Thank you for your prayers re my self-cleansing rituals. I will need them.
Your wife's 'Schroeder's Cat' promulgation should be accorded full
congratulations, as I see some successful channelling in operation here. I
remark once again that it is difficult, perhaps pointless, to determine
whether Thoth was the culprit, or it was your wife's own innate psychic
powers at work.
Your confusion over beliefs, especially in science, needs some clearing up.
It is well known among practising scientists that some experiments appear to
work because the experimenter believes in them, but the same experiments
will not work for non-believers. This is generally considered a hallmark of
unfinished business, as belief in an alleged phenomenon may cause the
scientist to be less objective, seeing things that are not there, or causing
them to unconsciously massage data to fit their preconceptions. Other
scientists, who do not share the same beliefs, will see different things,
and also may unconsciously massage data in the opposite direction. The goal
is therefore to produce results that are reproducible no matter who does the
experiments, regardless of their belief system. This is the test of an
objective result, and this is why debate and collective discussion is vital
for good science.
In other ways beliefs held by the experimenter are highly important because
they also determine the type of experiments and investigations carried out.
The believer is more likely to try harder, be more creative and put more
thought into experiments designed to prove the alleged phenomenon. The
non-believer is more likely to do a few quick attempts that fail, then
consider his non-belief confirmed. Also belief systems will affect the way
in which results are interpreted. A believer is more likely to find ways in
which the data suggests new lines of approach, because he intuitively
'knows' the phenomenon exists, and his task is merely to find the correct
way to demonstrate it.
Look no further than the history of cold fusion to find a classic example of
this problem. It is the unshakeable belief of cold fusionists that something
is happening that causes them to press on when the disbelievers have long
ago given up. In a way, this will create the reality of the phenomenon, but
only if it exists as a physical reality in the first place, and only through
hard work, blood, sweat and tears. Also, as seems to be the case, the early
work has led on to the discovery of different, perhaps more important, types
of phenomena.
The history of cold fusion also demonstrates that the concept of paradigms
and belief systems in science, which have been well explained by historians
such as Kuhn et al, have yet to assimilated into mainstream scientific
education in any meaningful way. The scientific hierarchy, still comfortable
in its ivory tower, operates under the assumption that scientific paradigms
do not exist, or if they do, then they are exempted from their effects. Soon
the reckoning is coming for this foolishness.
As far as I am aware, quantum physics as it is generally understood does not
involve the belief system of the observer. Rather, events exist in a form of
'virtual reality' until collapsed into the physical state by the act of
observation or measurement. (Physicists correct me if I am wrong). The
thoughts of the researchers at NIST probably had a lot to do with the
phenomenon exposing itself, but only because 1. they speculated the
phenomenon might be possible, 2. they decided to carry out the experiment,
and 3. they carried out the experiment.
What you seem to be proposing is a kind of placebo effect wherein the
desires and thoughts of the researchers directly changed the structure of
the beryllium ion so that the experiment would work for them, but not for
anybody who did not believe it was possible. In fact you seem to extrapolate
or inflate this effect into a kind of all-encompassing paradigm wherein the
thoughts of the observer can without difficulty change physical reality in
order for physical reality to conform with the thoughts. Certainly I believe
this type of telekinesis to be possible, but it is a question of degree, and
most humans are generally quite limited in this respect, at least so far.
The orme is a different kettle of fish again. If it is responsive to
thought, as claimed, then to a certain extent the above arguments must go
out the window. One must approach the subject with more care, and take
cognizance of the fact that what you believe may be more important than you
think. On the other hand, the orme might not give a damn what you think, and
may prefer to connect with more unconscious elements in your psyche. It is
all rather complex.
James Mann <psi@ozemail.com.au>
Anti-sceptic Society
Melbourne, Australia