What do you think about this "proof" of telepathy?

I read somewhere an account of an ESP demonstration done with visitors to the Cayce House. Results of testing a group of people fell, as we'd expect, into a bell shaped curve. The believers, though, claimed that those on both sides of the central bulge (those, for example, with 7 or more of 10 either right or wrong) had either negative or positive ESP powers!

:bwall

I visited the Cayce house and took all the free ESP tests, apparently I have quite strong ESP powers. AND If I took some (not_free) courses I could really develop them.


Hey it was raining that day, I had to duck in somewhere.
 
I for one applaud the OP for the seemingly good-faith testing and analysis he's done to this point. Do you now have a hypothesis better nailed down? If you carry out several more studies, and in each one the direct, quality answers are correct whereas the questionable ones are not...there will still be a long ways to go before we can start talking "proof", but you will at least have my interest.
Thank you for your comment, Stereolab. I believe there is an unusual telepathic phenomenon going on, which has not attracted much attention from members of the Science community so far. I also think "telepathic waves" are probably electromagnetic in nature. In that respect, it is perhaps interesting to note that the word "telepathy" was coined in 1882 by English psychologist Frederic Myers (see this link: w ww.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=telepathy&searchmode=none , please remove blank space from this long URL) 18 years after Maxwell predicted electromagnetic waves in 1864, which were discovered in 1886 (see these links: w ww.juliantrubin.com/bigten/hertzexperiment.html , w ww.sparkmuseum.com/BOOK_HERTZ.HTM , please remove all blank spaces from URLs).
 
If it were true that a) some people are 'telepathically special' and b) they can broadcast their thoughts to every human being on the planet, then why have I never received any such transmissions?
 
I believe there is an unusual telepathic phenomenon going on, which has not attracted much attention from members of the Science community so far. I also think "telepathic waves" are probably electromagnetic in nature.

Any telepathic phenomenon would qualify as unusual. So unusual indeed that if anyone could demonstrate its occurence, they could win a million dollar prize. So far, of course, nobody has.

While I don't believe that 'telepathic waves' exist at all, I'm curious to know why you think they are probably electromagnetic. Is it only because the term 'telepathy' was coined within a few years of Maxwell's work? Why would that matter?
 
I also often hear hostile "voices" in my head, but I assume these voices have a telepathic origin, and come from real people, distinct from me.

Uhhh. You may want to visit a specialist for this. Especially if they're hostile.
 
I claim I involuntarily send my thoughts into people's minds (sorry if that annoys you). I also often hear hostile "voices" in my head, but I assume these voices have a telepathic origin, and come from real people, distinct from me.

Why would this annoy me?:confused: I've never heard any person's thoughts.

Have you spoken to a qualified mental health professional? I am not suggesting you are suffering from a psychiatric disorder, but hearing voices or believing you can transmit your thoughts is, I explained earlier, a feature of some treatable illnesses. Telepathy, on the other hand, has never been shown to exist. Hearing hostile thoughts is something which you should discuss with a doctor as a matter of some urgency.

I did not mean to suggest that people on yahoo answers were your confederates, but that anonymous or quasi-anonymous people on the Internet correctly guessing numbers can't be used as proof of telepathy; any experiment would need to have controls against cheating on both sides. This is very important if you are considering applying for the million dollar challenge.
 
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I think I should point out at this point that if one wants to prove things like telepathy, it is vitally important to see a doctor and rule out more mundane causes of hearing voices. Particularly if those voices are hostile.
 
If it were true that a) some people are 'telepathically special' and b) they can broadcast their thoughts to every human being on the planet, then why have I never received any such transmissions?

Tell me - have you ever had a Coke even though you knew you shouldn't? Ever eaten a Big Mac even though you knew it was bad for you?
 
If it were true that a) some people are 'telepathically special' and b) they can broadcast their thoughts to every human being on the planet, then why have I never received any such transmissions?
Well Jack, maybe you said that because you wanted to act like a "hedge" ;) . You were perhaps also influenced by the fact this is a "skeptical" forum. But I cannot be totally sure of course.
 
Well Jack, maybe you said that because you wanted to act like a "hedge" ;) . You were perhaps also influenced by the fact this is a "skeptical" forum. But I cannot be totally sure of course.

OK. A lighthearted answer, but seriously you are not the first person on this forum to claim that we ought to be hearing their telepathic broadcasts. Would you be surprised if I said that the previous person to do so had been diagnosed with a psychiatric condition but decided to stop taking his prescribed medication? I hope not. Nobody ever does hear psychic broadcasts. Not just me. Nobody. They're not real.
 
If you really are testing for mind reading, why do you have to hint the set which contains the specific number?
 
I claim I involuntarily send my thoughts into people's minds (sorry if that annoys you). I also often hear hostile "voices" in my head, but I assume these voices have a telepathic origin, and come from real people, distinct from me.

While some here make lite of it, I must agree with those who urge you to seek medical attention. The voices you hear in your head may very well be symptoms of a serious medical condition for which effective treatment is readily available.
 
While some here make lite of it, I must agree with those who urge you to seek medical attention. The voices you hear in your head may very well be symptoms of a serious medical condition for which effective treatment is readily available.

I agree.
 
I claim I involuntarily send my thoughts into people's minds (sorry if that annoys you). I also often hear hostile "voices" in my head, but I assume these voices have a telepathic origin, and come from real people, distinct from me.


I'm no mental health expert by any means, but... You don't have telepathic powers, Michel; you may be suffering from a relatively common mental illness. Please seek professional help immediately.
 
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Have you spoken to a qualified mental health professional? I am not suggesting you are suffering from a psychiatric disorder, but hearing voices or believing you can transmit your thoughts is, I explained earlier, a feature of some treatable illnesses. Telepathy, on the other hand, has never been shown to exist. Hearing hostile thoughts is something which you should discuss with a doctor as a matter of some urgency.

I began hearing "voices in my head" in 1994 and, since then, I have talked about this phenomenon with physicians several times (either psychiatrists or general practitioners, also a neurologist). I have also been hospitalized in a mental health unit, in 1995. But I am afraid psychiatrists cannot help me a great deal, because I think I am a victim of mainly telepathic phenomena.
I would like to suggest that some of you direct a little more skepticism to the mysterious "schizophrenic voices in head", and perhaps a little less to telepathy.
A discussion about the true nature of voices is here: h ttp://hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=418488&f=49 (please remove blank space between "h" and "t" in URL). Skeptical views on schizophrenia are presented here: h ttp://antipsychiatry.org/schizoph.htm and here: h ttp://metzelf.info/Book%20Reviews/schizophrenia.html (please remove blank spaces from URLs, the last web address is a book review).
 
I began hearing "voices in my head" in 1994 and, since then, I have talked about this phenomenon with physicians several times (either psychiatrists or general practitioners, also a neurologist). I have also been hospitalized in a mental health unit, in 1995. But I am afraid psychiatrists cannot help me a great deal, because I think I am a victim of mainly telepathic phenomena.
I would like to suggest that some of you direct a little more skepticism to the mysterious "schizophrenic voices in head", and perhaps a little less to telepathy.

I recognise that you think you are hearing other people's thoughts, or that others can hear your thoughts, but the truth is that these phenomena are entirely caused by your illness. This must be very hard to accept, and I do understand how real these voices seem to be.

However, telepathy does not exist, and the symptoms you experience are entirely caused by your illness. Please do continue with your prescribed treatment and medication. Mental illness is not something of which to be ashamed, and it is treatable.

Here are your URLs:

You only need to make seven more posts and then you will be able to include proper URLs yourself.
 
I would like to suggest that some of you direct a little more skepticism to the mysterious "schizophrenic voices in head", and perhaps a little less to telepathy.
Sceptics direct the same amount of scepticism towards every claim: they look at the evidence, and reach conclusions which are consistent with it.

No-one who claims to be able to hear the voices of others telepathically, whether schizophrenic or not, has ever passed a simple double blind test which is all that is required to demonstrate such a claim. Schizophrenics who are successfully treated cease to hear voices in their heads. Based on that evidence, the only reasonable conclusion is the one Agatha states.

I understand that you are not yet convinced and encourage you to do your own simple double blind test. Something like this:

1. Get someone you trust whose thoughts you think you can hear to sit somewhere you can't see them but within earshot with a pack of cards and ten envelopes labelled 1 to 10.

2. They shuffle the pack then take ten cards from it in turn. They shout "ready" when they have each card in front of them and then concentrate on it for, say, 30 seconds, before putting the card in the appropriate envelope.

3. Simultaneously you concentrate on hearing their thoughts and write down the number and suit of the card you think they're seeing in order.

4. When all ten cards have been viewed your friend brings you the envelopes and you compare the cards with your list.

By chance you would expect to get the colour of the card right about 5 times, the suit right 2 or 3 times and the number right maybe once. Only if you get results significantly better than that would you have reason to believe you might genuinely be hearing the thoughts of others, in which case further testing would be warranted.
 

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