[DIVERS] Theories of telepathy and afterlife cause uproar at top science conference

[laurence <lmbash@wanadoo.fr>]

  Theories of telepathy and afterlife cause uproar at top science conference

*Mark Henderson – Times Online September 6, 2006*
**
www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2344804,00.html 
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2344804,00.html>
**
Scientists claiming to have evidence of life after death and the powers 
of telepathy triggered a furious row at Britain’s premier science 
festival yesterday. Organisers of the British Association for the 
Advancement of Science (the BA) were accused of lending credibility to 
maverick theories on the paranormal by allowing the highly controversial 
research to be aired unchallenged.

Leading members of the science establishment criticised the BA’s 
decision to showcase papers purporting to demonstrate telepathy and the 
survival of human consciousness after someone dies. They said that such 
ideas, which are widely rejected by experts, had no place in the 
festival without challenge from sceptics.

The disputed session featured research from Rupert Sheldrake, an 
independent biologist who is funded by Trinity College, Cambridge, that 
claims to have found evidence that some people know telepathically who 
is calling them before they answer the telephone.

Other presentations came from Peter Fenwick, a doctor who thinks 
deathbed visions suggest that consciousness survives when people die, 
and from Deborah Delanoy of the University of Hertfordshire, whose work 
suggests that people can affect the bodies of others by thinking about 
them.

Critics including Lord Winston and Sir Walter Bodmer, both former 
presidents of the BA, expressed particular alarm that the three speakers 
were allowed to hold a promotional press conference. Some said telepathy 
has already been found wanting in experiments, and had no place at a 
scientific meeting.

“Work in this field is a complete waste of time,” said Peter Atkins, 
Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oxford. “Although it is 
politically incorrect to dismiss ideas out of hand, in this case there 
is absolutely no reason to suppose that telepathy is anything more than 
a charlatan’s fantasy. ”

Other scientists said that while discussion of the subject was 
acceptable, the panel’s lack of balance was like inviting creationists 
to address the prestigious meeting without an opposing view from 
evolutionary biologists. Several members of the BA said that they would 
raise the matter with its ruling council.

Sir Walter, a geneticist and cancer researcher, said: “I’m amazed that 
the BA has allowed it to happen in this way. You have got to be careful 
not to suppress ideas, even if they are beyond the pale, but it’s quite 
inappropriate to have a session like that without putting forward a more 
convincing view. It’s extremely important in cases like this, especially 
for the BA which represents science and which people expect to believe, 
to provide a proper balancing counter-argument.”

Lord Winston, the fertility specialist, said: “It is perfectly 
reasonable to have a session like this, but it should be robustly 
challenged by scientists who work in accredited psychological fields. 
It’s something the BA should consider, whether a session like this 
should go unchallenged by regular scientists.”

Richard Wiseman, Professor of Psychology at the University of 
Hertfordshire, who is a sceptical researcher of the paranormal, said: 
“The issue is about controversy and balance in science. This is not a 
balanced panel. Whether paranormal phenomena are a reality is an 
intellectual discussion. But it is the principle that is important. If 
the issue was race and intelligence, and you had three people saying one 
race are less intelligent than another, that would be outrageous.”

Chris French, Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths College, University 
of London, a sceptic of the paranormal, joined a panel discussion, but 
did not present a paper or attend the press briefing.

The event was organised by the Scientific and Medical Network, an 
organisation with about 3,000 members dedicated to “exploring the 
interface of science, medicine and spirituality”. The Royal Society, 
Britain’s national academy of science, said it “lies far from the 
scientific mainstream and the list of speakers reflect this”.

Helen Haste, chairwoman of the BA’s programme organising committee, said 
that all three speakers have proper academic credentials and that though 
their work is controversial, it is conducted in a rigorous, scholarly 
fashion. Professor French’s presence at the panel discussion would allow 
for sceptical dissent to be heard, though it was unfortunate he was not 
at the press event, she said. “We feel at the BA that we should be open 
to discussions or debates that are seen as valid by people inside the 
scientific community, as long as they are addressed in acceptable ways. 
These seem to be phenomena that are commonly experienced but have not 
been subjected particularly effectively to scientific investigation. It 
is a legitimate area of research. I do think it’s appropriate at a 
festival like this to have people who are serious about their approach 
and experimental methods.”

The BA, which celebrates its 175th anniversary this year, is a charity 
that seeks to advance public understanding, accessibility and 
accountability of the sciences and engineering. Its annual meeting, 
which is being held this year at the University of East Anglia in 
Norwich, has often caused controversy, most notably in 1860 when Thomas 
Huxley championed Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution against Samuel 
Wilberforce, the Bishop of Oxford.

When asked whether he thought that he was descended from apes on his 
mother’s or father’s side, Huxley responded: “I would rather be 
descended from an ape than a bishop.”

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