You have to experience it for yourself

[pmurray]

You really have to have that "aha!" moment for yourself. That moment when you really realise that your internal feelings of pararnormality are not to be relied on - that wishing doesn't work.

Someone related an anecdote where a teacher was dowsing for a water pipe under the school oval, and got the kids dowsing too. They were detecting this pipe and everything. hen the teacher revealed that there was no pipe.

Another one was a person who was convinced that he could predict the suit of a card - not every time, but more than chance. Then one day he decided that he would record his results from drawing one card every morning. Sure enough, after a few months it became obvious that his results were chance. It deconverted him.

So you need to set up a practical experiment in science class to discredit that "I know it in my bones" psychic feeling.

• attempt something psychic, but you do not know how well you did
• rate how well you felt you did
• (optionally) do it several times over the course of a semester. Chart how your psychic skill is improving, based on your internal feelings of rightness
• at the end of the experiment, reveal the results.

The important point is how much can you rely on that inner psychic/gut feeling? Discuss selection bias, group reinforcement, all that good stuff.

 

[Desertphile]

Someone related an anecdote where a teacher was dowsing for a water pipe under the school oval, and got the kids dowsing too. They were detecting this pipe and everything. When the teacher revealed that there was no pipe.

I dislike this brand of "education:" is makes students feel foolish and stupid. Tricking people into thinking critically will certainly be effective for most, but it seems unfair and sneeky to me.

 

[Soapy Sam]

How did the teacher knowthere was no pipe?

 

[cbish]

Desertphile wrote:

Tricking people into thinking critically will certainly be effective for most, but it seems unfair and sneeky to me.

There is definitely a fine line there somewhere. Coupled with fact that there are varying degrees of sensitivity, this may always be a risk.

A colleague of mine has an old Biology book from the 1800's. He reads from it during class and asks for the student's opinion. It talks about the 'vital force' of life. It mentions things like not eating spicy foods or not bathing at certain times. Everyone gets a good laugh. Then he reads from a bunch of web pages that talk about aroma therapy, homeopathy, magic bracelets, chiropracty etc. stuff we like to chew on on this board. The question is, "what's the difference?"

It makes for some good discussion.