[ExI] Psi (was QT and SR)

[John K Clark]

"Damien Broderick" <thespike at satx.rr.com>

> rather than asserting endlessly and pointlessly that X *can't* 
>  happen  because reigning doctrine seems to argue against 
> its  possibility, even  though X *does* occur quite often,
> physicists might be well advised to start looking for loopholes
> that permit these effects.

I think it's ridiculous to assert that reputable scientists have been 
rejecting psi (or ESP or spiritualism) for centuries because it 
violates the known laws of physics, because they would LOVE to 
see such a thing! The reason physics is in such a rut is that nobody
has performed an experiment that can't be explained for about 35
years. If the large Hadron Collider, which goes online for the first 
time on Wednesday, doesn't find something absolutely bizarre that 
cannot be explained by the known laws of physics then there are 
going to be some very unhappy physicists.

The second worst thing would be if the machine find the Higgs 
particle but nothing more, better if it finds nothing at all, according
to what we think we know we should find the Higgs, if we don't find
it then then that's new.

The very worst thing would be if the machine destroys the Universe,
but that's all silly media hype, the effect is likely to be much more
localized and just destroy the galaxy.

No, the reason Psi is rejected is that when skilled experimenters,
that is to say people who have been known to perform important 
and even beautiful non Psi experiments turn their attention to Psi 
they see nothing; and yet lousy experimenters, that is to say those
who have done nothing of note except Psi, find it extrodanarly easily.

But this is not a surprise; if a man knew he was endowed with 
experimental genius he would be unlikely to enter a field that has
made absolutely positively no progress in well over a century.
But if I knew I was all thumbs in the lab Psi research is where I'd go,
in that field being crappy is an advantage.

  John K Clark