[ExI] Psi and gullibility

Max More max at maxmore.com
Wed Jan 27 00:43:23 UTC 2010


>On 1/26/2010 3:50 PM, John Clark wrote:
>
> > Damien suppose just for the sake of argument, that psi did not exist,
> > don't you think that many and perhaps most members of the human race
> > would nevertheless think that it did?

My first reaction to this question was: "Yes, of course." Then -- me 
being an old and renewed major comic book enthusiastic -- it occurred 
to me that you could just as well ask: "Suppose that super-powers did 
not exist. (No one actually has super-strength, speed, intellect, 
agility, immortality, flight, invisibility, the ability to grow or 
shrink, etc. etc.) Don't you think that most members of the human 
race would nevertheless think that it did?

This seems like an exactly parallel question. If we exclude psi 
powers as a super-power, it seems very clear that the correct answer 
is: No. No one actually believes that super-powers exist, even though 
they would very much like them to exist (especially if they could 
possess those powers themselves).

Hmmm.

Max





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