Billy Dean,
>Well, even if Carl did not say that, I bet he would
>have agreed with its implications. That is perhaps what
>he meant by some of the things he did say.
>
>And I think I can continue to believe in things I
>cannot see or explain without being in danger of them
>clouding my ability to stay in touch with what I can
>see and explain. Carl Sagan also said, "Skepticism and
>wonder make strange bed fellows but a good marriage,
>for one must be open to all sorts of ideas but willing
>to run them through a rigorous filter..."
I agree. The late great Sagan did a lot to popularize
science and I agree with most things he said. I did
question the rigor of his filters occasionally, however.
>
>Well, I have read some of Carl Jung's books, so I
>suppose ESP is possible--can't say either way. But I
>first encountered the phrase "critical mass" in a
>college physics class. It also occurs quite frequently
>in the new age literature. Even with that dubious
>connection, I think the idea of applying critical mass
>to consciousness has some merit. What do you think?
By "applying critical mass to consciousness" I take you
to mean that a certain number of people (this number
being a critical threshold) sending thought commands
subliminally to others would influence their behaviours.
No, I can't take this seriously. If this really
worked you'd think it would be common knowledge by now,
wouldn't you? At the very least, it would put a new
spin on the free will/determinism debate :)
The practice of carrying over a concept like
"critical mass" from physics (as in the critical mass of
plutonium needed to start and maintain a nuclear reaction)
to other areas like human consciousness is maybe useful for
hypothesis building, but we shouldn't be so seduced by the
metaphor that we conclude it must be true. It's this
"jumping to conclusions" mentality of New Age thought that
makes it so dubious.
>
>Actually, I found Andre Gide's remark in a book titled
>"Where to Now, Columbus" which chronicles our
>exploration of this planet and space. Good reading--I
>recommend it highly.
Well I'll be damned! I might check it out.
>
>Thanks for your comments--they were also good reading,
>in the best sense of the word...
Thanks, Billy Dean. Take care.
Glenn
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