The Emergence of the Human Mind: Some Clues from Synesthesia
V S Ramachandran, Edward M. Hubbard
October 14, 2004 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780195166231.003.0009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Citations | 32 |
| Key points | Proposes that a phenomenon gains wide acceptance only if it is reliably repeatable, has at least some candidate explanations, and has broad implications beyond a single specialty; otherwise it is treated as an anomaly. The author argues telepathy meets the third criterion but fails the first and certainly the second. |
Abstract
Abstract For a phenomenon to gain wide acceptance, three different criteria must be First, the phenomenon must be real, in the sense of being reliably repeatable. Second, there should be at least some potential candidate explanations, and third, the phenomenon must have broad implications beyond the narrow of one specialty. Without all three in place, a phenomenon will be regarded as an anomaly (see Kuhn, 1962) and will not succeed in attracting the attention of the community. For example, telepathy criterion three; it has vast implications if true. The problem is that it doesn’t satisfy criterion one and certainly not two.