POLL: ESP

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Over the next two weeks, a friend and I will be conducting a short, informal but mathematically sound study that tests students' ESP (extra-sensory perception), if any. While this is more an exercise in statistics than anything else, and I don't expect to find anything that doesn't support the general view that ESP doesn't exist, I'm still interested in hearing the opinion of this particular demographic.

You should have the results of the study in a couple of weeks. Thanks for responding to the poll.

Poll Information
This poll contains 3 question(s). 49 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: ESP (49 votes.)

Do you believe ESP exists? (Choose 1)
* Yes - 45% (22)
* No - 49% (24)
* Abstain - 6% (3)

Do you believe that someone you know has ESP? (Choose 1)
* Yes - 29% (14)
* No - 71% (35)
* Abstain - 0% (0)

Do you believe that you have ESP? (Choose 1)
* Yes - 20% (10)
* No - 73% (36)
* Abstain - 6% (3)

 

you can find a pair of identical twins, have one give a number of 1 to 10 and the other guess it, i am sure the answer will be correct the most of the time.

 

I believe it's all within the brain, probably more special senses than anything "extrasensory".

 

Two identical twins are most likely to choose the same number simply because they're brains are wired the same. ESP most likely doesn't exist, and any postitives you get are most likely chance. But it could be interesting to see the results.

Anyway, good luck and have fun. Statistics, .

 

While I don't believe that ESP exists as discussed, and thus voted no on all three questions, in my religeon, we have "the Gift of the Holy Ghost" which can deliver warnings. I myself have an experience as such.

I've taken to the internet to find a wife, and on one LDS singles site, a guy asked me to chat. Not what I was expecting, but in the message boards, there's a bit of comraderie, so I thought I'd talk to the guy. During the chat he mentioned he was from Nigeria, but his profile said that he was from Puerto Rico. That had me concerned. The more this went on, the less comfortable I became in the chat. I politely excused myself, but he responded by asking me for my e-mail address. At this point I got a feeling of dread. At 6'2" and about 300 lbs, that's not an easy thing to do! Needless to say I didn't give it to him, nor did I even respond, other than to leave the chat, log off the site (I was done anyway) and off the net (I was done anyway).

A few weeks later, I started to hear that there were people claiming that they were from Nigeria that were running scams over the internet, and were hunting on that site! It was also mentioned that some of the women, and the smaller of the guys were somewhat harrassed.

This was what I mean by "the Gift of the Holy Ghost." It gives us spiritual impressions of whether something is wise or unwise if we think it out and seek God's wisdom. It warns us of danger, and can even help us figure out when someone's lying to us...

 

I voted yes to the first two questions and abstained on the 3rd.

I know that ESP exists and I knew someone that had it.

However the term ESP is rather vague. The cases of ESP I know about are between people in close relations. ie: Mother and child. Husband & wife. Close siblings or close friends.

Reading the thoughts of a stranger? I doubt it.

 

I don't have ESP. I have PMS and womens intuition...

 

Like palmists, tarot readers etc, I think it does exist, but most people that claim to have it are just attention seekers. The few the do have such abilities usually keep quiet about such things.

 

No, no, and no. ESP and a feeling of premonition or something like that is most likely based on selective cognition. Proper statistics help to debunk any case of ESP.

If you share a close relation to someone, it stands to reason that you are accustomed to his way of thinking. Hence you are more likely to guess correctly what he thinks about certain matters. This is hardly ESP. Experience would be more to the point.

Funny:

Hohoho! You've got no idea how the brain functions, do you? In a way all human brains are wired the same in the general layout, that's trivial. But there are simply no two brains that are identical. You could take your twins and swap their brains. Guess what: they wouldn't even be able to see anything anymore. Because their brains were accustomed to interpreting the special signals submitted to them by their optic nerve. Vision (just as an example) is a highly specialized coordination between this one brain and these two eyes.

The neural network that is the brain is ever changing and developing, starting from day one. You can't provide the identical stimuli to each brain - accordingly you can't breed identical brains.

Most "ESP" is just common sense and knowledge of human nature.

 

Well - I can't really say it does or it doesn't due to a lack of reliable evidence either way - though I'll lean on the skeptical side.

 

What do you mean: evidence on either side? Like "what do you think: are there guys with three testicles?" - with the reply "can't say, I haven't had the time to check them all!"

We define a certain state as common, normal. Then there's the thesis "not all specimen belong to the common state". With the proof of one specimen that you can show that differs from the normal state. If you can't provide this specimen, well, then your thesis is void. It's as simple as that.

 

50% who agrees that ESP exists, I suppose it is expected on a fantasy forum

 

The problem is that a ****load of people claim to have this abnormal thing and many people claim to have proven it. There is no way for me to check out the validity of these claims and 'proofs' - so I'll hang out in the 'I doubt it but hey, what the hell' corner.

 

I have not examined every street-legal automobile in existence. However, I can say with 100% certainty that NONE are made of fog. Simlar reasoning rules out "ESP" as a reality. There is no area of the brain we can infer "Extra-Sensory Perception" from, as a function. Before you can even posit such a thing as a reality, you must provide a mechanicsm by which it can occur. that 50% of the respondents here would believe in such nonsense is depressing.

AIkanaro: It does not matter of 5 BILLION people claim to have "this abnormal thing" if we havce no concurrenjt observation of it's actual existence. 5oo people can claim to have seen dragons but unless they are all pointing at teh same scally, winged wyrm adn dodging the same firey breath coming from said wyrm, we have no phenomenom to scrutinise. Just an anecdote.

 

Agreed. It's not something I would like to discuss publicly, but I would have something to say, as well. Edit: Just to avoid confusion, our understanding of it may be different, since I'm RC.

@Nakia: Yes, I believe in the special bonds. They give you such levels of intuition that you end up wondering if it really isn't ESP. I've sensed bad news about people I care for quite a number of times. Or the fact they wouldn't be phoning or mailing me. Twice I've "sensed" that someone is dying before getting the news forwarded to me, just as feeling from the atmosphere. But I think it's still something rationally explicable. On the other hand, I don't have a twin, none of my siblings shares both parents with me and I've never been married.

BTW, ESP tests show I have various kinds of -cognitions and -ances, but I still find it hard to believe it's anything extrasensory. And I wouldn't be worthy of such a gift from God, either. Must be the way I fill those forms in.

[ May 11, 2005, 20:26: Message edited by: chevalier ]

 

ESP -- yeah right. Next we'll be seeing how many think they can cast charm person....

I never met anyone that could show sufficiently they had any such powers (several who claimed they did, but all were either lying or deluded). I also don't believe in ghosts, psychics, devils, demons, angels, telekinesis, teleportation or most things I see on television. I have experience deja vu but don't believe it as any psychic anything (just that the subconscious observed before the brain kicked in).

Gnarlfinger -- that was common sense kicking in. I come from a LONG family history of Mormons (g-g-grandmother pushed a hand cart from Nauvoo, g-g-grandfather had nine wives, Mormon battalion, etc.). Every instance I've seen of 'Gift of the Holy Ghost' was common sense kicking in or the subconscience screaming 'Danger Will Robinson!' Of course, I'm not much of a believer (the FIRST in six generations to be ex'ed) and may be a little biased....

A good read about the subconscious warning is 'The Gift of Fear' by Gavin DeBecker -- especially for women in the US.

 

I don't believe in ESP. It just depends on how well you know the other person and their thinking patterns or tendencies. I once bugged a friend (who has a twin) about this stuff and she denied any sort of mental link between them.

But Oaz's statistical project sounds promising. Make sure you tell us your results!

 

Gnarf, come on, if you had *not* sensed anything wrong there something would have been serious wrong with you. It is like not thinking the the concrete pillar rushing towards your speeding car is anything to worry about. Not what I would call divine intervention even if I had been a believer.

I am not sure on the issue of ESP myself though, in general I scoff at it and those who claim but I do not rule out that there might be some kind of subconscious interaction between brains we know little about. Seeing as it has failed any proper test it has ever ben subjugated to I am prone to believe that those who believe in it are either delusional or liars. I do not want to go out and say flat out that it doesnt exist though.

 

They might one day discover that ESP is the result of subconscious reception of subtle scent changes or something (i.e. previously undetected sensitivity of the existing senses).

 

@Bruno and Joacqin: This discomfort came from the introduction before finding evidence to support that something was up. It got stronger as things progressed. There have been other stories that have given warnings that the person receiving the warning couldn't have known about. Like a driver suddenly swerving onto the sidewalk (no one was there) only to see a vehicle behind them go throught where they were to slam into the car ahead of them--which would have killed the children in the back seat. Another story had a father in his kitchen getting a glass of water when he suddenly felt he had to go out back--where he found his son being dragged by a horse. This cannot be scientifically proven, but is a matter of faith. Usually this gift is more subtle though. It still helps us remember things. It's hard to describe to someone outside the faith.