tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post5178784940902863339..comments2024-03-20T03:33:22.357-07:00Comments on Skeptophilia: Mechanisms, cognitive bias, premonitions, and telepathyGordon Bonnethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06003472005971594466noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post-53933891072658419972012-11-17T04:05:57.941-08:002012-11-17T04:05:57.941-08:00Hi, Julia! I'm delighted you read my piece; I...Hi, Julia! I'm delighted you read my piece; I'm always happy to hear from folks who are on the front lines of research. Your research is fascinating - as I said in another post a while back, true discovery is almost always initiated by someone noticing something anomalous that forces us into a reevaluation of our preconceived notion. If you do find further support for your thesis, please let me know & I'll do a followup!<br /><br />cheers,<br /><br />GordonGordon Bonnethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06003472005971594466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post-58798702440535259872012-11-16T12:46:27.875-08:002012-11-16T12:46:27.875-08:00Hi Gordon,
Julia Mossbridge here. Nice discussion...Hi Gordon,<br /><br />Julia Mossbridge here. Nice discussion of the paper, thank you.<br /><br />I think you're right to be skeptical, but not because of a lack of mechanism. As you point out (very eloquently, I might add), mechanisms tend not to become well understood until an effect is discovered and observed by multiple researchers. Some effects (e.g., gravity) still don't have mechanisms, but are observed by even non-researchers on a daily basis.<br /><br />I think you are right to be skeptical because everything we know about everyday experience tells us that causes precedes their effects. Further, as we point out in the paper, the second law of thermodynamics definitely suggests a one-way arrow of time (forward).<br /><br />I am skeptical myself, which is why I did the analysis. Right now the results are unexplainable by any means that seem to fit the data, but that doesn't mean they won't be explained in the next day (or year) in a perfectly reasonable way.<br /><br />Another possibility is, of course, that these results reflect some kind of information traveling backwards in time. In that case, one possible explanation could arise from quantum effects at the macro level, something that is just starting to be observed in plants...maybe humans next? Who knows.<br /><br />One thing I'm sure of -- the explanation will be based in science, not fantasy.<br /><br />In any case, thanks for your nice write up!<br /><br />Julia<br />Julia Mossbridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18435122108337030063noreply@blogger.com