From: mcgrath@cs.uiuc.edu (Robert McGrath)
Subject: Re: Help me! Quantum physics are being claimed to create vampires!
Reply-To: mcgrath@cs.uiuc.edu
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept of Computer Science
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 17:31:20 GMT

In article <21016@plains.NoDak.edu>, dhenry@plains.NoDak.edu (David Henry) writes in part:
|> Okay, you s.s regulars. I'm sort of a skeptic by association, but I'd like
|> to think that I know a bad argument when I see one. The trouble is, I'm
|> a bad debater when the topic crosses over to quantum physics.
|> 
|> home in my newsreader:
|> 
|> |>From: tarrall@ucsu.Colorado.EDU (Pavaroti the Clown)
|> |>Newsgroups: alt.vampyres
|> |>Subject: Re: truth ( virtual vampyres same as photons and gravitons???)
|> |>Message-ID: <1992Oct6.023942.23385@ucsu.Colorado.EDU>
|> |>Date: 6 Oct 92 02:39:42 GMT
|> |>Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
|> |>Lines: 71
|> 
|> irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Brent Irvine) writes:
|> 
|> |>In article <JBW.92Oct3191229@bigbird.bu.edu> jbw@bigbird.bu.edu (Joe
|> |>Wells) writes:
|> |>>In article <6_lzccf@rpi.edu> battlec@cs.rpi.edu writes:
|> |>>
|> |>>   The only reliable source of truth is the real world around us.
|> |>>
|> |>>Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
[...]
|>  Furthermore everything you see is
|> 'filtered' through your cognitive perception, i.e you think you see
|> it and you interperet (sp?) it. 
[...]
|> Further anything you 'see' (observe) will
|> then be filtered through your own personal cognitive perceptions
|> which could include any number of fallacies (which because they
|> are fallicies relative to you are a true as my fallacies) includeing
|> disblief in vampyres to the point of not being able to see them.  Also
|> many other things that you believe to be true would only then exist
|> in your possible universe not in mine nessicarily.
|> 
|> Go read up about worm holes and such, but remember that Quantum
|> mechanics proves that the universe is entirely SUBJECTIVE.  Anything
|> I believe is in fact true and you can't even think about changing that
|> one.

Quantum mechanics be darned, this is just plain incorrect psychology!
It is surely the case that expectations and experience INFLUENCE
perception, but it is definitely FALSE that everything you perceive
is DETERMINED by expectations and experience.  Cognitive psychologists
would disagree with the claim that "a disbelief" in vampires could
somehow result in you "not being able to see them" (at least if
they are ordinary matter and you are within a couple of sigmas of
normal psychological condition).

Naturally, QM does NOT "prove" that "the universe is entirely SUBJECTIVE".
That is an extreme philosophic position take by some metaphysicians,
and is an INTERPRETATION of QM.  This interpretation, as I imply
above, flies in the face of what is actually known about how human
perception and cognition works.

This guy at least clearly stated his actual position:  "Anything
believe is in fact true and you can't even think about changing that
one."  Given this position, there is not even any point in attempting
to communicate with the person--if he is correct he is imagining you,
if he is incorrect there is no way he can discover the fact because
he doesn't recognize anything outside his own head as being real.
Why bother?
-- 
  Robert E. McGrath
  Urbana Illinois
  mcgrath@cs.uiuc.edu