Proofs of the Supernatural (was Re: (UA) Survey Time)

[Kevin Mowery]

	Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.
	Psychic powers have never been definitively proven in the lab.  No-one has
ever guessed Zener cards beyond all statistical possibility.  When
demonstrations of telekinesis or clairvoyance are performed in environments
that eliminate the possibility of trickery or collusion from the
experimenter, the powers dry up.  The "psychics" claim that this is because
their powers don't always work/were interfered with by negative vibes from
skeptics/whatever.  An alternate hypothesis, and a reasonable one, is that
there are no powers.
	Evolution is a theory well-supported by the evidence.  Being a scientific
theory (and this is what separates science from mysticism), it is
falsifiable.  Conceivably, something could prove the theory wrong. 
Evolution worked out pretty nice for us, yes, but find a dinosaur or a
Neanderthal and ask them what a miracle they think it is.  Or a sea
cucumber, for that matter - I'm sure if they were capable of being happy or
unhappy with their lot in life, they'd be less than thrilled to be sea
cucumbers.  Everything seems like it just happened to work out miraculously
just as it should be because this is they way it *is* and we're used to it
and anything else would seem wierd.  Evolution is just a logical result of
the way life works, not anything miraculous.
	The proof of a Supreme Being?  It merely has to manifest itself to the
world at large - no moments of insight, no manifesting to only prophets;
undeniably, to everyone - and say "I exist."  For a Supreme Being, not that
difficult.
	Anecdotal evidence is only proof if the possibility that the storyteller
is lying or mistaken is more unbelievable than the story itself.  Lots of
people lie because they want attention and being different from other
people makes them feel special.  After all, here I'm just a peasant in
France with nothing to look forward to . . . but hey!  I saw the Madonna! 
Now I'm not just a peasant!  Further, lots of people are mistaken.  Someone
prays, and their cancer goes into remission.  It's nice, but cancer goes
into remission sometimes.  There's no proof that the prayer had a single
thing to do with it.  Someone thinks about calling their friend, and their
friend calls.  It's a neat coincidence, but consider all the times that
person thought about calling their friend and the friend *didn't* call. 
Selective memory, it's called.  Scientists testing for psychic powers want
to prove the existence of psychic powers, and so they subconsciously play a
bit fast and loose with the scientific method.
	Some people want to believe in things badly enough that they won't think
critically, some people never learned how.  But no-one has ever claimed
James Randi's prize money for proving the existence of paranormal powers.  

	

Kevin "Professor Bobo" Mowery _____________________ profbobo at io.com
"The entire dismemberment of Vash Gar reveals an ignorance of anatomy so 
deep that I begin to question whether the author does, indeed, have a
body."
                       --ratmm's Norb on the "Seven Stars MSTing"
     **See the "Seven Stars MSTing" at http://www.io.com/~profbobo **