Re: FWD [SK] Re: A Field Guide to Skepticism (3 of 3)

From: Damien Broderick (damienb@unimelb.edu.au)
Date: Thu Jun 05 2003 - 08:51:27 MDT

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    At 09:56 PM 6/4/03 -0700, Jim R Feliciano wrote:

    >And here is my problem with this essay.

    It wasn't an essay. It was an extract from Dr. Dean Radin's popular-science
    summary of recent parapsychological work, cited in part 1 of 3.

    >The writer says
    >over and over about how this or that is or is not done in other
    >disciplines. I wish the writer would give an example. I think radiation
    >would probably provide valid examples, because people truly did not know
    >what they had. Also an example of the psi that has been done and
    >replicated over and over would help clarify the writer's point of
    >view. This writer builds a nice staircase the only problem is the writer
    >provides no support.

    Read the book from which that `essay' was extracted, where plenty of
    evidence is cited. Bear in mind, though, that Dr. Radin's own studies have
    been assailed from some quarters *within* the `anomalous phenomena'
    research discipline for their alleged statistical inadequacies. One of
    Radin's most interesting and provocative recent findings is an effect he
    calls `presponse', where it is claimed that horrifying images provoke an
    advance EEG response prior to randomized presentation, compared with
    psychologically neutral images (as established by standard psych tests).
    Efforts are underway to scrutinize relevant data bases prepared in the past
    by non-parapsychological neuroscientists; it has been said that some of
    these already examined show just such a signature. However, a preliminary
    report by Radin and Prof. Dick Bierman was withdrawn prior to publication,
    so the status of the confirmatory evidence is currently moot. Google on
    them for more.

    Damien Broderick



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