Is there a sixth sense?

[Halo Stickman]

I recently read a book by the maverick biochemist, Rupert Sheldrake, where amongst other things he talks about people and animals possessing a sort of sixth sense.

 

Two examples he gave were the apparent ability of some people to be able to tell when others were staring at them behind their backs and the apparent ability of dogs to be able to sense when their masters were coming home. According to Sheldrake there is empirical evidence, albeit somewhat tenuous, to support his suppositions.

 

Seems to fly in the face of conventional science to me; nevertheless, I like to keep an open mind so would be interested to hear people’s views, or, indeed, experiences of such things.

[trousers]

I was thinking about this only this morning.....spooky....

[Halo Stickman]

I was thinking about this only this morning.....spooky....

 

[Huffton]

I think there is. How often do you think 'I haven't heard that song for a while', and then 5 mins later it comes on the radio.

Also with dogs, ours is quite often waiting at the bottom of the stairs if I come in after working late. She usually falls asleep on the bed with the mrs if I'm out, but comes downstairs a good couple of minutes before I actually turn up.

[ottery st mary]

Sixth sense..........

 

My missus says I have no sense at all.

 

Prove it I protest.....

 

She casually says...You support Saints and go on that blooooody forum:rolleyes:

 

 

I said....You should see some of the other posters:p

Edited 19 December, 2012 by ottery st mary

[PhilippineSaint]

yes and I knew what the previous 5 posters were going to say as well

 

like dreaming why when somebody wakes you does it become part of the dream?

[PhilippineSaint]

that proves it because when i wrote the above post there were only 4 known posters

[iansums]

Agreed. The other day I was driving behind a car going very slowly, I muttered to myself "FFS they're driving like an old woman". When I finally go to overtake her I looked across and do you know what? she was indeed an old woman! Spooky.

[Matthew Le God]

We have more than 5 senses...

 

 

As for the kind of "sense" the opening post describes, it is a nonsense and has never been proven in any kind of peer reviewed scientific experiment of note.

Edited 19 December, 2012 by Matthew Le God

[Window Cleaner]

I recently read a book by the maverick biochemist, Rupert Sheldrake, where amongst other things he talks about people and animals possessing a sort of sixth sense.

 

Two examples he gave were the apparent ability of some people to be able to tell when others were staring at them behind their backs and the apparent ability of dogs to be able to sense when their masters were coming home. According to Sheldrake there is empirical evidence, albeit somewhat tenuous, to support his suppositions.

 

Seems to fly in the face of conventional science to me; nevertheless, I like to keep an open mind so would be interested to hear people’s views, or, indeed, experiences of such things.

 

Women always know when you're staring at their knorks...apparently.

[Bearsy]

i predict next poster will be windows

[Window Cleaner]

this is me posting with 6th sense i predict next poster will be tokyos

 

You must have written that with invisible magic ink then.

[Bearsy]

Told ya

[Window Cleaner]

Told ya

 

but I read the original,cos I've got magic gamma ray specs, it was Tokyo Saint you old fraud.

 

but soft, Halo will get all riled about his thread being derouted by the forum clowns.

[Halo Stickman]

Women always know when you're staring at their knorks...apparently.

 

Many years ago when I was a much younger lad I walked into the receptionist’s office at work and all the woman held up large pieces of cardboard over their chests. It took a while for me to clock the message they were sending, when I eventually did, fortunately, we all had a good laugh about it

 

Frightening thing was, up until that point, I had absolutely no idea my ogling was that obvious.

[ericofarabia]

Fortune Tellers have Crystal Balls - so that they can see when they are cuming.

[Window Cleaner]

Many years ago when I was a much younger lad I walked into the receptionist’s office at work and all the woman held up large pieces of cardboard over their chests. It took a while for me to clock the message they were sending, when I eventually did, fortunately, we all had a good laugh about it

 

Frightening thing was, up until that point, I had absolutely no idea my ogling was that obvious.

 

 

 

It's not just the obviousness of the ogling, it's a known phenomenon. Must be a telepathically induced biochemical reaction in some way I suppose.

[PhilippineSaint]

but I read the original,cos I've got magic gamma ray specs, it was Tokyo Saint you old fraud.

 

but soft, Halo will get all riled about his thread being derouted by the forum clowns.

 

Well his 6th sense should have seen that coming

[Bearsy]

What number is I thinking of?

[Barry Sanchez]

My dog has a wide range when it comes to the wife coming home, he just stares at the front door for 3 hours and is always bang on.

[Matthew Le God]

If such a "sense" existed, why has no-one ever won this $1 million prize?

 

The challenge first started in 1964 and in the last 48 years no-one has been able to prove such claims and the prize fund has now reached $1 million.

 

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sesamjLNHlU

Edited 19 December, 2012 by Matthew Le God

[PhilippineSaint]

What number is I thinking of?

 

 

721

 

 

I win

[Halo Stickman]

Halo will get all riled about his thread being derouted by the forum clowns.

 

 

 

Quite! There was me thinking this thread might contribute to the lofty annals of scientific literature

 

Looks like it’s going to be consigned to the lowly anals of the SWF instead

[chocco boxo]

Pitch invader saturday!

[Bearsy]

721

 

So close! 69, always 69!

[PhilippineSaint]

So close! 69, always 69!

 

I hope your not still with Jill as her pussy is still smelly

[Bearsy]

She should get one of them hairless ones. Lot less bother.

[buctootim]

I think there is. How often do you think 'I haven't heard that song for a while', and then 5 mins later it comes on the radio.

Also with dogs, ours is quite often waiting at the bottom of the stairs if I come in after working late. She usually falls asleep on the bed with the mrs if I'm out, but comes downstairs a good couple of minutes before I actually turn up.

 

Maybe the dog is retuning the radio for you.

[PhilippineSaint]

Maybe the dog is retuning the radio for you.

 

Paws for thought there on what you said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

they can't do it.

[Sheaf Saint]

As for the kind of "sense" the opening post describes, it is a nonsense and has never been proven in any kind of peer reviewed scientific experiment of note.

 

Yes of course, because the current extent of scientific knowledge can describe and explain every possible phenomena known to man can't it. Or... not.

 

The OP is not talking about the wild claims of psychics and mediums to predict the future and commune with dead souls. You're right that has never been proven in a scientific environment (although if the ability did exist I don't know how our current knowledge of science actually could 'prove' it - otherwise we would already know the science of it, which we don't).

 

I may have already mentioned this on the 'computer simulation' thread, but I read not long ago that a British team of neuroscientists have identified areas of the brain that activate a fraction of a second before we make conscious decisions, which brings into question the very idea that we actually have free will. Studies of this are ongoing and far from conclusive, so if the world's best brain scientists can't even prove definitively that we have free will, then you can't say with 100% certainty that we can't possibly experience the feeling of knowing the outcome of things before they happen.

[Halo Stickman]

Yes of course, because the current extent of scientific knowledge can describe and explain every possible phenomena known to man can't it. Or... not.

 

The OP is not talking about the wild claims of psychics and mediums to predict the future and commune with dead souls. You're right that has never been proven in a scientific environment (although if the ability did exist I don't know how our current knowledge of science actually could 'prove' it - otherwise we would already know the science of it, which we don't).

 

I may have already mentioned this on the 'computer simulation' thread, but I read not long ago that a British team of neuroscientists have identified areas of the brain that activate a fraction of a second before we make conscious decisions, which brings into question the very idea that we actually have free will. Studies of this are ongoing and far from conclusive, so if the world's best brain scientists can't even prove definitively that we have free will, then you can't say with 100% certainty that we can't possibly experience the feeling of knowing the outcome of things before they happen.

 

Yes Bexy, as you quite rightly point out, my opening post had nothing to do with the wild claims of psychics and mediums! Nobody’s talking about contacting the dead or subscribing to some way-out religion here.

 

Sheldrake maybe a bit of a maverick who’s spent time exploring the niche subject of parapsychology but he did obtain a Ph D in biochemistry at Cambridge University and has spent much of his career in mainstream science including a period as research fellow at the Royal Society. So, he’s not exactly your archetypal ‘Mystic Meg’ charlatan.

 

I do find a certain irony in people getting so worked up about something that appears to veer slightly away from mainstream science whilst at the same time completely ignoring the fact that mainstream science struggles to explain so many things. Newtonian physics, for instance, completely breaks down in the weird and wonderful world of quantum physics where entities exist simultaneously as both particles and waveforms or even in different states or ‘places’ at the same time.

 

Whilst in the equally weird and wonderful world of cosmology, scientists have had to supposition dark matter and dark energy, substances that have never actually been directly observed let alone measured, in an attempt to explain why the expansion of the universe is, contrary to scientific predictions, accelerating rather than slowing down.

 

As for conventional science unravelling the mysterious complexities of neurobiology…well, where do we even begin?

 

For me, which ever direction people approach an issue, it usually pays to travel with an open mind and without the encumbrances of dogma, preconceptions and prejudice.

Edited 20 December, 2012 by Halo Stickman