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From: kwh@bentley.UUCP (KW Heuer)
Newsgroups: net.sci
Subject: testing for psi
Message-ID: <824@bentley.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-May-86 22:27:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: bentley.824
Posted: Wed May 14 22:27:45 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 16-May-86 06:40:58 EDT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Liberty Corner
Lines: 24

Somebody in an article I can't find (expired already? or was it some other
newsgroup?) mentioned the possibility that it may be nontrivial to test for
some types of psychic abilities because they may not work under the test
conditions.

It sounds like a cop-out (and often is), but it's a valid point.  You'd have
a hard time proving that photography works if the tester insisted on turning
the lights on in the darkroom.

The following is not satire.  It's true, modulo the disclaimer at the top.

I have an ability, which I won't specify, but for the sake of argument let's
say it's levitation.  This is rather limited; I can't fly like Superman.  My
limit* is about 1 cm., but I can hold it for 15-20 seconds.  However, I have
to be in the right frame of mind to do this.  If people are watching me, and
waiting for something to happen, I get nervous and it doesn't work.  Talking
tends to break the state too, so I can't yell for a witness after I've begun
to levitate.  I've had witnesses only once that I can remember; I had a good
day where I was able to hold it for 30 seconds after they'd started watching
me.  (They were impressed.)  Btw, I recognize the self-delusion possibility,
but I've succeeded under conditions that prove (to me) that it's genuine.

Karl W. Z. Heuer (ihnp4!bentley!kwh), The Walking Lint
*The purpose of this footnote is to align the margin in the above paragraph.