Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions - James Randi [127]
"Henceforth, let us absolve consciousness from the charge of magic. Let us recognize it as a rational part of the biochemical-electronic machinery of the world. Let us not invoke either "consciousness" or "observer" as prerequisite for what in quantum physics we call the elementary act of observation." In other words, the observer must not be confused with the measuring instrument. The fact that some phenomenon has been recorded as an image on photographic film or as a pulse on magnetic tape satisfies the criteria of physics, and a human being observing the performance of a "psychic" or recording physical effects in connection with such a performance has no more influence than a simple instrument doing the same thing. The skeptic's inhibiting effect on supernatural powers is thus relegated to its proper domain. It is a mere fantasy.
In concluding his speech to the AAAS, Dr. Wheeler urged all present to "continue to insist on the centuries-long tradition of science, in which we exclude all mysticism and insist on the rule of reason. And let no one use the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen experiment to claim that information can be transmitted faster than light, or to postulate any so-called 'quantum-interconnectedness' between separate consciousness. Both are baseless. Both are mysticism. Both are moonshine."
Recently, while attending a film of some acrobatics performed by a group of Indonesian martial arts devotees, I expressed my doubts about the "mystical" claims made. I was accosted by a ragged gentleman who started shouting "Heisenberg" in my face. He was trying to get across the idea that I, as an observer, was interfering with the demonstration because of my skeptical attitude. How this could have been true, since I was watching a film of the miracles, I could not comprehend. I merely corrected him by insisting that the Heisenberg Principle be applied only on an atomic or subatomic level. He paled a bit, for I was not supposed to know about such things, but then rallied and countered that he was speaking of the "Psychological Heisenberg Principle"! How easily basic discoveries of real science are adopted by pseudoscience and metamorphosed along the way! The trick in this case was using the principle on a scale it was not intended for, then switching it to another discipline, and finally renaming and misapplying it. Voila!
Despite the many falling heads in the parapsychology hierarchy, until recently it was difficult for this skeptic to handle the problem presented by the work done in the 1940s by Dr. S. G. Soal in England. Soal reported that he had discovered a powerful psychic, Basil Shackleton, and the half-million tests that were run on him seemed to prove conclusively that he had genuine ESP powers. It appeared to be an airtight case, and Soal's death a few years ago sealed the matter from further investigation, especially since he had reported his original data "lost" on a train. It was a case of choosing either to believe him or to reject his claims. And until recently one had to believe him, it seemed, or call all the investigators liars.
Soal used a table of logarithms to compile a list of numbers from 1 to 5 in random order. He chose the eighth digit from every hundredth logarithm, subtracting 5 when it was between 6 and zero—not by any means a perfect system, but relatively good enough. He would sit with his list and try to transmit each image (represented by a digit) to