Quote:
Originally Posted by mcairo  Alex,
Yes, you are right that the skeptic world's principal argument is that the evidence for psi doesn't hold up under scientific scrutiny, but I have to also say that I agree with Mr. Carter's notion that behind that very argument, there is a prevailing ideology, a mob mindset if you will, that instantly reacts and attacks.
Perhaps the reason you just can't buy into Mr. Carter's argument is because every one of your interviews has been a one-on-one discussion with the skeptics. What you are missing is the dynamic that develops within the group mentality. Try interviewing three skeptics together in the same conversation and discuss Dr. Wiseman's replication of Dr. Sheldrake's dog experiment. I think that only then will you truly witness what Chris Carter was talking about.
Anyway, that said, I still believe that "an open dialog between believers and skeptics" is a doable goal, and I am a big fan of what you are trying to achieve.
God speed... or Quantum speed. |
I see the mob behavior... I talked about in episode 40. It's disgraceful and has seriously harmed the careers of many good sciencetisits... and has stiffled important research.
But, Chris Carter goes a bit too far. When you label the other side to ideologues you run the risk of becoming one yourself. In the case of psi, much is unknown. It's overreaching to say (as Chris does) that this has all been proven long ago. This dismissive attitude is also the biggest failing of Skeptics. They say researchers are "chasing unicorns" and when bluster alone doesn't convince they rush to fill the gaps of knowledge with botched debunkings and sketchy counter-claims. This is equally wrong-headed.
The only way out is good science... following the data.