| What is mental telepathy? Telepathy is | | | | times doesn't alternate systematically |
| defined as "communication through means other | | | | between heads and tails, but flip it enough |
| than the senses." Add the "mental," and you | | | | times, and it will average about 50% heads |
| have the concept of minds sending and | | | | and 50% tails. That is, it will if you tally |
| receiving information without the senses, | | | | all the flips. Concentrate your mental powers |
| using something akin to radio waves, "thought | | | | on heads, and then don't count 100 of the |
| waves," or whatever the various theories | | | | flips that came up tails, and you have a test |
| claim.Mental Telepathy - A True StoryOne day, | | | | that "proves" you can affect the coin using |
| when we were children, my mother and father | | | | the power of your mind alone.Would scientists |
| were in another city an hour or two away, | | | | (or those that claim to be) do this? It |
| with relatives. They were playing bingo at a | | | | happens all the time, but it is usually more |
| church. Meanwhile, near home, my brother Andy | | | | subtle. Consider the card experiments. If the |
| was thrown to the ground by a bully. His | | | | researcher already believes strongly in |
| collar bone was broken. At about that same | | | | mental telepathy, he might unconsciously find |
| moment, my mother stood up in the middle of | | | | reason to exclude non-confirming trials (the |
| the game, and announced to my father, "Andy | | | | subject wasn't ready, the "sender" wasn't |
| has been hurt!" They immediately left for | | | | concentrating, etc.). Only count trials with |
| home.Was this mental telepathy? It sure | | | | the results you want, and you make it look |
| seemed like it at the time. Or is there | | | | like the subjects are indeed psychic.An |
| another explanation? More on that in a | | | | Explanation Of Mental TelepathyA scenario: My |
| moment.The EvidenceLet's review the evidence | | | | mother knew that Andy was having trouble with |
| for mental telepathy. That should take about | | | | this bully. Earlier in the day she had been |
| a minute, because there is no good evidence | | | | nearby when Andy mentioned that he was |
| for its existence. Now, if we are to review | | | | worried, because he had to deliver newspapers |
| what passes as evidence, we find a common | | | | near the house where this bully lived. She |
| pattern. Tests that "prove" this phenomenon | | | | wasn't listening, but the words registered in |
| are done in some way that is very flawed.The | | | | her subconscious mind. Finally relaxing at |
| "researchers" in ESP (extrasensory | | | | the bingo game, her mind finally processed |
| perception) and related areas have less of an | | | | the information, and she "sensed" that her |
| interest in the truth than in proving that | | | | son was in danger. Mother's intuition we'll |
| these things are real (my opinion). This | | | | call it - but this wouldn't be mental |
| affects how they perform their experiments, | | | | telepathy, right?Is that the explanation? No. |
| often not because of dishonest intentions, | | | | It is one explanation. A more scientific |
| but due to unconscious factors. The most | | | | approach than the one used by true believers, |
| common mistake made in this type of research | | | | is to leave questions open. Hypothesize, |
| is that of "selecting" results.For example, | | | | perhaps, and test those hypothesis, but don't |
| guessing what suit a playing card is, you | | | | assume an answer before there is good |
| would - by the odds - be right about 25% of | | | | evidence. It better to leave things |
| the time, because there are 4 suits to choose | | | | unexplained than to invent things and believe |
| from. Suppose you try this with 10 trials of | | | | in them just because we want them to be true. |
| 20 cards each, and then repeat it with 30 | | | | We may never know what the explanation is for |
| other subjects, for a total of 300 trials. | | | | much of what is called "mental telepathy," |
| The subjects will do better than the odds | | | | but do we need to know right now?Copyright |
| dictate in some trials, and worse in | | | | Steve Gillman. |
| others.This is normal. A coin flipped many | | | | |