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at all the sessions,
subsequent study of written versions of the papers,
and private conversations with nearly all of the personalities present.
IX. analysis of the purport of the conference
The reality of ESP was an accepted fact at this conference.
When
discussion of the reality of the phenomena occurred,
it was concerned only
with methods of securing public acceptance and belief in paranormal
cognition.
Some doubt was expressed of the usefulness of public
demonstrations to "blue-ribbon panels", but all agreed on the necessity
of more research support.
It became clear that there exists at present na adequate theory of
paranormal perception which can furnish a physical basis for the phenomena.
The existing attempts at physical theories are speculative,
incomplete,
at at best poorly substantiated) although some ideas were presented
which might furnish the seeds of fruitful investigation.
These ideas
are discussed in more detail below.
The conference evidenced a rough division of attitudes toward
parapsychology into two schools of thought.
Researchers share a general
acceptance of the strangeness of it all, but on the working level some
believe progress in understanding can be achieved through extension
and use of existing scientific knowledge and methods, perhaps by some
new synthesis.
The others basically favor a more philosophical and
mystical approach, and believe that nothing short of a complete revolution
of thought, maybe into more spiritual directions,
can cope with the
challenge.
The "mystics" characterize the physical approach as
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naive reductionism.
The
sreductionist3 w
,
for lack of a better term,
retain their faith in the efficacy of traditional scientific methods.
These categories are a convenient simplification of complex attitudes
and some individuals show traces of both orientations.
In view of the conference topic it was surprising that the ^mystics”
were strongly represented.
The presentations of Chari,
Firsoff, Whiteman,
and Bastin seem to fall in the mystical category.
Verbal comments of
Arthur Koestler would place him also in this group.
At the conclusion
of the conference he expressed disappointment that the ideas were not
’crazy” enough and voiced scepticism at seeking explanation of ESP in
existing physical theories*
These contributions to the conference seem
to offer no avenues of physical understanding and will not be discussed
further.
The remaining papers presented at the conference are more physical
in content.
Of the theoretical papers Costa de Beauregard gave the most
general and perhaps the best formulated analysis of a possible physical
basis for ESP.
His presentation consisted of words,
and not equations,
but the concepts discussed were readily understandable by a theoretical
physicist.
Ho specific mechanism was proposed, but information theory
was interwoven with some established physical principles to describe a
framework within which ESP might be understood.
The ideas of Costa de
Beauregard are unifying in character, rather analogous to the unifying
character of the energy concept in conventional physics, and like the
concept of energy could establish broad guidlines without supplying a
detailed mechanism.
For example,
the idea discussed by Feinberg,
that
precognition is a memory propagated from the future,
is subsumed in
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Costa de Beauregard's thinking.
Puthoff presented some speculations about
apparent features of his PK experiments which are also consistent with
the same overall picture.
Indeed
-
' if any common thread emerged from the
physical side of the conference,
it was that somehow information theoretic
concepts must play an important role in ESP.
The connection is established
through the equivalence of information theory with physical probability
and its role both in quantum theory and in macroscopic entropy,
M detailed and partially quantitative physical theory of ESP was
presented by Walker.
This theory may err through its use of overspecific
and poorly justified assumptions.
It relies heavily on some explicit
conjectures about neural activity in the brain, and also postulates an
essential function in consciousness and psi communication for the so-
called "hidden variables” of quantum theory.
.
A
- simple empirical method of quantifying the results of ESP experiments
was proposed by Schmidt.
This quantification, if appropriate, would
permit the various experimental manifestations of ESP
( precognition,
clairvoyance,
PK,
etc.)
to be interrelated.
Experimental papers describing striking PK and remote viewing
experiments with gifted paragnosts were presented by Puthoff and Targ.
In terms of normal standards of scientific conferences the gleanings
of theoretical understanding from this conference are somewhat sparse,
particularly if a physical basis of ESP is the object.
The phenomena
of ESP have undergone a great deal of experimental verification, but a
basic understanding of paranormal perception is evidently still lacking.
The material presented at this conference only indicates a bare beginning
of a rational, physical,
interpretation of parapsychological phenomena.
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III,
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS AND GUIDEL'INES
The picture of ESP research derived from attendance at this conference
and supplemented by a study of publications in the open literature forms
the; basis of the following general comments.
X. Knowledge of normal perception and neural data processing in the brain
r
"
-
is still limited,
even though the physical basis of normal perception
is well-founded.
The wide area of ignorance or partial knowledge
surrounding even normal mental function is indicative of the possible
impediments to attaining a coherent understanding of paranormal perception.
i
i
The physical paradoxes of ESP are severe,
but even were a physical
basis of ESP established, much would remain unknown.
In short,
progress in this area may require not only increased understanding
of the physical basis of the phenomena, but also advances in cybernetics
and. neurophysiology as well.
2.
Toe ideas of Costa de Beauregard form the most auspicious point of
departure for development of a physical understanding of ESP.
These
ideas are favored because of their broad physical base,
their use of
general information concepts, and because they contain a minimum of
ad hoc assumptions.
Although some elementary deductions are immediately
possible,
this theoretical framework is,
as yet,
insufficiently articulated*
Additional analysis and calculation is needed to explore detailed
consequences of the basic general idea.
Experimentally verifiable
predibtions and relations should be sought, and the theory should be
I
•
scrutinized for guidelines' to meaningful experimental efforts.
Such
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a program would represent a firm physically-based attempt to understand
some of the mechanism of ESP, but could not be expected to produce
immediate results-,
3 . For practical purposes- the investigation and experimental verification
of empirical regularities governing the occurrence*
content,
and
reliability of paranormal events should not be disdained.
Although
theory is always valuable,
it may not be absolutely essential.
It is
quite possible to know enough about a phenomenon to use it effectively,
or
to evaluate its use, without possessing any deep understanding of
its nature.
The human race used fire for thousands of years without
understanding chemistry.
Identification and quantification of physical
and psychological conditions for inhibition and enhancement of psi
effects is especially desirable.
The apparent spontaneity of these
phenomena and their independence of most referents poses the most
serious obstacle to their application.
It is difficult to perceive
the purpose served by research in parapsychology which does not attempt
to relate the phenomena to controling conditions.
Parapsychology may
have application provided such relationships exist op some level, even
t
the level of total empiricism.
4. Regardless of the level of understanding of paranormal perception it
is clear that information derived by this means
is incomplete,
subject
to error and distortion,
and sometimes completely erroneous.
In many
cases the accuracy is amazing,
but complete errors are also frequent.
A percipient may be unable to reliably estimate his own accuracy.
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5.
LIFE AND QUANTUM PHYSICS
V.A.
Firaoff,
Royal Astronomical Society,
London, England
SUMMARY*
This paper uses the ideas expressed by Monod
\ (Jacques Monod,
Chance and
Necessity . 1972
)
as
a framework for expounding the theme that mental proc-
esses have
a fundamental role in nature which cannot be understood on the basis
of classical mechanism,
logic of the excluded middle,
cybernetic models,
or
any other conventional ways of thinking.
Numerous illustrative examples are
cited to support this assertion.
Life is too rare and strange
a phenomenon to
be explicable in terms of statistical probability.
Its
characteristics of
genetic invariance coupled with dynamic evolution^adaptability indicate a di-
rective force of mental type.
Visual perception may use only a few photons,
and neural processes in the brain are sufficiently sensitive
to respond to
quantum effects.
In turn FK experiments have demonstrated mental influence
Upon radioactive decay,
a quantum process.
Thus there
is
a deep,
and not
understood,
connection between life, mental processes,
and quantum physics.
CRITIQUE:
Not precisely an objective paper,
but rather expressive of the author’s
sense of awe and wonderment at the mysteries of nature,
citing examples of in-
explicable processes,
and weaving some possible general implications from them.
Basically a philosophical essay, more lucid than many,
but offering no testable
hypotheses nor firm points of departure for subsequent analysis.
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6.
PHYSICS. ENTROPY AND PSYCHOKENESIS
Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ,
SRI, Menlo Park,
California
7.
REMOTE VIEWING OF NATURAL TARGETS
Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff,
SRI,
Menlo Park,
California
SUMMARY!
Both of these papers describe experimental tests with gifted paragnosts.
The first describes PK experiments influencing sophisticated physical instru-
ments,
and the second 'describes extrasensory perception of remote targets in
such detail as to Imply high rates of data transmission.
No detailed summary
is necessary since the papers are experimental and the descriptions are
clear.
Some general features of PK and speculations about its nature are given
in the first paper,
to wit!
1.
PK phenomena are close to noise level and appear
to derive their en-
ergy from mobilization of random thermal energy.
2.
Results seem to appear as a result of coincidence rather than of
specific cause.
3.
PK phenomena are intrinsically spontaneous and hard to produce on cue.
4.
Close control and observation inhibit the phenomena.
5.
Phenomena are known to occur on the microscopic quantum level which
are similar to observed PK phenomena.
CRITIQUE!
Belief in the experimental results depends upon confidence in the integ-
rity and skill of the experimenters.
The results described,
if valid,
estate
lish the existence of the phenomena and are a first step toward establishing
its patterns.
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Some of the features observed are compatible with the general ideas ex-
pressed in the paper of Professor Beauregard.
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8.
PARAPSYCHOLOGY AS
ATJ ANALYTICAL-DEDUCTIVE SCIENCE
J.H.M. Whiteman, University of Cape Town,
Cape Town, South Africa
SUMMARY:
I am utterly unable
to understand this paper.
It appears
to outline
a
complete logical-mathematical system, which is also expressive of an entire
philosophy or world view sufficiently rich in structure to permit parapsychol-
ogy and much else besides.
CRITIQUE:
.1 am neither a philosopher nor
a logician,
but as
a physicist I doubt
whether such artificial constructs,
however beautifully articulated,
are fruit-
ful unless narrowly constrained by experimental fact.
Such is apparently not
the case here.
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9.
A LOGICALLY CONSISTENT MODEL OF A WORLD WITH PSI INTERACTION
Helmut Schmidt,
The Institute for Parapsychology,
Durham,
North Carolina
SUMMARY:
An empirical description of psi phenomena
is proposed wherein a psi source
strength is defined as
a multiplicative factor applied to the ratio of apriori
probabilities for random events.
Thus psi can change relative probabilities
of events.
Different experiments can be conceived as chains of random events,
and whether an event occurs
in the chain or not can depend upon previous
events in the chain.
Various experimental structures are proposed which could serve to test
the consistency of this model,
Psi sources could be superimposed
to test the
linear addition of weak psi effects, multiple stimulation of the psi source
( an animate object
)
could be tested,
and various logical connectivities can
be constructed to test equivalence of PK, precognition,
etc,
CRITIQUE:
This empirical approach to the quantification of psi effects
is moti-
vated by Dr,
Schmidt's successful experiments in the psi control of random
quantum events.
The approach furnishes no deep mechanism or understanding,
but can be very valuable for sorting the logical consistency of models.
Whether these specific ideas prove consistent by surviving further experimen-
tal checks or not,
the general approach of empirical quantification in the
context of a simple logical structure seems quite appropriate and reasonable
at the present stage of understanding of psi phenomena.
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1°.
CONNECTIONS BETWEEN EVENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE
COMBINATIONAL MODEL FOR A
QUANTUM PROCESS
Ted
Bftstin,
Cambridge Language Research Unit,
Cambridge, England
SUMMARY:
This paper refers
to,
but does not describe in detail,
a mathematical
structure which is under development by the author.
The mathematical model
has as its object, nothing less than attainment of a fundamental theory under-
lying all objects and phenomena.
It hopes to derive such things as elementary
particles and their characteristics,
as well as the very structure of space
and time.
Despite the occasional mention in the paper of more conventional
physical ideas,
the chain of speculative logic remains obscure.
Little ex-
plicit mention is made of parapsychology.
CRITIQUE:
This paper
is
so confusing to the reader as to prevent any effective
evaluation,
other than to record the impression that such speculations are not
only disorganized but very remote from conventional physical theory.
Their
relation to parapsychology is at present extremely tenuous,
although the au-
thor's interest in parapsychology may provide part of the ultimate motivation
for his thinking.
NOTE:
At the conference Dr.
Sastin circulated
a paper, without permitting copies
of It to be made.
This paper,
authored by Hasted,
Bohm,
Bastin,
and O'Regan
and dated June
2?,
ly?4, was
a narrative description of experiments with Uri
Geller.
Geller's ability to modify counts of a Geiger counter
(perhaps by
control of electrical currents
in the counter shell),
to bend spoons,
and to
bend molybdenum disks is reported.
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