Post: #1

On the surface this is a neat little study, but it's implications are relatively huge if proven at a deeper level. Everything from the positive benefits of unshakable faith [Religion or otherwise] through to something more specific to this forum: I.E: Inner Game. They may be on the road to proving in a generalised way that your own thoughts and intentions can shape your own reality.

In any case, I've quoted and linked the study below for anyone who is interested.

Quote:The hypothesis that water “treated” with intention can affect ice crystals formed from that water was pilot tested under double-blind conditions. A group of approximately 2,000 people in Tokyo focused positive intentions toward water samples located inside an electromagnetically shielded room in California. That group was unaware of similar water samples set aside in a different location as controls. Ice crystals formed from both sets of water samples were blindly identified and photographed by an analyst, and the resulting images were blindly assessed for aesthetic appeal by 100 independent judges. In conclusion, the present pilot results are consistent with a number of previous studies suggesting that intention may be able to influence the structure of water. Here is a photo of the effects direct states of conscious intention has on the structure of water.

Quote:The rice experiment is another famous Emoto demonstration of the power of negative thinking (and conversely, the power of positive thinking.) Dr Emoto placed portions of cooked rice into two containers. On one container he wrote “thank you” and on the other “you fool”. He then instructed school children to say the labels on the jars out loud everyday when they passed them by. After 30 days, the rice in the container with positive thoughts had barely changed, while the other was moldy and rotten.

http://themindunleashed.org/2014/01/scie...nd-us.html

Post: #2

Look, be careful on that one. Masaru Emoto, the guy who conducted the study, was not a scientist and freely admitted to Gregor Mendel-style mendacity in picking out crystals that he regarded as beautiful and discarding crystals that were not. Nobody has ever been able to replicate his results.

He was referenced in What the Bleep Do We Know. That should be adequate warning enough to take any of the 'science' with a metric ton of salt.

God save us from people who mean well. -storm

Post: #3

The science itself is potential 'red flag' territory, but the concept opens scientific discussion on an area which has always been hypothesised. For example: Opening the spectrum to put a scientific theory behind 'The Law of Attraction'.

Post: #4

Many individual scientific studies fail to be replicated.

In fact, you can read about the issue here, the mainstream media has published many articles about it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replication_crisis

"The replication crisis (or replicability crisis) refers to a methodological crisis in science, in which scientists have found that the results of many scientific experiments are difficult or impossible to replicate on subsequent investigation, either by independent researchers or by the original researchers themselves.[1] Since the reproducibility of experiments is an essential part of the scientific method, this has potentially grave consequences for many fields of science in which significant theories are grounded on experimental work which has now been found to be resistant to replication."

Many individual scientists have written about having papers, which were essentially just attempts to replicate previous results, rejected for publication. Publications want shocking new results that draw readers, and actively ignore and dissuade simple replication studies, so many studies done perfectly well never make it into the literature, while other studies that by chance find some shocking result get huge headlines.

This study, for instance, "proved" that Extra Sensory Perception was in fact real.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-esp-may-be-real/

The study asked students to predict things they had no reasonable way of knowing. In this particular instance, they guessed quite well. It was never replicated, but got a lot of press at the time.

Post: #5

The only way thoughts and intentions can alter the world around us, is through the intermediary of action.

(02-22-2016 01:28 PM)Sonsowey Wrote:  Many individual scientific studies fail to be replicated.

This is only due to humans being corruptible. None of us are perfect scientists, we all have our motives and agendas, which deviate from the pure "search for truth". Failure to replicate a study merely uncovers imperfections and corruptions in the original scientists (pressure to publish, leaving out details, massaging data, consciously or subconsciously skewing experimental parameters in aim of getting an exciting result etc).

Post: #6

There is tremendous merit and power in skeptical thinking.

Google and join your local skeptical society.

Post: #7

The guy is not a scientist, this is not science, and the organization he's affiliated with is questionable at best.

Post: #8

(02-22-2016 01:28 PM)Sonsowey Wrote:  Many individual scientific studies fail to be replicated.

In fact, you can read about the issue here, the mainstream media has published many articles about it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replication_crisis

"The replication crisis (or replicability crisis) refers to a methodological crisis in science, in which scientists have found that the results of many scientific experiments are difficult or impossible to replicate on subsequent investigation, either by independent researchers or by the original researchers themselves.[1] Since the reproducibility of experiments is an essential part of the scientific method, this has potentially grave consequences for many fields of science in which significant theories are grounded on experimental work which has now been found to be resistant to replication."

Many individual scientists have written about having papers, which were essentially just attempts to replicate previous results, rejected for publication. Publications want shocking new results that draw readers, and actively ignore and dissuade simple replication studies, so many studies done perfectly well never make it into the literature, while other studies that by chance find some shocking result get huge headlines.

This study, for instance, "proved" that Extra Sensory Perception was in fact real.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-esp-may-be-real/

The study asked students to predict things they had no reasonable way of knowing. In this particular instance, they guessed quite well. It was never replicated, but got a lot of press at the time.

The irony about the replication crisis is how much it greatly affects the soft sciences (sociology, psychology) in comparison to the hard sciences.

Post: #9

Quote:Many individual scientific studies fail to be replicated.

It's far worse than that. "Peer review" does not mean "I replicated the experiment", it doesn't even mean "read their paper carefully", it means "sorta skimmed it while tripping on acid and looks ok".

The human element of corruption cannot be ignored.

Quote:The irony about the replication crisis is how much it greatly affects the soft sciences (sociology, psychology) in comparison to the hard sciences.

Indeed.

Post: #10

(02-25-2016 05:49 PM)GlobalMan Wrote:  The guy is not a scientist, this is not science, and the organization he's affiliated with is questionable at best.

In all fairness, a large majority of scientists today perpetuate the man made climate change notion which reduces much of their legitimacy.

In fact, with regards to science itself, our very concepts of what is possible outdate our previous knowledge every few decades.

Of course on the surface this reads as bro science, but it's the concept that is fascinating. The phenomena he is describing has been attested to in various forms for centuries. Miracles, placebo effects, faith based sports stars, the laws of attraction [Not Physical] etc etc…

The thread is more intended to provoke the notion that our perception of reality can alter the world around us. Even if it was a little 'bro science' that got the ball rolling.

Post: #11

If this is true (by the way this thread is going it seems unlikely to be replicate) it would seem to be a bleak and sad social commentary. With all the crap happening in the world now even aside from war and other disasters the rise of feminism and socialism is scary indeed. however it doesn't really seem all that surprising. it reminds me of a joke about having the ability to read minds. " I only hear about 15% of people's thoughts and I already hate almost everyone."