Is there objective proof of psychic phenomenon or what??
If evidence was found of psychic abilities, it would be a radical departure from current scientific views and would be wildly publicized. Or ridiculed completely and ignored for fear of losing precious grant money. I’d be interested to see some links to actual studies, too. But I also feel that some phenomena are hard to quantify, and, in particular, hard to isolate into a reproducible experimental setting. Also, the default stance of science is skepticism (a popular angle here on MeFi too), which is a good thing, but could quite possibly have a negative influence on the outcome of such experiments.
when he says that the scientific proof is out there yet doesn’t cite any it gives me some problems as a reader trying to take his work seriously. In fact, a lot of my favorite authors make similar claims. What’s the deal? There is no “large group of scientists who 1) say that these things happen and 2) are not complete nut jobs” as far as I know. (Except, as I note below, in terms of religious belief.) The deal is that simply saying that something has been scientifically proved is enough to convince (or at least reinforce the beliefs of) many people. When “a lot of [your] favorite authors make similar claims” they are, if you aren’t careful, slowly shifting your belief system to match theirs. So do be careful. But also watch out for the difference between claiming that some absurd thing has been proved by scientific tests and claiming that some absurd thing is believed by scientists. For example, there are many scientists who believe in one or more powerful invisible beings, but mostly
By the way, I am a big fan of Pinchbeck’s “Breaking Open the Head”, but from what I’ve heard of how he has personally been affected by all his adventures and discoveries, I would hardly look to him as a provider of exacting and objective source material. The kind of work he’s doing isn’t for everyone, and the spirit of his work from the beginning has been in performing personal tests of what these drug experiments offer to humans, particularly skeptics– though he seems to understand the importance of an open mind and a commitment to the experience in order to expect any results whatsoever. His books have virtually nothing to offer anyone who is still awaiting scientific proof. They include lots of science, to be sure, because there are plenty of scientists working in these areas trying to learn how and why humans experience these plants and drugs the way they do. But basically, as ever, you are either on the bus, or you’re not: you can’t expect someone with Pinchbeck’s angle to bog do
