Apparitions and thought-transference: an examination of the evidence for telepathy — John Shaqi
Apparitions and thought-transference: an examination of the evidence for telepathyPodmore, Frank
Philosophy
Apparitions and thought-transference: an examination of the evidence for telepathy
Podmore, Frank
Apparitions; Telepathy
In the following cases, where the exact nature of the impression
received was not apparently consciously classified by the percipient,
it may be presumed to have been either of a visual or an auditory
nature. M. Charles Richet (_Revue Philosophique_, Dec. 1884, "La
suggestion mentale et le calcul des probabilités") conducted a series
of experiments in guessing the suits of cards drawn at random from a
pack. 2927 trials were made: ten persons besides M. Richet himself--who
acted sometimes as agent and sometimes as percipient--taking part in
the experiments. In the 2927 trials the suit was correctly named 789
times, the most probable number of correct guesses being 732. A similar
series of trials was conducted, on Edmund Gurney's initiative, by some
members of the S.P.R. and others. There were 17 series, containing
17,653 trials, and 4760 successes; the theoretically probable number,
on the assumption that the results were due to chance, being 4413.
The probability for some cause other than chance deduced from this
result is .999,999,98, which represents perhaps a higher degree of
probability than the inhabitants of this hemisphere are justified in
attaching to the belief that the ensuing night will be followed by
another day.[18] In a similar series of experiments carried out under
the direction of the American S.P.R. the proportion of successes was
little higher than the theoretically probable number.[19] But in the
absence of details as to the conditions under which the experiments
were made, no unfavourable inference can fairly be drawn from these
results. At any rate some very remarkable results were obtained later,
in a series of trials made on the lines laid down by the committee of
the American Society. The agent in this case was Mrs. J. F. Brown, the
percipient Nellie Gallagher, "a domestic lately come from the county
of Northumberland, in New Brunswick." The experiments appear to have
been carried out with great care, and the results are recorded and
analysed at length (_Proc. Am. S.P.R._, pp. 322-349). 3000 trials were
made in guessing the numbers from 0 to 9 or from 1 to 10 inclusive. The
order of the digits in each set of 100 trials was determined by drawing
lots. The agent sat at one side of a table, the percipient at the other
side. At first the percipient sat facing the agent, but after about
1000 trials had been made her back was turned to the table--and this
position was continued to the end. The paper containing the numbers
to be guessed was placed in the agent's lap, out of sight of the
percipient. There was no mirror in the room. In the result the digits
were correctly named 584 times, or nearly twice the probable number,
300. The proportion of the successes steadily increased, from 175 in
the first batch of 1000 trials, to 190 in the second, and 219 in the
third batch.
No. 3.--By DR. OCHOROWICZ.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account