Organization: University of Illinois, Dept of Computer Science
References: <712142829.0@iphase.FidoNet.Org>
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 14:09:45 GMT
Lines: 39
In article <712142829.0@iphase.FidoNet.Org>, Ken.Stuckas@iphase.UUCP (Ken Stuckas) writes:
|> -> Another friend knows when I want to talk to her. She'll often phone
|> -> at such points when I consciously ask her to (telepathically). What
|> -> I'd like to do is understand this phenomenon better.
|>
|> Oh, I think I can help you understand. It is either a product of an overactive imagination, an illogical system of rationalization or a hoax on your part.
|>
|> Such skills have yet to be demonstrated in a controlled setting. If you can demonstrate these "skills" then call up James Randi and arrange a demonstration. You may win the $100,000 he has set aside for anyone who can so it.
|>
Amazing. KS can explain this claim when I can't even fathom what there
is to explain. This is even better than telepathy, it is omniscience!
There are many ways to parse the original statement, many of which require
no explanation at all. (For instance, if asked to understand why this
person would BELIEVE this (correctly or not), one wouldn't care to dive
in without learning a LOT more about these people and what precisely
they believe. One also needs to know what "telepathy" is intended to
mean in this context.)
In any case, without something tangible to understand, there is no
point is attributing this to imagination or illogic. For instance,
we have no idea what "often" means.
I might point out, also, that my wife is very likely to know when I
am upset or otherwise very likely to want to talk with her, and may
well call when I am wanting her to. Is this telepathy or just thorough
knowledge of "the psychology of the individual" as Jeeves would put it?
It is not necessarily imagination, illogical, nor paranormal, although
it may appear inexplicable, especially to an outsider.
Patience, Ken. The FIRST task is always to determine what there is
to actually EXPLAIN, THEN we can proceed to consider hypotheses, including
"imagination", "illogic", "telepathy", and, perhaps, "ordinary human caring".
