Ghosts, UFOs, ESP, Astrology, Free Energy, Clairvoyant........

[napoleon_in_rags]

10. What does proof mean? Look at astrology.

I used to hang out in a bohemian scene where everybody was in to astrology. We all knew our signs, and we all knew everybody else's. Social patterns and behaviors emerged, people conformed to their signs. An interesting phenomenon I observed was with an outspoken skeptic. Very stubborn about the matter, Capricorn. Everybody treated him as a Capricorn, and over time in response he started developing capricornian traits in response to what was socially expected of him.

So is astrology real? What I can tell you is that in a scene where the majority of people believed in it, it was real, even to the extent of changing the behavior of those who didn't believe in it, due to social expectations. Would it have been real in a scene where nobody believed in it? Less likely.

But does that mean it should dismissed?

Science exceeds in observing phenomena that don't give a damn what you think about them. Jupiter's orbit will not be changed by you questioning it, not will it be changed based on what anybody thinks about it. So if you have a wrong hypothesis about where it will be, Jupiter will show you. But in complex systems all that changes For instance, consider Johnny (pisces) and Layla (scorpio) who guy to the scientist. They tell him that their charts are highly compatible, ask if its likely they are compatible. The scientist says his observations say astrology doesn't exist, so they are no more compatible than anybody. They break up, the scientist nods "another confirmation of my thoery". Now, parallel universe: They go to an astrologer, who tells them they are compatible. The conform to their behavioral patterns, have faith (and fear of getting into something worse) and stay together. The astrologer nods "another confirmation of my theory".

The point is, there are many systems that respond to your expectations of what they are supposed to do, and they are completely undetectable to science, because scientists approach them with an expectation of them working in accordance with their beliefs, which they always do, by virtue of following expectations. All kinds of things could be in this category. A good example might be super advanced aliens who've got our brains tapped, (Probably easily within the capability of a civilization 1000 years beyond us, check out the current neuro-scanning stuff researchers are working on today.) and they only wish to reveal themselves to individuals who are receptive to their existence for whatever reason. Its possible, but the only way to prove it involves 1000 more years of human technological development.

So my point is, we should all be willing to consider the irrational, if only to see what previously unseen doors begin to open to us...