X-Message-Number: 5800
Date:  Thu, 22 Feb 96 22:28:42 
From: Mike Perry <>
Subject: re Telekinesis

Mac Tonnies (#5790, 22 Feb. 1996) writes:
>

>I believe any worthwhile philosophy of transhumanism must be ready to cope with
>the potential of latent "psychic" phenomena.  Telekinesis, for example, has
>been firmly established as an empirical truth--it is the _nature_ of the

>process that is unexplained, not whether or not it occurs.  Sadly, this depends
>on what researcher you're talking to.  Carl Sagan is quick to denounce it, of
>course, but virtually any competent clinical experimentor with experience will
>admit (however grudgingly) that there is "something to it."
>
As far as I am aware, telekinesis is not generally accepted by the 
scientific community and is far from being "firmly established as an 
empirical truth." There is a Committe for the Scientific 
Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP,
Amherst, NY) which attempts to 
verify or refute the claims that certain individuals make, including 
being able to move objects without the
usual physical forces, 
i.e. by telekinesis. I remember some years ago they 
investigated someone who claimed to be able to turn the pages of a 
phone book without touching them but by "psychic" powers alone.
The demonstration was fairly convincing--until it was realized that
the claimed effect was caused  by carefully blowing a fine stream of
air over the pages. (In this case 
you could say there was "something" to the claim, but 
nothing beyond generally accepted physics!) In general, 
CSICOP in its years of investigating has never succeeded in
authenticating any 
paranormal effect, and it appears doubtful if anyone else has either. 
Instead it seems reasonable to doubt the existence of 
such effects.

Such a reasonable doubt can be incorporated into a 
non-paranormal, transhumanist philosophy. It would  
seek the resolution of problems through more usual scientific means,
including extrapolations beyond our present technology, but not effects that 
science can't explain. This in fact seems the best philisophical approach to
me, and is not inconsistent with keeping an open mind. If reasonable
evidence for the paranormal
surfaces, then we should take it seriously. Until then, however,
it is best regarded as fantasy. 

Mike Perry



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