"Science and the taboo of psi" with Dean Radin

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Google Tech Talks
January, 16 2008

ABSTRACT

Do telepathy, clairvoyance and other "psi" abilities exist? The majority of the general population believes that they do, and yet fewer than one percent of mainstream academic institutions have any faculty known for their interest in these frequently reported experiences. Why is a topic of enduring and widespread interest met with such resounding silence in academia? The answer is not due to a lack of scientific evidence, or even to a lack of scientific interest, but rather involves a taboo. I will discuss the nature of this taboo, some of the empirical evidence and critical responses, and speculate on the implications.

Speaker: Dean Radin
Dean Radin is a researcher and author in the field of parapsychology. He is Senior Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and four-time former President of the Parapsychological Association. He holds an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a masters degree in electrical engineering and a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has worked at AT&T Bell Labs and GTE Labs, mainly on human factors of advanced telecommunications products and services, and held appointments at Princeton University, Edinburgh University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, SRI International, Interval Research Corporation, and Boundary Institute. At these facilities he was engaged in basic research on exceptional human capacities, principally psi phenomena.

Channel: People & Blogs
Uploaded: January 18, 2008 at 4:12 am
Author: googletechtalks

Length: 01:34:57
Rating: 4.39
Views: 32476

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Video Comments:
gJonii (December 5, 2008 at 6:17 am)
"Science has many fields, you just listed 3"

Yeah. Alone the fact that no field of science anticipates that psi exist would be enough. But instead, we have 3 fields of science that are clearly against it?

>>PSI could very well be a gateway to a new scientific field.>>

Invisible elf jumping up and down behind your back could very well be a gateway to a new scientific field. We still don't go calling paraelfiology a scientific field.
PneumaLogic (December 4, 2008 at 10:28 pm)
"Anything psi-related would be against physics, neurology and evolution."

Science has many fields, you just listed 3. Each field has been discovered through time. PSI could very well be a gateway to a new scientific field.

We just don't know yet, scientifically speaking.
PneumaLogic (December 4, 2008 at 10:25 pm)
"It has been investigated. Nothing was found."

I agree nothing WAS found. But "Was" is past tense, leave the past in the past. Science is progressive and just because we could not verify or comprehend something scientifically in the past does not mean that it doesn't exist. Remember science is progressive.
gJonii (December 4, 2008 at 6:47 pm)
Problem is that science holds certain kind of reputation as a trustworthy and really cool thing overall. Using that name for deception or just doing something that is not science under the guise of science is simply wrong.

>>Rather than just ruling PSI out, we should investigate it scientifically>>

It has been investigated. Nothing was found. Anything psi-related would be against physics, neurology and evolution. Nothing related has been observed in lab tests. There is simply nothing
CONTINUED
PneumaLogic (December 4, 2008 at 6:16 pm)
"It's not until someone goes around claiming that these funny things *are* science that we are in trouble."

Who would be in trouble? Orthodox scientist? Conventional wisdom? What is there to fear? The word science simply means knowledge and there are many fields of science. There are scientific fields yet unknown and perhaps this PSI stuff is one of them. Rather than just ruling PSI out, we should investigate it scientifically. Otherwise, orthodox science will remain.
gJonii (December 4, 2008 at 2:53 am)
"Furthermore, we now have folks with PHDs embracing these ancient beliefs through modern science. This pretty much invalidates orthodox science."

..Huh? No it doesn't. Folks with PhDs having funny beliefs is only that, folks with phds having funny beliefs. Science is very much immune to any damage coming from that direction. It's not until someone goes around claiming that these funny things *are* science that we are in trouble.
PneumaLogic (December 3, 2008 at 8:36 pm)
"Psi powers etc are just trash"

I don't by into that anymore. I've heard many times that the more education you have, the less you are to believe in PSI. If you think about that, its sounds so true. Its a sophisticated statement. Yet, we now live in the 21st century, know as the information age, and we still have ancient beliefs. Furthermore, we now have folks with PHDs embracing these ancient beliefs through modern science. This pretty much invalidates orthodox science.
Caniswalensis (December 3, 2008 at 8:10 pm)
HAHA what a dick!
gJonii (December 2, 2008 at 3:27 am)
>>Great video. It appears that Science is finally making a breakthrough on things which do not conform to conventional logic and rationality.>>

That's called quantum mechanics. Psi powers etc are just trash, attempts to grasp complex things using everyday misconceptions.
Kingneo0053 (November 29, 2008 at 7:00 am)
Science is that which can be proven through the scientific method. Nothing more. Nothing less.

To not even give any form of "phenomena" true scientific scrutiny, through the scientific method, and which can be replicated again and again by anyone that performs the experiment may they believe in the theory or not, unless it would harm, physically or emotionally, a conscious being, would be a crime against the very pursuit of science.