Freiburger historische Bestände - digital

i58

FRIEDBERT KARGER

SUMMARY

Physics and Paraphysics. - The dissociation of physics from the classical de-
terministic conception of the universe and the impossibility of overlooking
certain paranormal phenomena provided the occasion and the reason for me-
thodical scientific research in the domain of parapsychology and paraphysics.
In this connection, physics is chiefly interested in psychokinesis and in the
transport of information by extrasensory perception. Although from the phy-
sical point of view, the possibility of extrasensory perception is not theoreti-
cally greater than that of psychokinesis, there is much more entensive quantitative
experimental confirmation for extrasensory perception than for psychokinesis
.

It is relatively easy to make a complete exclusion of known causes of physic-
al correlations. On the other hand, it is clear that the discrimination between
specific paranormal manifestations is much more difficult, because the implicit
relations between psychokinesis, precognition and telepathy must be allowed for
in the Statistical evaluations. Not only a directed mechanisation of Statistical
experiments but also in particular a physical determination of the spon-
taneous paraphysical phenomena seem important for conclusions on the struc-
ture of psychokinesis and extrasensory perception. Experimental and theore-
tical reasons make close collaboration between physics and psychology neces-
sary. On the one hand, psychology must find the initial conditions of the phenomena
; on the other hand, it can help to avoid meaningless experiments, for
example those where the expected effect is due to Suggestion.

The adhoc hypotheses postulated so far are not physically satisfying. Above
all it is not yet possible to answer several special physical questions because of
the lack of empirical knowledge. The aim of physics, to develop a coherent
theory that includes both physical and paraphysical phenomena, can only be
reached through the application of new methods of thought. By fulfilling this
aim, one may hope to throw light on yet unknown laws of the human mind.