Psi phenomena, like telepathy and precognition, are controversial in
academia. While a minority of academics (such as me) are open-minded
about them, others believe that they are pseudo-scientific and that they
can’t possibly exist because they contravene the laws of science.
However, the phenomena are much less
controversial to the general public. Surveys show significant levels of
belief in psi. A survey of 1200 Americans in 2003 found that over 60%
believed in extrasensory perception.
This high level of belief appears to
stem largely from experience. In a 2018 survey, half of a sample of
Americans reported they had an experience of feeling “as though you were
in touch with someone when they were far away.” Slightly less than half
reported an experience of knowing “something about the future that you
had no normal way to know” (in other words, precognition). Just over 40%
reported that they had received important information through
their dreams.
Interestingly, a 2022 survey of over
1000 Brazilian people found higher levels of such anomalous experiences,
with 70% reporting they had a precognitive dream at least once.3 This
may imply that such experiences are more likely to be reported in
Brazil, perhaps due to a cultural climate of greater openness.
How can we account for the disconnect
between the dismissal of psi phenomena by some scientists, and the
openness of the general population? Is it that scientists are more
educated and rational than other sections of the population, many of
whom are gullible to superstition and irrational thinking?
I don’t think it’s as simple as this....<<<Read More>>>...
