Quote: Matthew Stott @ February 23 2009, 3:45 PM GMTBut there has to be some sort of proof. They had evidence for the world being round, some people just chose to ignore it. I can't believe scientists would choose to ignore mental powers, more they would be interested in explaining exactly HOW those powers come to be/work.
Completely agree the theories around how flight would work were around for centuries before material technologies caught up.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ February 23 2009, 3:45 PM GMTBut there has to be some sort of proof. They had evidence for the world being round, some people just chose to ignore it. I can't believe scientists would choose to ignore mental powers, more they would be interested in explaining exactly HOW those powers come to be/work.
Well again, isn't that the point? By running the experiments such as those DaButt keeps going on about, are they not attempting to get some knowledge of these apparent phenomena, in order to explain them? If they weren't interested in it, they wouldn't be running such tests. All that's happening is that upon the basis of current scientific knowledge and understanding, they cannot show it to even exist, nevermind then explain it.
Quote: Aaron @ February 23 2009, 4:59 PM GMTAll that's happening is that upon the basis of current scientific knowledge and understanding, they cannot show it to even exist, nevermind then explain it.
Well, yes; they're saying things like, 'bend this bit of metal', or 'read my mind', which these people claim to be able to do, and evidently failing to do so. So it's more the subjects failing to perform than scientific knowledge being too far behind at the moment to comprehend.
I'm not attacking these people by the way, I used to get Fortean Times, and was massively into The X-Files! I'd like to believe weird stuff was perhaps possible.
I suppose one could argue that it's possible that whatever 'power' makes these things happen, is stopped, lessened, or otherwise interfered with by equipment used to monitor the experiments. Lee said that he didn't know what exactly happened or how, so I would expect that people who are more open about these apparent talents are much the same. He also seemed to suggest that he wasn't generally able to perform on demand, I don't think? *shrug*
My agent returned my call today and if that isn't a f**king miracle I don't know what is.
Quote: Aaron @ February 23 2009, 5:22 PM GMTI suppose one could argue that it's possible that whatever 'power' makes these things happen, is stopped, lessened, or otherwise interfered with by equipment used to monitor the experiments.
Most of the time the "equipment" consists of something like a dark room, a glass jar or a sealed envelope. Not all that daunting for someone who has superpowers, I wouldn't think.
David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty vanish. Is that not enough DaButt, is that not enough?!
Quote: Leevil @ February 23 2009, 6:33 PM GMTDavid Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty vanish. Is that not enough DaButt, is that not enough?!
No, it was not encased in a giant glass jar. 
It might have been very well polished glass.
Quote: Leevil @ February 23 2009, 6:33 PM GMTDavid Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty vanish. Is that not enough DaButt, is that not enough?!
Perhaps he flew a plane into it. That seems to make tall structures disappear.
LOL.
The University Of Arizona seem to be taking the subject of the paranormal VERY seriously. http://veritas.arizona.edu/
Strange how these highly-regarded academics are so interested in studying "cheap parlour tricks" and "bunk".
Quote: roscoff @ February 23 2009, 11:48 PM GMTPerhaps he flew a plane into it. That seems to make tall structures disappear.
That's how I hide the Queen.
Quote: Lee Henman @ February 24 2009, 6:17 PM GMTThe University Of Arizona seem to be taking the subject of the paranormal VERY seriously. http://veritas.arizona.edu/
Strange how these highly-regarded academics are so interested in studying "cheap parlour tricks" and "bunk".
Looks like they've been at it for several years, yet I haven't seen the scientific magazines heralding any breakthroughs in communicating with the dead.
With the sad state of financial affairs these days, I wouldn't be surprised to see a bunch of university scholars accepting research funds to investigate whether or not pigs can fly.
At school I bragged about how I found an easy way to reconcile both sides of the science v paranormal debate, but I never did.