- Reaction score
- 1,697
You may not have met Dr. Daryl Bem yet, but if his findings are true, you may already feel his presence. The energetic emeritus Cornell parapsychologist has attempted to experimentally demonstrate that the human mind can “feel” future events. And in his latest article, he reports that people in the present are probably influenced by, and can predict, events that happen in the future.
At the very least, his research says, we are able to predict pornography. Really. But more on that in a moment.
Before you confuse Bem’s research with past parapsychology hoaxes such as Project Alpha, or the experiments in “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” keep in mind that the article (pdf) is set to appear this month in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, one of the field’s premier clearinghouses. “The article has passed review by four scientific experts,” Bem says.
His experiments test for precognition—the ability of people to perceive events in the future. In one of nine such experiments conducted on more than 1000 student subjects, a pornographic image would randomly appear on the left or right hand side of a computer screen. The results indicate that people could predict where the pornographic image would appear—even before the computer made its random decision.
At the very least, his research says, we are able to predict pornography. Really. But more on that in a moment.
Before you confuse Bem’s research with past parapsychology hoaxes such as Project Alpha, or the experiments in “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” keep in mind that the article (pdf) is set to appear this month in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, one of the field’s premier clearinghouses. “The article has passed review by four scientific experts,” Bem says.
His experiments test for precognition—the ability of people to perceive events in the future. In one of nine such experiments conducted on more than 1000 student subjects, a pornographic image would randomly appear on the left or right hand side of a computer screen. The results indicate that people could predict where the pornographic image would appear—even before the computer made its random decision.
Daryl Bem Proved ESP Is Real. Which Means Science Is Broken.
The scientist couldn't have foreseen the crisis his research would touch off.
slate.com
Last edited: