From the Crackpot Index:
“40 points for comparing yourself to Galileo, suggesting that a modern-day Inquisition is hard at work on your case, and so on.”
Are you seeking truth, or seeking to confirm your current beliefs? Do you deny that the mainstream of the scientific establishment has sociological parameters and taboos, and that these are extremely hostile to the possibility of telepathy and related topics? In that case, you might find this essay by the editor of the Journal of Consciousness Studies, of interest (JCS is a mainstream journal a mainstream journal that publishes material from scholars like Daniel Dennett, in addition to a recent issue discussing some of Sheldrake’s research):
Rather than reading apologia from self-proclaimed guardians like Randi (who is not a scientist, but rather a successful entertainer and propagandist for an official version of truth, the very idea of which is anathema to science), why not read Sheldrake’s papers for yourself and come up with your own criticisms? Sheldrake discusses some of Randi’s attacks, which turn out to be totally off base or even fabricated. For example:
I can only suggest that you read Sheldrake’s published papers with an open mind, not prejudging that their results are “impossible” without reading his research methods and results. The papers are quite accessible, generally clearly written and straightforward, with a general lack of the masses of domain-specific jargon that mars so much journal writing.
The fact that Randi and Shermer, leave alone investigate Sheldrake’s claim, did not even give it a primary reading, reminded me too much of Prof’s Verres’s pseudo rationality in HPMOR . In particular, they don’t seem to follow this little dictum
I will use the scientific method even if it makes me feel stupid.
From the Crackpot Index: “40 points for comparing yourself to Galileo, suggesting that a modern-day Inquisition is hard at work on your case, and so on.”
Are you seeking truth, or seeking to confirm your current beliefs? Do you deny that the mainstream of the scientific establishment has sociological parameters and taboos, and that these are extremely hostile to the possibility of telepathy and related topics? In that case, you might find this essay by the editor of the Journal of Consciousness Studies, of interest (JCS is a mainstream journal a mainstream journal that publishes material from scholars like Daniel Dennett, in addition to a recent issue discussing some of Sheldrake’s research):
http://www.imprint.co.uk/Editorial12_6.pdf
Rather than reading apologia from self-proclaimed guardians like Randi (who is not a scientist, but rather a successful entertainer and propagandist for an official version of truth, the very idea of which is anathema to science), why not read Sheldrake’s papers for yourself and come up with your own criticisms? Sheldrake discusses some of Randi’s attacks, which turn out to be totally off base or even fabricated. For example:
http://www.sheldrake.org/controversies/randi.html
I can only suggest that you read Sheldrake’s published papers with an open mind, not prejudging that their results are “impossible” without reading his research methods and results. The papers are quite accessible, generally clearly written and straightforward, with a general lack of the masses of domain-specific jargon that mars so much journal writing.
The fact that Randi and Shermer, leave alone investigate Sheldrake’s claim, did not even give it a primary reading, reminded me too much of Prof’s Verres’s pseudo rationality in HPMOR . In particular, they don’t seem to follow this little dictum