Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-07


tional fields of psychology, have
claimed such competence.
First it must be recognized
clearly that parapsychology -
for that matter any other kind
of psychology except physiologi-
cal-cannot be compared direct
ly with the more material sci
ences, such as physics, chemistry
and astronomy. These deal ir
tangible. VEGETABLE. measurable
things - however remote these
things may be from anything
appreciable by the unaided hui
man senses. Take, for example
ultraviolet light. Nobody ever
has seen any of 1t for the human
eye is insensitive to it. Yet
nobody doubts its existence, al
though many might we'll have
questioned 1t q century ago
Now. fundamentally, its inten-
sity and wave lengths can be
measured and, in a manner Of
speaking, 1t can be weighed.
Second, the first requirement
Of the physical sciences is that
the results Of their experiments
must be applicable by anybody
else possessed of the same skill
knowledge and equipment.
Meets Neither Criterion
Parapsychology meets neither
criterion. The things with
which it deals are completely
intangible. None Of the results
of any investigator can be dupli-
Gated by anybody else. at will,
with any assurance of getting
the same results. These two
differences have caused criti-
cisns of DR.. Rhine and his as
sociates all over the world. These
criticisms are somewhat Offset
by the fact that followers of
the strict natural sciences have
been somewhat more hospitable
to DR.. Rhine than have follow
ers of the social sciences.
Admittedly psi. If it exists In
any of its manifestations, is ex-
tremely illusory. Those who
possess it apparently have nc
control over 1t. It works, wher
and If it works. entirely below
or beyond the level Of conscious.
ness. But, for that matter. the
Freudian conception of the sub.
conscious. widely although moi
universally accepted by psychol.
ogists, is in much the same
category.
And there is no reason fol
certainty that psi, If it exists
always will remain illusory. More
advanced technique and better
understanding, eventually may
make it reproducible at any time
and perhaps in everybody. Like.
wise there is no certainty thai
1t always will remain uncon-
trollable.
I am not convinced that PSI
exists. or that it does not. and
IN answering any questions must
fall back on a general philosophy
Very Narrow Limits
The human intellect, even the
most brilliant. is imprisoned il
a very narrow cell. This is thu
cell Of the four senses-sight
hearing, smell and touch-how.
ever greatly the acuteness o.
these may differ with individual.
and however greatly they may bt
augmented mechanically. espe
cially by some of the lates
electronic devices.
These senses may include IL
their compass all nature. 1t vii
be the contention Of gross ma
terialists that they do. tina
nothing can possibly exist thai
cannot be demonstrated. Some.
times proponents of this point
of view get quite bitter over any
criticism.
Individually, Of course, sucl
men may be believers in anothe1
world. but it is entirely apart
And they usually picture it, i
at all, as the same sort of cell
somewhat more deliberately fur
nished and a more pleasan
abode for those good enough o.
fortunate enough to get into 1t
Now, it seems to me, Thu
doesn't make sense and contra
diets a vast accumulation O.
human experience through tn,
lifetime of the race. There al
ways have been phenomen;
which have not fitted into thu
cell. It doesn't seem any grea
heresy to pound on the wall
now and then and try to deduc,
something about their thickness
from the echoes. or even to tr.
to cut chinks In them. This, /
seems to me. is what DR.. Rhin'
and his associates are doing
assuming, Of course. that thei
reports are valid. their tech
niques unassailable, their mo
tives honest. Only on the latte
score am I entirely convinced
Immense Accomplishment
But if they actually have Gu
q chink in the cell of the fou
senses, they have accomplished
something of far greater i'm
portance than anything the.
have claimed-infinitely NOR
important than reading tn
mind of Mr.. Bulganin 10 year
hence, or eliminating crime from
the earth.
For others will look through
that chink after them. l am no
discounting revelation. I am no
discounting supernatural inspira
ton. l am not discounting tn,
supernatural at all. But. l Sc,
no compelling reason for draw
ing a sharp line between it ant
the natural. I see no reason fo
believing still that the earth i
carried around on the back of {
turtle-although might hav,
been burned at the stake by Iro
quois social psychologists had
ventured such an opinion in west