Let's assume you have some reasons to suspect that you are telepathically broadcasting your thoughts to much of the world, and you decide to launch a test on a skeptical forum like this one, in order to get some input from (hopefully) scientific (or educated) people.
You explain that you have written carefully (and circled) a number equal to 1, or 2, or 3,..., or 10 (10 possibilities, from 1 to 10), and you ask: "Please tell me the number I wrote, even if you are not quite sure!"
The results are rather surprising, however. In the first test, the target number (chosen by a random number generator) was a 4, and only one person mentioned a number in his answer, he said enigmatically:
"During my walk to the grocery store this morning, I saw four dogs".
The target number for the second test turned out to be a 8, and another member said, enigmatically also:
"The Solar System has 8 planets"
(and this second forum member was (also) the only one who mentioned a number among all members who responded to the second test).
Unfortunately, nobody ever mentioned a number any longer (although there were some comments) in later 1-10 tests done on that forum.
Now, let's say that you feel not everybody (understatement) seems to be very eager, happy and impatient to recognize your exceptional telepathy, even though it is (as far as we know) not a (good) quality, just a peculiarity, a special feature.
My question now is: Would you be entitled to state that your experiments have generated (positive) evidence for your assumed "telepathy"? (or not). I invite you to think a little before answering (the answer may not be that simple).
You explain that you have written carefully (and circled) a number equal to 1, or 2, or 3,..., or 10 (10 possibilities, from 1 to 10), and you ask: "Please tell me the number I wrote, even if you are not quite sure!"
The results are rather surprising, however. In the first test, the target number (chosen by a random number generator) was a 4, and only one person mentioned a number in his answer, he said enigmatically:
"During my walk to the grocery store this morning, I saw four dogs".
The target number for the second test turned out to be a 8, and another member said, enigmatically also:
"The Solar System has 8 planets"
(and this second forum member was (also) the only one who mentioned a number among all members who responded to the second test).
Unfortunately, nobody ever mentioned a number any longer (although there were some comments) in later 1-10 tests done on that forum.
Now, let's say that you feel not everybody (understatement) seems to be very eager, happy and impatient to recognize your exceptional telepathy, even though it is (as far as we know) not a (good) quality, just a peculiarity, a special feature.
My question now is: Would you be entitled to state that your experiments have generated (positive) evidence for your assumed "telepathy"? (or not). I invite you to think a little before answering (the answer may not be that simple).
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