Why is there so much resistance to psychic phenomena in some portions of society?
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Genuine psychic phenomena have been produced by ordinary people throughout the
history of humankind. However, these phenomena were rejected by
science for "political" reasons, not
empirical reasons,
when the
scientific revolution deposed religion as the ultimate source of
knowledge. Besides being seen as allied with religion, psychic phenomena
is a competitor of Science as a means of obtaining information about
the universe.
Therefore, some modern scientists have a lot of cultural baggage that
prevent them from seeing the otherwise obvious evidence that some
paranormal phenomena are real.
-
Some
religious leaders
reject psychic phenomena
(see the comment at the top of the link)
because those phenomena
threaten the dogmatic teachings of their religion. It undermines
their authority as the source of information on the afterlife, God,
and other spiritual subjects. In some cases it also subverts
their role
as an intermediary between the individual and supernatural entities.
-
Some people hold a grudge against religion because they
have been harmed psychologically by overly dogmatic upbringing,
or
because some religion condemns their
lifestyle choices.
They may choose to vilify
anything that relates to the supernatural, including psychic phenomena.
-
Certain
government agencies have spread disinformation
about the reality
of psychic phenomena to discourage other countries from developing psychic
means for spying and sabotage, and to protect the secrecy of their own
government's programs to develop those capabilities.
-
Some debunkers make a living disputing every paranormal claim
and sometimes
misrepresent the
empirical evidence
because real paranormal phenomena
jeopardize their career and life's work. Their livelihood is based on
media exposure to sell books, raise money, and generate more media
exposure, and as a result their influence is far greater than their
qualifications in the field should warrant.
- Many people who, because of their education, accept the authority of scientists, suspend their critical thinking in order to embrace the debunkers' deceptive "logic" because it allows them to hold on to their world view in the face of empirical evidence, including scientific research, that demonstrate genuine psychic phenomena. People resist changing their world view because it requires admitting they were wrong or misled.
There are many unique social forces resisting the acceptance of psychic phenomena.
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