Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with telepathy

Why can't I move shit with my mind?

Nattie — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:18:51 -0800

On what grounds does one draw the line between quantum physics/mechanics and pseudoscientific claims about the powers of consciousness? I'm naturally skeptical of claims like the following that purport to be supported by quantum physics/mechanics:

- Telekinesis.
- Telepathy.
- Healing yourself with your mind, etc.

I don't know enough about quantum physics to understand where the reasoning goes south, though. When I read skeptical articles, they usually dismiss the claims by saying "they misunderstand the science," but they don't go into detail. That's what I'm looking for.

If it's helpful, these sort of things tend to take the idea that your consciousness acts on everything it observes and extrapolates from there.

Does it have something to do with the idea of a "conscious observer" not necessarily meaning "a human being with a conscious," depending on your interpretation of quantum mechanics? Is it conflating superposition with observer effect? Something else?

Are these claims actually possible in some "legitimate" interpretations but we're doubtful those interpretations are true? Or are all the claims based on misunderstanding?

I feel like I have a very vague grasp of these concepts, and whenever I try to pinpoint the flaw in reasoning my mind can't process it.

BS?

Tryptophan-5ht — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 18:21:45 -0800

animal telepathy is this bullshit? http://www.sheldrake.org/nkisi/index.html

Their methods sound pretty solid and their results are impressive. Are they simply liars? Is there something else at play here they aren't being upfront about?

I wouldn't mind believing this was possible, but id like some help scrutinizing this before i go telling my friends about "this cool parrot"

Is there objective proof of psychic phenomenon or what??

my homunculus is drowning — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 13:38:15 -0800

Is there any scientific evidence to support the existence of psychic phenomenon? I've been reading Daniel Pinchbecks 2012 and early on in the book he makes the claim that it's a fairly done deal as regards the reality of various psychic phenomenon, linking it in the same sort of way to quantum physics that the movie What The Bleep did. What's the deal? Is there really a large group of scientists who 1) say that these things happen and 2) are not complete nut jobs? Are we really on the verge of accepting that we don't live in a stricly mechanical world? That consciousness might actually be able to affect its surroundings? That consciousness might actually be at the center of everything?

Daniel Pinchbeck is a lucid, enaging writer (his Breaking Open The Head is one of my favorites) so when he says that the scientific proof is out there yet doesn't cite any it gives me some problems as a reader trying to take his work seriously. In fact, a lot of my favorite authors make similiar claims. What's the deal?