biological psychokinesis, involving the study of mental interaction with living systems (for example, healing from a distance) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All of these areas call traditional knowledge and assumptions into question. For physicists, these subjects indicate that people may lack a basic understanding about space and time, and about how energy and information travel. For biologists, these subjects raise questions about what possible senses people may have that they aren't even aware of yet. Psychologists may work to reexamine the ways that the mind, memory, and perception work. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Psychic researchers use various ways to study psychic phenomena. Certain techniques have been tried and disregarded while others are continually developed in an effort to find foolproof ways of proving the existence of phenomena that defy the ordinary senses. Understandably, this is an especially difficult task in the paranormal arena, which comes from a realm beyond one's visible, concrete senses. Yet the scientific method is based on hard proof and criteria must meet high, objective standards. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In a way, this hard-proof approach creates a sort of catch-22: The phenomenon is unseen and almost impossible to measure, yet researchers relentlessly pursue the search for evidence and the perfect way to prove it. In doing so, they almost always fail and thus the validity of even the pursuit of this knowledge is questioned by skeptics. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you're tempted to join the skeptics in questioning the results of psi studies and the scientists who conduct them, stop and consider some of the greatest scientists of all time. Galileo, Newton, and Einsteinall knew their ideas were valid even in the face of ridicule (and sometimes persecution) from their contemporaries. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just as Einstein was able to prove his theories with mathematical formulas, modern psi researchers attempt to demonstrate the validity of their ideas through the use of statistics and probability. These methods offer a numerical basis for judging the likelihood of the results of their studies. This type of numerical evidence is necessary because not everyone is open toor trustshis or her ability to perceive psychic information as a personal affirmation of proof. This is especially true of skeptics, who have closed rather than open minds. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Even highly intuitive folks do not perceive psychic information on every level, but rather in the area of skill they have developed. For these reasons, psychic researchers strive to provide hard data via numbers, whenever possible. |
|
|
|
|
|