If you follow any of the ghost hunting or UFO shows on television these days — they’ve essentially merged to the point where they no longer differentiate between aliens and poltergeists — you’ve likely been impressed by the scientists on their staffs who are true believers.
If you follow any of the military UFO dramas, you’ve probably been impressed by the trained fighter pilots and high-ranking military officers and intelligence officials who have endorsed these phenomena as unexplainable.
Wow! With such unimpeachable experts on board, it seems clear that we’re forced to accept the reality of the paranormal.
So let me give a bit of personal background information. Usually when I give a talk, it’s to an industry audience. Any industry. Often it’s students but it’s just as often professionals. These audiences have included hackers, military lawyers, federal court personnel, physicists, biologists, flight instructors, and security specialists. I often informally poll the audience on a range of beliefs, and I’ll word the questions in such a way as to avoid making it embarrassing to answer in the affirmative. For example, if I want to see if they believe in psychic powers, I won’t ask them to embarrass themselves in front of their peers by giving a firm yes; instead I’ll ask it in a way such as whether they feel these phenomena are worthy of further research. Here are the summary results of many years of such informal polling: