Telepathy
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Telepathy (from the Greek τηλε, tele, "distant"; and πάθεια, patheia, "feeling") is the communication of information from one mind to another by means other than the known perceptual senses.<ref> Carroll, Robert Todd (2005). The Skeptic's Dictionary; Telepathy. SkepDic.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.</ref> The word itself was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR).
Considered a form of extra-sensory perception or anomalous cognition, telepathy is often associated with other paranormal phenomena, such as precognition, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis.
Many scientists believe that the existence of telepathy has not been scientifically proved. However, many parapsychological research studies have produced favorable results significantly above chance, and meta-analysis of these studies increases the significance to astronomical proportions.<ref name="ConsciousUniverse"> The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth of Psychic Phenomena by Dean I. Radin Harper Edge, ISBN 0-06-251502-0</ref> (Radin 1997:60-89)
[edit] Theories of telepathy
Many theories now exist to explain telepathy.
[edit] Non-classical science
In seeking a scientific basis for telepathy, some parapsychologists have looked to aspects of quantum theory as a possible explanation. In general, psi theorists have made both general and specific analogies between the "unaccepted unknowns" of parapsychology, and the "accepted unknowns" in the quantum sciences [citation needed].
However, physicists state that quantum mechanical effects apply only to objects at sub-nanometer scales, and since the physical components of the mind are thought to be much larger than this, these quantum effects must be negligible[citation needed]. Still, the true definition of what is "negligible" is perhaps unclear (see Quantum mind). Some physicists, such as Nick Herbert [1], have pondered whether quantum mechanical effects would permit forms of communication, perhaps including telepathy, that aren't dependent on "classical" mechanisms such as electromagnetic radiation. Experiments have been conducted (by scientists such as Gao Shen at the Institute of Quantum Physics in Beijing, China) to study whether quantum entanglements can be verified between human minds. Such experiments usually include monitoring for synchronous EEG patterns between two hypothetically "entangled" minds. Thus far, no conclusive evidence has been revealed.[2]
[edit] Scientific investigation of telepathy
Numerous scientific experiments seeking evidence of telepathy have been conducted over more than a century. While many of these have yielded positive results<ref name="ConsciousUniverse"/>, most notably using the Ganzfield procedure, a technique which always shows statistically significant evidence of telepathy has yet to be discovered. This lack of reliable reproducibility has led skeptics to argue that there is no credible scientific evidence for the existence of telepathy at all. Skeptics also point to historical cases in which flaws have been discovered in experimental design, and the occasional cases of fraud which have marred the field. Parapsychologists such as Dean Radin, on the other hand, argue that the sheer amount of positive results from reputable studies, particularly using meta-analysis, provides strong evidence for telepathy that is almost impossible to account for using any other means. It has also been shown that the statistical significance of psi results are not reduced when possible means of fraud are eliminated from the experimental procedures. Those supporting the existence of telepathy also note that very few experiments in psychology, biology, or medicine can be reproduced at will with consistent results.<ref> Carroll, Robert Todd (2005). The Skeptic's Dictionary; ESP (extrasensory perception). SkepDic.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.</ref><ref>"Most academic psychologists do not yet accept the existence of psi..." Bem, Daryl J. and Honorton, Charles (1994). Does Psi Exist?. Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 115, No. 1, 4-18. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.</ref>
[edit] The future of telepathy
Some scientists and intellectuals, occasionally referred to by themselves or others as "transhumanists", believe that technologically enabled telepathy, coined "techlepathy," will be the inevitable future of humanity. Kevin Warwick of the University of Reading, England is one of the leading expert proponents of this view, and has based all of his recent Cybernetics research around developing practical, safe devices for directly connecting human nervous systems together with computers and with each other. He believes techno-enabled telepathy will become the sole or at least the primary form of human communication in the future. He asserts that this will happen by means of the principle of natural selection, which he predicts will force nearly everybody to make use of the technology for economic and social reasons once it becomes available to all.<ref>Dvorsky, George (2004). Evolving Towards Telepathy. Betterhumans.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-24.</ref><ref>TakeAway Media (2000). "Leviathan: Back to the Future: An interview with Kevin Warwick". BBC Two. Retrieved on 2006-10-24.</ref>
[edit] Telepathy in fiction
Superheroes and supervillains, and figures in many science fiction novels, etc commonly use telepathy. Notable telepaths include Lwaxana Troi of Star Trek: The Next Generation; Lyta Alexander, Alfred Bester, and the rest of the Psi Corps of Babylon 5; Dr. Wendy Smith of seaQuest DSV; and Charles Xavier, Jean Grey, Psylocke and Emma Frost of X-Men.
The mechanics of telepathy in fiction vary widely. Some fictional telepaths are limited to receiving only thoughts that are deliberately sent by other telepaths, or even to receiving thoughts from a specific other person. For example, in Robert A. Heinlein's 1956 novel Time for the Stars, certain pairs of twins are able to send telepathic messages to each other. Some telepaths can read the thoughts only of those they touch. At the opposite end of the spectrum, some telepathic characters continuously sense the thoughts of those around them and may control this ability only with difficulty, or not at all. In such cases, telepathy is often portrayed as a mixed blessing or as a curse.
Some fictional telepaths possess mind control abilities, which can include "pushing" thoughts, feelings, or hallucinatory visions into the mind of another person, or completely taking over another person's mind and body (similar to spiritual possession). Characters with this ability may or may not also have the ability to read thoughts.
[edit] See also
- Empathy, one's ability to recognize, perceive and directly experientially feel the emotion of another
- Precognition, a form of extra-sensory perception involving seeing future events
- Parapsychology, the study of paranormal phenomena
- Psychokinesis, the use of mental power to move or affect objects
- Magnetoencephalography, measuring the magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain
- Neural oscillations, a concept similar to brain waves
- Extended mind, the concept that things frequently used by the mind become part of it
- Clairvoyance, a form of extra-sensory perception
- Mentalist, claims to manipulate and change spiritual reality
- Willing game, a telepathy-related Victorian parlour game
- Clever Hans, a horse that appeared to answer questions
- Body language, another form of paralinguistics
- Seven Experiments That Could Change the World, proposals for future research
- Rupert Sheldrake, a pioneer in morphic resonance
[edit] Notes
<references/>
[edit] External links
- Evolving Towards Telepathy – an article on the potential for technologically endowed telepathy, or "techlepathy"
- California Institute of Technology study using implanted electrodes in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vPF), yielding findings on predicting the intentions of subjects to make movements
- PDF article in Nature Neuroscience on "Spatial selectivity in human ventrolateral prefrontal cortex"
- Quantum Physicist Nick Herbert Ponders Instantaneous Communication
- Primary Quantum Model of Telepathy (PDF)
- Soal-Goldney Experiment - a critical evaluation of the Soal-Goldney Experiment, which claimed to prove the existence of telepathyar:تخاطر
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