Jab1: thanks for the link to Cecil’s column. Very interesting. As to your response, you’re assuming that I’m assuming a direct effect. I’m well aware of ISL, as well as basic physical principles that argue against a direct effect.
But if I can physically grab an object, say a sturdy pole, and move an otherwise unmovable (by myself alone) 400lb. boulder by utilizing the mechanical advantage of a lever, then I admit the possibilty of mentally grabbing a preexisting natural energy and directing it to do my work (lift a boulder, start a fire) for me.
This is not to say that I actually believe that this is currently being done, which brings me to Czarcasm’s reply.
The reason I didn’t conduct any research into the subject is simple: I don’t believe that this phenomena is in use by human beings at this time. It might be, but I seriously doubt it.
Why? Because, as others have noted, somebody certainly would have sat up and taken notice by now, and there would have been some more research conducted on the subject.
If it is happening right now, a couple of plausible reasons why no one has come forward might be:
1. Fear of persecution; either as a freak, a loon, a menace to society, or as a lab rat (made to “disappear” to be locked away at Groom Lake for the rest of your life).
2. Conspiracy of silence by the International Brotherhood of Mages, Sages, Wizards and Sorcerers. To keep this powerful and arcane knowledge safe until mankind can deal with it responsibly (okay, so I’ve read some cheesy fiction. Sue me.)
3. It’s a natural talent of only a small percentage of the population and it requires some practice, some methodology, to develop into a working ability. Thus there might pass entire generations w/o anyone actually doing this stuff for real. IOW: we’re in a dry spell of magic-using types.
4. The practice requires such a radically different mind-set that any practioners, or anyone close to becoming practioners, are idenified as “mentally unstable” and institutionalized.
Admitting the possibility of the existence of currently undefined areas of knowledge, or of potential avenues of human development, is a far cry from saying that I actually believe that these areas or avenues will come to be. I’m not about to cash out my 401k and sink it into “Magitronics Research & Development”.
And fiscal reluctance notwithstanding, I’d rather not assign “probabilities” to either of these areas; to my way of thinking, that may artificially limit us. Preclude us from fully realizing all of our potentials, or close off possibilities because someone thinks “that’s impossible”. As someone else noted, a lot of previously “impossible” things have come to pass and are accepted as routine.
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