Nauka ili pseudonauka – primer istraživanja telepatije

Abstract

It is not always easy to draw a dividing line between true scientific theo- ries, erroneous but verifiable scientific theories and pseudo-scientific ones that are impos- sible to verify. As an example, this paper presents researches on various phenomena of extra-sensory perception, precognition, clairvoyance, distance communication, premonition for receiving SMS messages, phone calls or e-mails, which are classified in the domain of telepathy research. They were conducted within different paradigms, with diverse re- search methodologies and approaches, from anecdotal experiences, case studies and intui- tive reasoning, to careful recording of data and their statistical processing. In recent years, researches have been conducted using state-of-the-art “brain-to-brain” technology, which is used to register brain activities of the research participants. Telepathy has not remained uninteresting even to some modern physicists who find in Einstein’s theory of relativity and the laws of quantum physics the possibility of postulating a new quantum model of telepathy. This new, unconventional approach to the research of telepathy is conditioned by the paradigm shift in the research of this phenomenon and significant shifts from the pseudo-scientific to the scientific approach. This paper aims to point out the necessity of setting a clear demarcation line between scientific and pseudo-scientific research and building the ability of critical thinking, which is a condition for differentiating science from pseudoscience. Using a specific example of the phenomenon of telepathy, we underlined the importance of research in the development of scientific knowledge, but the kind of research that meets the reproducibility and verifiability criteria that clearly differentiate science from pseudoscience.