Contentious posts split out of The Telepathy Tapes

So, we're not allowed to be "contentious"...?

I think it's fair as I'd want to this kind of action for pseudo-skeptics who come in.

To me "contentious" here means dismissing the evidence without specific references, rather than simply disagreeing with the evidence we have seen.

I assume @Laird has no problem with me posting in the topic thread if I remain skeptical of the Tapes after going through all the episodes and videos.

I think it's fair as I'd want to this kind of action for pseudo-skeptics who come in.

To me "contentious" here means dismissing the evidence without specific references, rather than simply disagreeing with the evidence we have seen.

I assume @Laird has no problem with me posting in the topic thread if I remain skeptical of the Tapes after going through all the episodes and videos.

Then that would be fair, yes.

[Laird]

By "contentious" I was referring to a dynamic in which I fully participated (and in part drove) myself. I wasn't meaning to single anybody (else) out.

But yes, as Sci understands, my part in that dynamic was largely motivated by my dissatisfaction with uninformed opinion and unfair dismissals.

I don't think it's unfair to have caution when it comes to vulnerable groups of individuals, especially when telepathy is rare even among the general populace.

I am not "dismissing", rather not wanting to just accept such big proclamations without rigorous examination.

Given that telepathy is generally rare, and very much understudied in general, I do not think such a podcast is the right way to explore it. Such a study, again, needs experts who understand how to actually test for telepathy ~ parapsychologists, psychics.

It's marketing from the outset makes me uncomfortable, to say the least ~ not because I am "denying" anything, but because it makes very bold claims that should not be put so lightly and easily.

https://open.spotify.com/show/1zigaPaUWO4G9SiFV0Kf1c

In a world that often dismisses the extraordinary as mere fantasy, The Telepathy Tapes dares to explore the profound abilities of non-speakers with autism—individuals who have long been misunderstood and underestimated. These silent communicators possess gifts that defy conventional understanding, from telepathy to otherworldly perceptions, challenging the limits of what we believe to be real. For years, their parents and teachers have quietly witnessed these remarkable abilities, knowing that the time to share their truth would eventually come. But now, as the evidence mounts, the time has come to reveal what has been hidden in plain sight.

This groundbreaking series challenges everything we think we know about communication and the human mind, inviting listeners to step into a reality where the impossible is not only possible but happening every day. Through emotional stories and undeniable evidence, The Telepathy Tapes offers a fresh perspective on the profound connections that exist beyond words. Traveling and witnessing mind-boggling telepathy tests and forging deeply intimate relationships with families around the globe - Host Ky Dickens invites you to contemplate the world through the eyes of those who speak without words. Prepare to be captivated, challenged, and ultimately transformed as the series shines a light on the untold capabilities of those who have been underestimated for far too long.

So many big words meant to impart a lot of impact on the reader. Thus it feels very emotionally-manipulative. I don't like that whatsoever...

Given that telepathy is generally rare, and very much understudied in general, I do not think such a podcast is the right way to explore it. Such a study, again, needs experts who understand how to actually test for telepathy ~ parapsychologists, psychics.

Part of the challenge, I think, is we don't know how rare it is. We just assume skills just as infant language accumulation don't involve it even though AFAIK there isn't a clear mechanism for how infants begin to learn more and more language.

When you finish someone's sentence, even if we say you just used reasoning...that still leaves questions about what Reason is and how we apply it to the world.

[Laird]

I am not "dismissing", rather not wanting to just accept such big proclamations without rigorous examination.

You ask for rigorous examination yet you haven't even performed the basic examination of listening to the podcast all the way through. Sheesh. Do that before deciding whether or not you should accept its "big proclamations". They seem fully justified to me after listening all the way through.

@Valmar - Regarding possible commonality of Psi across all humans, not sure if you've seen Carpenter's First Sight theory? 

In recent years Carpenter has become known for his First Sight Theory (FST), which posits that the individual mind extends beyond the range of the senses into a larger, pre-conscious domain.2 In his model, psi phenomena are placed at the outer edge of this domain, and are presumed to function in an entirely unconscious way, and to be consulted by the unconscious mind in the formation of all experience and all behaviour. The theory assumes that the psi contribution (ESP or PK) is always in a direction (toward inclusion or toward exclusion) and at some strength (negligible to dramatically strong). The prediction of these two elements – the direction of psi expression and the strength of psi expression – is taken by Carpenter to be the primary objective of parapsychological theory and research. FST specifies variables that should be important in making these predictions.

Because, well, I am apparently an example of that ~ I don't believe my Autism / Asperger's to have any contributing power.

Well surely you must recognise that others have autism in a much more profound form. Like many diseases it can strike in a mild form or a more severe form. Clearly you don't have experience of the more severe form, or you would not be posting here!

David

Well surely you must recognise that others have autism in a much more profound form. Like many diseases it can strike in a mild form or a more severe form. Clearly you don't have experience of the more severe form, or you would not be posting here!

Severity has never been demonstrated to have anything to do with enhanced possibilities of telepathy.

Why do we want to just blindly believe what a poorly-conducted study has to claim, when there are already extremely well-composed studies by parapsychologists studying the phenomena of telepathy?

Sheldrake's studies of pet telepathy are excellent examples to base off of for an initial look that there is something going on.

We should not just believe something just because ~ we should investigate thoroughly. Why should we be afraid to question?

It has nothing to do with pseudo-skepticism ~ it has to do with proper, rigorous scientific investigation of the kind that parapsychology has pioneered for research into paranormal phenomena.

We should not just believe something just because ~ we should investigate thoroughly. Why should we be afraid to question?

There can be a tension between rigorous investigation and medical propriety.

For example (from a slightly different field), Sam Parnia found it very hard to get permission to install enough high level images to test if NDE experiences could see any of them!

To me, there comes a point where a little less rigour can achieve more in some of these studies.

If autism/neurodivergence turns out to have no psychic aspects, then a time will come when the hypothesis would need to be dropped, but I don't think that time has come.

David