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
It will be seen that in 252 trials the number was guessed quite
correctly 27 times, and with digits in reverse order 8 times--the most
probable number of complete successes by chance being 3. Further,
in the unsuccessful trials the first digit was correctly guessed no
fewer than 85 times. The proportion of successes in a series of trials
carried on during the same period with Mr. Smith in the same room
with Miss B. was, however, much higher--viz., 29 (three with digits
reversed) out of 146 trials. It is noticeable that in the short series
of trials with Miss B. in the lobby downstairs a very much smaller
degree of success was obtained, a result attributed by Mrs. Sidgwick to
the percipient's feeling ill at ease in her surroundings.
Another noteworthy point is the large proportion of cases in which the
first digit was correctly named.[37] This disproportion is not found
in the trials made with the agent and the percipient in the same room,
and is possibly due, as suggested by Mrs. Sidgwick, to Mr. Smith in
all cases concentrating his attention originally on the first digit.
When in the same room with the percipient he would hear when the first
digit had been named, and would then turn his attention to the other;
but when out of the room he could not, of course, follow the process of
guessing.
A further series of trials was conducted with the percipient under
the same conditions, except that either P. or T. acted as agents
jointly with Mr. Smith. In all 53 trials were made, resulting in 9
complete successes and two with the digits reversed. The proportion
of successes, it will be seen, is much higher than in the experiments
first described; but the series is too short to allow of a safe
conclusion being drawn as to the superior efficacy of collective agency.
Experiments conducted under similar conditions with four other
percipients yielded a slight but appreciable measure of success.
A large number of trials--nearly 400 in all--were made with Miss
B. as percipient, the agent or agents being at a still greater
distance--viz., being either in a separate building, or with two
closed doors and a passage intervening; but practically no success
was obtained. Miss B. complained of the numbers being so far off.
"They are all muddled up," she said on one occasion; "they seem miles
off." It is not easy to account satisfactorily for this failure,
but it may probably be attributed partly to a prejudicial effect
exercised by the novel conditions on the agent's or percipient's
anticipation of success, and partly to the tedious waiting inseparable
from experiments of this kind, where there is no ready means of
communication at the end of each trial. (_Proc. S.P.R._, vol. viii. pp.
536-552.)
_Transference of Mental Pictures._
By MRS. SIDGWICK and MISS JOHNSON.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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