Freethought & Rationalism Archive

PotatoError · 12-21-2002, 03:48 PM

What are people's opinions on remote viewing?

If you don't know what it is you can read this news article:

<a href="http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=19081" target="_blank">http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=19081</a>

It explains just about everything there is about it plus some more I didn't know. I had great trouble finding sites about remote viewing that weren't trying to sell some physic mumbo jumbo.

Here's a (very unscientific) account here (It will make you laugh):

<a href="http://www.heart7.net/mcf/stargate1.htm" target="_blank">http://www.heart7.net/mcf/stargate1.htm</a>

Be warned: they make creationists look like scientists.

Anyway I just wondered what people's thoughts are on remote viewing. Why did the US military experiment with it for three decades? (and is still supposed to be doing now). How do remote viewers come up with correct results at all even if they aren't always right.

These questions bother me as I cannot find decent skeptical answers on the internet. Remote viewing seems pretty ridiculous to me but why has noone come up with arguments against it's supporters evidence?

liquid · 12-21-2002, 04:15 PM

Remote viewing, is, of course, total BS, although it is true the US government (or rather, a few cranks who controlled budgets) researched it until they too realised it was a load of BS. But people don't seem to realise that government bureaucrats have their fair share of nutters, so it gave it a false credibility in paranormal circles.

I believe, although I have no reference on me, that a proper civilian study was done, and the remote viewers were abject failures.

Certainly they have been tested by JREF (www.randi.org)... try searching his commentry archive. It is probably also in <a href="http://www.skepdic.com." target="_blank">www.skepdic.com.</a>

crocodile deathroll · 12-21-2002, 05:06 PM

I do find <a href="http://www.physical.com/deep6/" target="_blank">this</a> form of remote viewing very plausible. Perhaps this and others like space probes and cameras mounted on robots to enter dangerous places like inside the Chernobyl reactor only plausible forms of "remote viewing"

[ December 21, 2002: Message edited by: crocodile deathroll ]</p>

AtlanticCitySlave · 12-21-2002, 05:21 PM

Remote viewing is very easy. You just sit down (or remain standing), pick up your tv remote, look at it (viewing), and voila, you have now mastered remote viewing.

For the more adventurous, you can go to the store (such as Best Buy) and pick up all of their remotes and look at them. However, I would suggest starting out with your own at home until you are used to viewing it.

Next week we can discuss TV Viewing, an even more difficult skill to master.

[ December 22, 2002: Message edited by: AtlanticCitySlave ]</p>

Corey Hammer · 12-21-2002, 10:27 PM

There is some admittedly shaky and unreplicated evidence from valid science that supports ESP. I emphasize the non-replicability of these studies.

liquid · 12-22-2002, 02:03 AM

Corey, the only 'credible' scientific hint of anything psychic related originates from PEAR, the Princeton Engineering Anomaly Research Centre...

Now I loose he term credible very loosely because these guys seem to have wonderful talents for abusing statistical analysis and forgetting that sources of stochastic randomness are, by necessity, inbuilt with bias.

crocodile deathroll · 12-22-2002, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AtlanticCitySlave:
<strong>Remote viewing is very easy. You just sit down (or remain standing), pick up your tv remote, look at it (viewing), and voila, you have now mastered remote viewing.
For the more adventurous, you can go to the store (such as Best Buy) and pick up all over their remotes and look at them. However, I would suggesting starting out with your own at home until you are used to viewing it.
Next week we can discuss TV Viewing, an even more difficult skill to master.</strong>

Switch it on.

PotatoError · 12-23-2002, 08:57 AM

switch on the screen and turn off your brain

BRO3886 · 12-23-2002, 09:32 AM

Kinda like what happens to cretinists when they research evolution on the net.

12-21-2002, 03:48 PM	#1
PotatoError Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: england Posts: 51	Remote Viewing What are people's opinions on remote viewing? If you don't know what it is you can read this news article: <a href="http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=19081" target="_blank">http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=19081</a> It explains just about everything there is about it plus some more I didn't know. I had great trouble finding sites about remote viewing that weren't trying to sell some physic mumbo jumbo. Here's a (very unscientific) account here (It will make you laugh): <a href="http://www.heart7.net/mcf/stargate1.htm" target="_blank">http://www.heart7.net/mcf/stargate1.htm</a> Be warned: they make creationists look like scientists. Anyway I just wondered what people's thoughts are on remote viewing. Why did the US military experiment with it for three decades? (and is still supposed to be doing now). How do remote viewers come up with correct results at all even if they aren't always right. These questions bother me as I cannot find decent skeptical answers on the internet. Remote viewing seems pretty ridiculous to me but why has noone come up with arguments against it's supporters evidence?

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12-21-2002, 04:15 PM	#2
liquid Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: UK Posts: 1,440	Remote viewing, is, of course, total BS, although it is true the US government (or rather, a few cranks who controlled budgets) researched it until they too realised it was a load of BS. But people don't seem to realise that government bureaucrats have their fair share of nutters, so it gave it a false credibility in paranormal circles. I believe, although I have no reference on me, that a proper civilian study was done, and the remote viewers were abject failures. Certainly they have been tested by JREF (www.randi.org)... try searching his commentry archive. It is probably also in <a href="http://www.skepdic.com." target="_blank">www.skepdic.com.</a>

12-21-2002, 05:06 PM	#3
crocodile deathroll Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Darwin Posts: 1,466	I do find <a href="http://www.physical.com/deep6/" target="_blank">this</a> form of remote viewing very plausible. Perhaps this and others like space probes and cameras mounted on robots to enter dangerous places like inside the Chernobyl reactor only plausible forms of "remote viewing" [ December 21, 2002: Message edited by: crocodile deathroll ]</p>

12-21-2002, 05:21 PM	#4
AtlanticCitySlave Banned Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: New Jersey Posts: 251	Remote viewing is very easy. You just sit down (or remain standing), pick up your tv remote, look at it (viewing), and voila, you have now mastered remote viewing. For the more adventurous, you can go to the store (such as Best Buy) and pick up all of their remotes and look at them. However, I would suggest starting out with your own at home until you are used to viewing it. Next week we can discuss TV Viewing, an even more difficult skill to master. [ December 22, 2002: Message edited by: AtlanticCitySlave ]</p>

12-21-2002, 10:27 PM	#5
Corey Hammer Regular Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Chicago Posts: 368	There is some admittedly shaky and unreplicated evidence from valid science that supports ESP. I emphasize the non-replicability of these studies.

12-22-2002, 02:03 AM	#6
liquid Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: UK Posts: 1,440	Corey, the only 'credible' scientific hint of anything psychic related originates from PEAR, the Princeton Engineering Anomaly Research Centre... Now I loose he term credible very loosely because these guys seem to have wonderful talents for abusing statistical analysis and forgetting that sources of stochastic randomness are, by necessity, inbuilt with bias.

12-23-2002, 08:57 AM	#8
PotatoError Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: england Posts: 51	switch on the screen and turn off your brain

12-23-2002, 09:32 AM	#9
BRO3886 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: UK Posts: 48	Kinda like what happens to cretinists when they research evolution on the net.

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