 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Parapsychology - Other objections to parapsychology | | Parapsychology - Other objections to parapsychology: Encyclopedia II - Parapsychology - Other objections to parapsychology | | There are a variety of other objections to parapsychology as well.
Psi Phenomena as a Violation of the Laws of Physics or Nature
Some critics claim that the existence of psi phenomena would violate "the known laws of physics", and some of these critics believe that this is reason enough that such phenomena should not be studied. Parapsychologists respond that "laws of nature" are simply summaries of existing scientific knowledge and do get revised from time to time during the course of scientific progress, in ...
See also:Parapsychology, Parapsychology - Types of parapsychology, Parapsychology - Status of the field, Parapsychology - How science views the field, Parapsychology - Interpretation of the evidence, Parapsychology - Criticisms of parapsychological research, Parapsychology - Responses from parapsychologists to criticisms, Parapsychology - Early Scientific American challenge, Parapsychology - Other objections to parapsychology, Parapsychology - History and evaluation, Parapsychology - Trivia, Parapsychology - Famous parapsychologists, Parapsychology - Well-known psychic mediums, Parapsychology - Other claimed psychics, Parapsychology - Critics of parapsychology, Parapsychology - Independent research organizations, Parapsychology - University research organizations, Parapsychology - External links | | | Parapsychology, Parapsychology - Criticisms of parapsychological research, Parapsychology - Critics of parapsychology, Parapsychology - Early Scientific American challenge, Parapsychology - External links, Parapsychology - Famous parapsychologists, Parapsychology - History and evaluation, Parapsychology - How science views the field, Parapsychology - Independent research organizations, Parapsychology - Interpretation of the evidence, Parapsychology - Other claimed psychics, Parapsychology - Other objections to parapsychology, Parapsychology - Responses from parapsychologists to criticisms, Parapsychology - Status of the field, Parapsychology - Trivia, Parapsychology - Types of parapsychology, Parapsychology - University research organizations, Parapsychology - Well-known psychic mediums, Clairaudience, Clairvoyance, List of spirituality-related topics, Parapsychology basic topics, Patapsychology, Prophecy, Psionics, Remote Viewing, True-believer syndrome, Ghostbusters | | |
| | | Parapsychology: Encyclopedia II - Parapsychology - Other objections to parapsychology
Parapsychology - Other objections to parapsychology
There are a variety of other objections to parapsychology as well.
- Psi Phenomena as a Violation of the Laws of Physics or Nature
Some critics claim that the existence of psi phenomena would violate "the known laws of physics", and some of these critics believe that this is reason enough that such phenomena should not be studied. Parapsychologists respond that "laws of nature" are simply summaries of existing scientific knowledge and do get revised from time to time during the course of scientific progress, in addition they are not so well understood that with them one could confidently predict the non existence of Psi (Consider quantum mechanics). If the existence of psi phenomenon were ever proved, explaining how they work might require revising or extending the known laws of physics. Precognition, for example, would challenge commonly held notions about causality and the unidirectional nature of time. However, these commonly held notions are often not physical laws, and are already being challenged by modern physical theories, quite apart from psi phenomena. Skeptics and parapsychologists alike generally agree that, as per Occam's Razor, simple explanations should be preferred for any resulting theories of psi. Some parapsychologists are critical of skeptics' frequently-uninvestigated claims about fraud, or the application of conventional hypotheses specifically because these claims are unparsimonious. Conventional explanations, many parapsychologists believe, should also conform to Occam's Razor. Then there are others, both skeptics and proponents, who agree that even in mainstream science nature itself is frequently unparsimonious.
Some believe that paranormal phenomena should not be studied, either because they are forbidden by their religious orientation, or because they believe that to do so opens the investigators to some sort of "spiritual attack". Parapsychology is also seen as a taboo subject in science and the academy and individuals who show an interest in studying seemingly psychic phenomena, even from a skeptical point of view, often find themselves losing or being pushed out of employment, or denied funding. Anthropologist of science, David J. Hess, has written on this topic.[6]
- Parapsychology as a Danger to Society
Some believe that parapsychology should not be pursued because it somehow represents a danger to society. As is stated in the Y2000 NSF report Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and Public Understanding: Belief in the Paranormal or Pseudoscience[7]:
"Concerns have been raised, especially in the science community, about widespread belief in paranormal phenomena. Scientists (and others) have observed that people who believe in the existence of paranormal phenomena may have trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality. Their beliefs may indicate an absence of critical thinking skills necessary not only for informed decision making in the voting booth and in other civic venues (for example, jury duty), but also for making wise choices needed for day-to-day living."
Even "insiders" in the parapsychological community worry about the possible harm that naive belief in paranormal phenomena can have on individuals, on culture and on societies. A great deal of effort has been put into the notion of developing expertise in dealing with reported experiences both in a clinical sense, and as a topic of investigation. Unfortunately organized skepticism and the "taboo" that exists against serious research on such phenomena has impeded the ability of many researchers -- both skeptics and proponents -- from doing the kinds of research that would allow evidence-based therapeutic interventions.
Although under the heading 'paranormal phenomena' the report lists topics such as astrology, UFOs, and the Loch Ness Monster, it also lumps in belief in ESP and, by implication, most parapsychology.
- Parapsychology as a Waste of Resources
Some believe that parapsychology should not be funded because it is a waste of resources that would be better spent on other activities. Some of these critics feel so strongly about this that they engage in activism to try to prevent or remove funding from psi research. Psychic detectives may waste valuable police resources. One of the negative -- and probably unintended -- consequences of this point of view is that while 10% of the world's population or over 400 million individuals on the planet, may experience what they believe are psychic phenomena, and may suffer in their daily lives from psychological problems caused by their experiences, few scientists on the planet are able to find the resources to really investigate the phenomena, and therefore very little real knowledge exists that can be used to help these experiencers. While even most parapsychologists would agree there are more urgent problems to solve, having no research address these reported experiences does a grave disservice to people everywhere.
Other related archives1900s, 1924, 1934, Alister Hardy, Andrija Puharich, Anecdotal evidence, Anomalous operation, Anomalous phenomena, Argument from Ignorance, Arthur Koestler, Articles that need to be wikified, Banachek, Brian Josephson, Carl Jung, Carl Reichenbach, Charles Honorton, Charles Robert Richet, Chris French, Clairaudience, Clairvoyance, Clever Hans, Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, Daniel Dunglas Home, Davenport Brothers, Dean Radin, Derren_Brown, Duke University, Edgar Cayce, Edgar Mitchell, Ehrich Weiss, Eusapia Palladino, Extra-sensory perception, Frederick W. H. Myers, Gerard Croiset, Ghostbusters, Goldsmiths College in London, Hans Bender, Hans Eysenck, Harold E. Puthoff, Harry Price, Helmut Schmidt, Henry Sidgwick, Ian Stevenson, Ingo Swann, Institute of Noetic Sciences, Irving Langmuir, James Randi, James van Praagh, Jeane Dixon, Jeffrey Mishlove, Jessica Utts, Jim Jones, JoJo Savard, John Edward, Joseph B. Rhine, Joseph McMoneagle, Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi, Kuda Bux, Leslie Flint, List of spirituality-related topics, Martin Gardner, Milbourne Christopher, Mina Crandon, Miroslaw Magola, Miss Cleo, NPOV disputes, Natasha Demkina, New York Times, Occam's Razor, Oliver Lodge, Paranormal phenomena, Parapsychologists, Parapsychology, Parapsychology basic topics, Patapsychology, Penn and Teller, Peoples Temple, Peter J. King, Pigasus, Princeton, Princeton University, Prophecy, Pseudoscience, Psionics, Psychic detectives, Rais Amrohvi, Ray Hyman, Remote Viewing, Rupert Sheldrake, Sathya Sai Baba, Scientific American, Skeptics, Susan Blackmore, Sylvia Browne, Ted Owens, Tom Rannachan, True-believer syndrome, US Army, University of California, Berkeley, University of Edinburgh, University of Hertfordshire, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Uri Geller, Vermont, Wikipedia spam cleanup, William Crookes, William McDougall, William and Horatio Eddy, Wolf Messing, anomalous cognition, astral projection, astronaut, auto-suggestion, biology, chance, clairalience, clairaudience, clairgustance, clairsentience, clairvoyance, clinical psychology, coincidence, consciousness, dream transference, earthquakes, electroencephalograph, epistemology, evidence, experiment, extra-sensory perception, extrasensory perception, fraud, guru, hard sciences, hauntings, history of parapsychology, imagination, mediumship, near-death experiences, null hypothesis, odds, out-of-body experiences, physics, plasma physics, postcognition, precognition, pseudoscience, psi, psychiatrist, psychokinesis, psychology, psychometry, reincarnation, science, scientific skepticism, skeptic, skeptics, stage magicians, telekinesis, telepathy, theory, volcanoes, weather
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Other objections to parapsychology", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
|
|
|
More material related to Parapsychology can be found here:
|
|
|
« Back
|
Search the Global Oneness web site |
|
|
|
|
|
|
