Do_You_Believe_in_Magic

Do You Believe in Magic' John Davis PHI 200 Professor Pederson July 25, 2011 Do You Believe in Magic' This is a quest for proof, irrefutable, cold hard facts that point to the reality of extrasensory perception. Can it with any certainty be proven or like god is it all a matter of faith, of belief in things that do not utilize our senses to give them confirmation' Is this a relatively new phenomenon, or does it have much deeper roots than most are aware of' Before any of this can be debated or argued over it is important to note that by giving it an all inclusive title of extrasensory perception we have combined several distinct branches. The problem is that although one of the groups may fail to provide adequate proof, another may not, making it difficult to judge them all as one unit. So just what is extrasensory perception and how long has it been around to baffle us' The term extrasensory perception, or ESP, refers broadly to several different disciplines under an umbrella definition; clairvoyance, telepathy, precognition are within this group. Many in the general public also include such things as ghosts, tarot reading and gazing into a crystal ball for answers; however for the sake of this paper I will skip séances, spooks and things that go bump in the night. Clairvoyance, telepathy and precognition are very closely related to each other. Clairvoyance is the ability to see an object or event that can’t be seen using your other senses; precognition is the ability to know about something in advance of it happening and telepathy is viewed as mind to mind communication. These are at the very least difficult things to prove. How do you designate the parameters of a system to test something of this type that will give definitive answers or are we looking at something that is beyond scientific proof' Scientists and governments have strived for years to prove the existence of extrasensory perception in most cases so that it can be utilized. Within numerous laboratories tests have been formulated and administered. The results of all those tests though can be, and have been, viewed differently by those who feel assured there is not clear evidence, therefore it does not exist, and those who feel that there is enough evidence to prove that indeed it does exist. A large portion of the general population believes that this phenomenon does exist; however, proving it to be so has been difficult to date depending, of course, on who you speak too. Those who are non-believers of extrasensory perception point to over a hundred years of research and testing that has provided not a shred of evidence for its existence. No laboratory tests carried out in the best of universities has been able to reproduce the results that would lead them to believe that people do have a ‘sixth sense’ that sees beyond and is able to grasp information. Over 200 colleges and universities offer studies in parapsychology, formulate tests to prove/disprove ESPs existence, and according to the experts no real evidence has been forthcoming to this date. Some non-believers go further than just saying there is no proof to stating that evidence that might suggest otherwise has been tampered with or is the fault of incompetent testers. Those who are non-believers say that some who are on the opposite side are more apt to have selective memories of incidents that have occurred or possibly caught up in wishful thinking. The exposure of charlatans trying to make a fast dollar off the naiveté of the general public has gone through several phases as well. A predecessor of parapsychology was “Spiritualism.” The movement had an adverse affect on the later studies of ESP. Two of the most influential women in this arena were the Fox sisters who held séances to communicate with the dead. Although they later confessed to it all being a sham it was too late to convince many in the public that the dead could not communicate with them. The whole movement was rife with dishonest women and men working hard to make money off individuals. By 1882 a group of scientists had formed a society that focused their efforts on telepathy. Other groups would use their model to form their own societies throughout the world. The basis for their research was their disenchantment with Christianity’s teachings of Creationism and Darwin’s theories. It was the first scientific effort to prove that men and women had what has often been called a sixth-sense. 1927 gave us the man who would coin the phrase extrasensory perception, psychologist J.B. Rhine. Rhine founded the Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University where extensive research is still on-going. He believed in parapsychology, in clairvoyance and telepathy amongst other aspects of this field. As a leading psychologist in this field of study Rhine created tests using dice and a deck of Zener cards. Zener decks have twenty-five cards that show different symbols. The participant in the test would be asked to predict what order the symbols would be seen in. A more modern method of testing technique uses a sender and a receiver. The participants are segregated from each other to ensure that there is no opportunity for them to pass information. “The sender is shown a video clip and must telepathically communicate what he sees to the receiver who in turn, must communicate what he sees aloud and then must choose from four video clips which is the one the sender telepathically was communicating to him.”(Wilson) Although Rhine is often cited as having provided scientific data that proved the existence of ESP, many accused him of juggling the data to legitimize a field of inquiry that he was a major force behind. Many scientists see these questionable data as the result of flaws in the procedures used, statistics that have been purposely chosen to prove ESP, selectivity in reporting the events, and procedures that lack the guidelines that most other scientist deem necessary. Beyond this they see the “phenomenon violate basic laws of science. . . that valid evidence can be verified with repetitive experiment results.” (Wilson) Then in 1957 a man named Foos went to the military and FBI saying that he could teach the blind to see by using their ‘sixth sense’ to see things not observable by someone blindfolded. Seeing an obvious possibility for the use of this skill in law enforcement and the military both groups held open tests. According to the report the government saw this as something that could be used by the FBI. “Should his claims be well-founded, there is no limit to the value which could accrue to the FBI – complete and undetectable access to mail, the diplomatic pouch; visual access to buildings – the possibilities are unlimited insofar as law enforcement and counterintelligence are concerned.” (FBI) The military and FBI concluded that having been included in the experiment that there was no evidence that psychic ability, ESP, was in fact a reality. It had been proven false, or at least false in the claims made by William Foos. Because Foos claims could not be verified it did not mean that the military nor the government did not believe in the paranormal, only that this one test had not proved that it was. Does this in fact mean that there is no such thing as ESP, that all those who believe have been led astray by a bunch of charlatans' Those who believe in parapsychology believe that the same tests that non-believers have used to prove it doesn’t exist actually prove that it does. Confusing for most of us to understand how it can do both things at the same time, but scientists on both sides of the question insist that their side is right about it. Most of what exists though is anecdotal in natural. For hundreds of years populations throughout the world have held to the belief that there are certain people who are telepathic, clairvoyant, or precognitive. So far, the vast majority of scientists view this as the public being duped by entertainers and those who have some monetary gain to achieve by proving that it does exist. Conventional science has failed, or succeeded, depending on which side of the fence you sit. With an area as unconventional as psychic phenomenon, something that relies on information being gleaned from outside ourselves, it seems understandable that testing this within a laboratory using some of the same tests used for decades may not be the method needed to prove or disprove. At present there seems to be no real yes or no for this question. Those who believe do so because some of the tests completed in the past point to a different answer than the nay sayers wish to acknowledge. Although good scientists are not supposed to let their own biases invade their research in the case of ESP this has happened coloring the findings. What has been one of the problems is that one group can get positive results and another group using the same test methods get negatives. One thing that has not been consistent in any of the research has been the people used. If ESP ability varies in degree of ability with the person, then only by using the same group, with different scientists and the same methods is there a possibility that a more definitive answer might be found. There are those who have absolute faith in their respective bibles that speak of seers and prophets, accept the existence of a god, and yet do not believe that those who can prophesize exist in today’s world. Does this mean also that we need to relegate extrasensory perception to a belief rather than a provable fact' For if you believe in God, and you believe in the Bible, then in essence you believe in extrasensory perception. However, scientists look for verifiable proof; tests that can be repeated to show the same outcome. The tests that have been done in the past have used statistics to lend credence to their belief that this ‘sixth-sense’ does in fact exist. Using the Zener deck they see any correct answers above twenty-five per cent as giving proof that it does in fact exist. Hundreds, more probably, thousands of tests have been used in numerous universities and governmental agencies throughout the world. Although universities do submit their findings to their peers for review there is no such requirement of any government. The Russian and Chinese governments have both spent years studying the paranormal for the same reasons that the FBI has done so in this country. The advantages that a government could attain if it were possible to reliably utilize this skill are immeasurable. What the Russians have acknowledged publically to date is that they see the ability to be higher in those who are right hemisphere thinkers. No government has given any clue to whether their tests have proven anything but it is well known that the testing has been proceeding over a long period of time. This infers, if nothing else, that there is something they have been able to quantify as ESP, but possibly have not been able to refine the methods in which it can be used. Supposition, but when dealing with governments that is generally the most one is entitled to see. Noted parapsychologist, Rex G. Stanford, PhD., holds that “so-called ‘paranormal’ experiences like ESP are rooted in the natural world.” (St.John’s Unversity, 2006) Standford believes that by using cognitive psychology’s methods and theories proof can be attained for what is commonly referred to as ESP. Just because we cannot explain a phenomenon does not mean that it does not exist. There are many things in the world that at one time were beyond proof; the giant squid was believed to be the rantings of sailors, until of course one was brought up from the deep. It is easy to look to law enforcement to see that there are numerous large police forces that use the abilities of psychics to help solve crimes that they cannot. If they did not produce results that the police could use they wouldn’t be. The same is true for the FBI who use specific persons with abilities that there is no overwhelming evidence of, but which works in their favor helping them solve crimes. Both sides have legitimate arguments in their favor. When viewed honestly it can be said that there is some information that could point to the existence of extrasensory perception, but how to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt may be next to impossible. I say this because the kinds of testing used are not conducive to what is being tested. How does one test for precognition in the real world' Do you have people isolated from the world and ask them to foresee events or happenings and how often do they need to be right to prove it. Some things can be proved to the individual because they have experienced these phenomenons but would be hard pressed to prove it to anyone else, especially someone within the scientific field who was a skeptic at heart. This brings me to what I believe. For me it is not a matter of belief it is a matter of knowing that there are some things that cannot be explained, cannot be itemized and deduced, cannot be picked apart and laid bare. Just as those who know God exists, I know that extrasensory perception is a fact; there is no doubt in my mind. Some of the incidents in the family have been noted down, not to prove to anyone else their veracity but to better tell the story of our family. It has always been something that those who have it never abuse, nor do they question what or why; it just is. According to one of the older members it can be traced back on two sides of the family and back at least five generations. My proof is in the incidents that have occurred that no one could have told would without having the kind of access to records that an ordinary citizen would never have. The particular event I refer to here was told to four family members and several friends. The warning was of a terrorist attack that would occur killing thousands; it would be three-pronged. Specific places were named and a rough timeline. Call it ‘second-sight’ but whatever it was one of the women who’d been told about it had forestalled flying into New York, hedging her bets. The person who foresaw the event received a phone call the morning of 9/11 to ask how they had known it would happen. If this type of thing only happened every once in a great while I could put them all down to coincidence. However that is not the case and the incidents go back generations, some of the things very mundane, like the vision of a child on a beach. Not just any child but a detailed description of a boy that would not be born for over forty years. Or the aerial view of a farm that would not be a home for a member until years later and then a photograph of the sketch drawn years before arrived in the mail. Only one other person had ever seen the sketch and it wasn’t the person who moved onto the farm. Little things not of great importance to the rest of the world but important within the extended family. The members of the family who have this ‘talent’ rarely talk about it to outsiders. The fact is that some of these things cannot be duplicated. How do you duplicate a major event, and who knows how the information is transferred to someone' Although I know of its existence I have no idea how it works, why it does, or why some people seem to have more of it than others. Are they more sensitive to the natural world than others, or is it something entirely different' Could their brains be wired differently' Ultimately individuals need to decide for themselves. What I know is what I have experienced and incidents that cannot be explained away using scientific data because it not conducive to the type of testing that is in place at present. Just as the giant squid existed before there was proof, extrasensory perception exists. References Alcock, J. (1981). Parapsychology, Science or Magic': A Psychological Perspective. Oxford: Pergamon Press. Brugger, P. & Baumann, A. (1994). Repetition Avoidance in Responses to Imaginary Questions: the effect of respondents’ belief in ESP. Psychological Reports. Oct;75 (2):883-93. Federal Bureau of Invesigation (unk). Extrasensory. Retrieved on July 1, 2011 from http://vault.fbi.gov/Extra-Sensory%20Perception/Extra-Sensory Harris, T. (unk).How Does ESP Work' Retrieved on July 2, 2011 from http://sci.rutgers.edu/formum/showthread.php't=30676 Porter, T. (unk). Does ESP exist' California Institute of Human Sciences. Retrieved on July 1, 2011 from www.chis.edu/whatsnew/news_sum99.asp St. John’s University. (2006) Using Methods of Cognitive Science, Noted Psychology Professor Seeks Understanding of ESP. Retrieved on July 10, 2011 from http://www.stjohns.edu/academics/ _ Wilson, E. (unk). The System of Parapsycholgy Retrieved on July 10, 2011 from http://home.wlu.edu/~lubint/Touchstone/Parapsychology-Wilson.htm