Good Riddance
Princeton’s ESP Lab Closes
By Daniel Muniz

After 28 years of almost nothing substantial to show to the scientific community, the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) laboratory is finally shutting down. PEAR devoted almost three decades to carefully researching Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP).

And for the most part, these studies were a total embarrassment to such a prestigious and highly regarded university like Princeton. In fact, the university had no official comment on PEAR’s demise and they would very much like to keep it that way. They simply do not want to needlessly bring any additional ridicule and humiliation to the matter especially to what they have already endured for so many years.

Now PEAR was not founded by a crackpot. Robert G. Jahn is an engineering genius and a brilliant scientist. He has previously served as the dean of Princeton’s School of Engineering and he is perhaps one of the world’s top minds on jet propulsion. However, Jahn went down a much different scientific path by focusing his research efforts on the paranormal when he created PEAR.

Naturally, nobody wanted to fund such a program, especially the university even if it was run to be a highly respected scientist. Undeterred, Jahn raised more than $10 million in donations for PEAR.

But nearly three decades of research took its toll since it had discovered nothing astounding other than vague correlations. For example, a routine experiment involved someone sitting in front of an electronic display that would flash numbers above or below 100. The participant had to think high or low and the results would be used to determine their ESP abilities. Jahn felt that if this machine could be manipulated by an extra-sensory capability, then ESP could have numerous other applications in the real world such as medical treatments.

Of course, nothing useful panned out from that.

Scientists and adherents to the scientific methods do not necessarily want to dismiss any field of study out of hand even when it does sound outlandish. However, the scientific method demands that such claims be observed and independently verified by strenuous peer review.

Unfortunately, PEAR was never able to do that.

Personally, I have an open mind and I do not want to recklessly close it due to my own biases and prejudices but paranormal researchers are not going to get anywhere unless they are able to provide rock solid proof that they do have a valid field worth studying. And guessing what the next number is on a screen is not going to cut it.

For instance, if someone claims to have telekinetic abilities, then provide the entire world with unequivocal evidence of it. Lift a chair a few feet off the ground and then swing it around a room and repeat it as often as possible. And if you can levitate yourself off the ground and float over to the nearest gas station, then by all means do it in front television news cameras so that they can document it.

But more importantly, don’t do anything stupid like bending a spoon or a card trick in which any decent magician can replicate. The world is tired of seeing worthless sleight of hand demonstrations. Instead, do something useful that can capture the public’s imagination like lifting a waterfall and putting it on top of a forest fire. A feat like that will shut up every skeptic and guarantee billions of dollars of funding for studying the paranormal.

Yet, out of three decades of PEAR research, that has never happened.

Instead, we simply have vague ambiguous accomplishments that sound suspiciously like coincidences or are nothing more than sheer nonsense. That is not enough to satisfy the scientific method.

Right now the world is filled with an industry making billions of dollars that has adherents like John Edward (the psychic of the Crossing Over television show; not the presidential candidate) and Sylvia Brown who claim to have a mastery of the paranormal. These newfound millionaires are nothing more than charlatans scamming gullible or desperate people on the airwaves.

The scientific world is not going to take pop culture celebrities seriously until it can produce results. Until then, it is nothing more than bunk.

So if a psychic wants to vividly demonstrate to the world that ESP really does work, then get the right six numbers to the Texas Lottery. The Texas legislature would quickly shut down the Texas Lottery Commission if there is someone out there that can ascertain the winning lottery number at every drawing. Or how about correctly obtaining the next Powerball? In fact, if psychics really did have this extra-sensory ability, then they would never even be allowed to step foot inside a casino because they would win at any game of chance.

Instead, those involved in the paranormal are more concerned with convincing the mass mind than they are about demonstrating to the science community that their abilities are indeed genuine. Popular culture doesn’t really need scientific verification as much as it needs drama and entertainment. That monetary realization has allowed the charlatans to escape the scrutiny of their authenticity because television shows like Montel Williams need ratings instead of verifiable scientific evidence to substantiate dubious claims.

When paranormal researchers can show me real evidence then I will take you seriously.

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