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From: dir@cbosgd.UUCP (Dean Radin)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: Psychic Warfare - Lessons from a critic
Message-ID: <838@cbosgd.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Jan-84 16:55:02 EST
Article-I.D.: cbosgd.838
Posted: Mon Jan 16 16:55:02 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Jan-84 01:15:56 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus
Lines: 31

Some lessons about science:

Well, psychic phenomena may be possible, but the history of discussion of
psychic phenomena is riddled with fradulent claims and with rather gassy
speculation on little hard evidence.  
    (Therefore it is valid to ignore all future evidence,
     even 'hard' evidence, no matter who presents such
     evidence, because it's probably fradulent.)

If there are serious and rigorous studies of psi being done, their signal 
gets drowned out by the noise of the Uri Gellers and the people joyfully 
telling us how quantum mechanics tells us all how we can read minds, 
travel in time, and live forever.
    (Therefore why bother listening to informed opinion?
     The effort involved in sifting the wheat from the chaff 
     is probably too difficult anyway.)

 ... I'm not inclined to be too harsh on those who dismiss it out of hand
simply because the likelihood of something useful coming out of such studies
is worth less to them than the time and energy it would take to investigate
psychic powers....
    (Therefore scientific investigations should be balanced against 
     the likelihood of their a priori finding 'something useful.')
	
Not all heterodox opinions and reported unusual happenings are worth 
investigating; life is short and people have other things to do as well.
    (Therefore we are justified in ridiculing those who find 
     such investigations worthwhile.  Come now, there's no
     room for mystery and the imprecise in science.)
      
Dean Radin - AT&T Bell Laboratories - Columbus - cbosgd!dir