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From: spaf@gatech.UUCP (Gene Spafford)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: Psychic Warfare - an informed opinion
Message-ID: <3303@gatech.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 15-Jan-84 19:12:43 EST
Article-I.D.: gatech.3303
Posted: Sun Jan 15 19:12:43 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 16-Jan-84 05:28:43 EST
References: <832@cbosgd.UUCP>, <2211@allegra.UUCP>
Organization: Georgia Tech School of ICS, Atlanta
Lines: 34

I feel I need to comment on the discussion that has been going on here
concerning psychic phenomena.

A few of the people involved in the discussion to point have written
some rather extreme notes indicating that they believe psychic
phenomena to be "hogwash."  If that is your opinion, be welcome to it.
However, if you bend your comments to attacks on others, please move
the discussion to net.flame.

A good researcher does not dismiss something as impossible.  You may
come to the conclusion that there are simpler explanations (Occam and
his razor), or that you simply haven't observed the phenomena in
question, but you never dismiss something as impossible.  Or hogwash,
for that matter.

There is a great deal we do not know about.  There may, indeed, be some
kinds of psychic phenomena out there, and we just haven't found the
people, conditions, and tests to substantiate their existence to the
degree necessary to convince a skeptic.  Maybe 999 out of a thousand
who claim to have psychic powers is a fake -- but don't dismiss the
whole possibility just because you haven't been convinced by that
1000th person.

I'm not suggesting that anyone believe in anything.  However, we could
all benefit from trying to have an open mind about things, and try to
avoid attacks on other people's beliefs, simply because we don't agree
with them.  Your thoughts on matters like this may serve as great
amusement to our descendents, along with people claiming that planes
would never fly and radio was impossible.
-- 
Off the Wall of Gene Spafford
The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
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