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Give the Null Hypothesis a Chance Reasons to Remain Doubtful about the Existence of Psi

Is there a world beyond the senses? Can we perceive future events before they occur? Is it possible to communicate with others without need of our complex sensory-perceptual apparatus that has evolved over hundreds of millions of years? Can our minds/souls/personalities leave our bodies and operate with all the knowledge and information-processing ability that is normally dependent upon the physical brain? Do our personalities survive physical death? Experience suggests to many people that the answer to such questions is ‘Yes’. Indeed, year after year, surveys show that the majority of people believe that such paranormal phenomena exist, and personal experience is one of the primary reasons for their belief. Many such experiences are emotionally powerful and bring with them meaning and existential comfort. What accounts for these reported experiences? Do they really, some of them at least, reflect a reality beyond the materialistic world as it is now understood by science — that is, are they really ‘paranormal’? Or are they the product of normal but misunderstood brain function? That is, do our brains sometimes produce or interpret experiences in such a way that they seem to be paranormal even though they are not? Parapsychologists are motivated by and large by the former interpretation, and seek scientific evidence to support that view. Mainstream science, on the other hand, takes the latter stand, usually rejecting out of hand any paranormal claims. Whatever the explanation, given that these experiences appear to be relatively common and are often very striking, they merit study in their own right. Unfortunately, such study is rather rare. Most psychologists, eschewing paranormal and supernatural claims, have by and large ignored such experiences, while parapsychologists, on the other hand, give scant attention to normal explanations and focus instead on the paranormal possibilities. Thus, what should be of common interest to both psychologists and parapsychologists instead falls through the cracks, with one camp persuaded that the paranormal is real and the explanation