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From: ran@ho95b.UUCP (RANeinast)
Newsgroups: net.religion,net.philosophy,net.physics
Subject: More on ESP and the "feeling"
Message-ID: <459@ho95b.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Jun-85 08:56:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: ho95b.459
Posted: Tue Jun 11 08:56:10 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Jun-85 07:00:28 EDT
Organization: AT&T-Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
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Xref: watmath net.religion:7100 net.philosophy:1908 net.physics:2593

> This brings up another problem with the whole paranormal thing.  You are
> assuming that psychic power (or whatever is going on) is just turned on at
> will.  In my case, I just had the feeling that I could do it. Why?  I don't
> know.  Oddly enough, just two weeks ago was one of those rare times I had
> "the feeling" that I knew something paranormal.  I saw a picture in a magazine
> of someone and just "knew" that I was looking at a dead person.  Sure enough,
> I found out the next day they were in a hospital and had just died (the next
> day.) It is very difficult to put any statistical value on how significant
> an event such as this really is.
> 
> Dave Trissel   {seismo,ihnp4}!ut-sally!oakhill

Let me relate something that happened to me.  I was driving down I80
in Pennsylvania, and suddenly got the feeling that there was a radar
trap ahead.  I slowed down, and voila', there was a cop just over the
hill.  AHA!  ESP!

But, having "watched" myself since then, I discovered that I get
that radar trap feeling a lot, and I'm wrong each time.  The point is,
when nothing happens, it is not memorable.  When something does happen,
it is so amazing that it is remembered, and leads you to think it
is ESP, when in reality, it's just the odds catching up with you.

A valid analysis of the statistics in these cases show NO significant,
extranormal effect.  If this type of ESP exists, it is
indistinguishable from chance occurences (another way of saying
it doesn't exist).
-- 

". . . and shun the frumious Bandersnatch."
Robert Neinast (ihnp4!ho95b!ran)
AT&T-Bell Labs