From: Richard Loosemore (rpwl@lightlink.com)
Date: Fri Dec 30 2005 - 12:55:27 MST
Jeff,
Sue Blackmore is a close enough friend of mine that I once went and
stayed with her for a couple of days and talked with her about her
misgivings. She is not "formerly one of the top parapsychologists," she
was doing some parapsychology in the early 80s, then became
disillusioned after a personal fracas/dispute with another
parapsychologist, Carl Sargent. She made insinuations against Carl
that, at the time I talked with her, did not have enough substance to be
credible (of the same order of magnitude as finding him with an untidy
office and then implying that the untidiness was reason to doubt his
honesty. Sorry, Sue.
The idea that Sue Blackmore is convincing proof against the entire field
of parapsychology is equivalent to taking John Searle's critique of AI
as being convincing proof that the SIAI should be shut down.
What always amazes me is the ferocity of amateur scientists when dealing
with these issues. I use the word "amateur" advisedly: people who know
nothing about the actual experimental research work that has been done
in the parapsychology field seem perfectly happy to pronounce themselves
experts and hurl the most amazing torrents of abuse at scientists who
know a great deal more than they do. People who do that are not
scientists, they are scientist-wannabes.
Synasthesia explains psi phenomena? That's quite amusing.
Richard Loosemore.
Jeff Medina wrote:
> Is someone seriously defending parapsychology here? Wow. Painful.
>
> Sue Blackmore, formerly one of the top parapsychologists, is a good
> antidote to that rubbish... (though I'm sure some parapsychology fans
> will make excuses and continue to think parapsychologists actually do
> worthwhile work and that it's "nonscientific bigotry" to dismiss it)
> http://www.susanblackmore.co.uk/journalism/NS2000.html
>
> Or you can take the following hint and run with it, for it holds the
> key to understanding just how "out-of-body" experiences and various
> other "psi" or "supernatural" experiences are possible without the BS:
> synesthaesia.
>
> --
> Jeff Medina
> http://www.painfullyclear.com/
>
> Community Director
> Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence
> http://www.intelligence.org/
>
> Relationships & Community Fellow
> Institute for Ethics & Emerging Technologies
> http://www.ieet.org/
>
> School of Philosophy, Birkbeck, University of London
> http://www.bbk.ac.uk/phil/
>
>
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