THE CHICKEN-HEARTED

New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 942, 30 August 1957, Page 11

THE CHICKEN-HEARTED

Sir,-R.M.D. casts J. B, Rhine’s investigations aside as just another collection of unadulterated nonsense, Undoubtedly he dismisses all Eastern philosophy, yoga practices, and hypnotic phenomena with an equally lusty howl of derision. Religious belief of any type would be completely "beyond the pale." Oddly enough, the great Einstein was far more tolerant of such beliefs and it is only with an open mind and extreme tolerance that we can discover more of R.M.D.’s cold hard facts of physics. J. B. Rhine, of course, has his critics. It would be a most unhealthy sign if he had not. It would be impossible in the space of a letter such as this to discuss even a few of the criticisms of his work. It is, however, worth mentioning that Rhine is only one of many investigators who have obtained convincing results in parapsychological investigation. Tyrrell and Carrington are others worthy of inclusion in R.M.D.’s list of scientific conjurers. Probably the best and most unbiased account discussing arguments both for and against is contained in H, J. Eysenck’s Sense and Nonsense in Psychology. Eysenck, Professor of Psychology at London University, is a man who is most critical of any experimen-

tation in psychological fields which is not carried out with the highest degree of scientific rigour. Unfortunately, he is what R.M.D. would describe as a "sucker." He feels that much of Rhine’s work is indisputable. When we consider that we have yet discovered but a fraction of the psysiological intricacies of the human body it indeed seems odd that many amongst us should shower ridicule on pioneers of psychological research purely for the reason that their conclusions do not fit in with our concept of orthodox science. We would all do well to remember the shining example of Galileo.

J. C.

HAYES

(Kamo).