I read above that this is a free forum and that anyone is free to contribute to a conversation. But I do interject into your discourse with some caution and pray that this post is acceptable.

My agreement is that scientists do try to keep things simple. I have long been a student of the paranormal and have been dismayed tht scientists are so hesitent to conduct research in that arena. Your thoughts on simplicity suggests to me that scientists live in an already complicated enough world without adding the paranormal to complex natural phenomena.

However, I do notice that those few who do venture there regard the paranormal as simple even if they regard the natural as complex. I would expect more or less equivalent complexity. Perhaps simple fundamentals leading to complex manisfestations in both areas.

As an example, the most prominent physicist to embrace the paranormal is Brian Josephson, famed for his invention of the Josephson Junction and winner of the 1973 Nobel Prize in physics. He is currently Director of the Mind-Matter Unification Project at the University of Cambridge.

His most recent thoughts on the paranormal may be found at
http://arxiv.org/html/physics/0312012
in a paper entitled:

String Theory, Universal Mind, and the Paranormal

The point is that what he presents has nothing to do with string theory or a universal mind. He merely proposes that "thought bubbles" may exist that humans may share. Most of the paper is a review of critics of the paranormal.

He does admit that the theory is "a bit sketchy". But it seems that he suffers from the now called 'simplicity syndrome' of physics.

Or perhaps he is just hesitant to say in detail exactly what he thinks for fear of criticism, just as I am in preparing this interjection.

Warm regards,

Rawson

• Sorry, I did not mean to stop the discourse - secretary - December 8, 2003 - 13:54 UTC
  • you didn't - sagefr0g - December 10, 2003 - 09:56 UTC