Science and spirituality

Table of Contents:

Psychic Abilities and Science: A Surprising Compatibility

Psychic abilities might seem woo-woo at first glance, but they’re actually more compatible with science than you might think.

If you’ve ever trained artificial neural networks, which is the foundation of much of modern A.I., you’ll know that these systems can only perceive and perform tasks they’ve been specifically trained on.

The human brain, which inspired the development of artificial neural networks, works in a similar way. It can only perceive what it has been trained to perceive, and trims away the neuronal connections of functions that we don't use. For example, during brain development, the brain follows a strategy called "perceptual narrowing", changing neural connections to enhance performance on perceptual tasks important for daily experience, with the sacrifice of others.

A compelling research study by Pascalis, de Haan, and Nelson (2002) demonstrates this. They found that 6-month-old babies could distinguish between individual monkey faces—a skill older babies and adults no longer possess. As we grow, our brains prioritize what’s useful for our environment, and let go of what’s not. In other words, our perception of reality is shaped and limited by what our brains have learned to focus on.

So, what does this have to do with psychic abilities?

It’s possible that individuals with psychic abilities simply have brains wired differently: neural networks that haven’t been pruned in the usual way, or that have developed in unique directions. This might allow them to perceive aspects of reality that most of us have lost access to or never developed in the first place.