Misplaced Pages

Talk:Rupert Sheldrake

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by PredaMi (talk | contribs) at 09:27, 9 July 2023 (Empirical research into telepathy). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 09:27, 9 July 2023 by PredaMi (talk | contribs) (Empirical research into telepathy)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Please read before starting

Misplaced Pages policy notes for new editors:
A common objection made by new arrivals is that the article presents Sheldrake's work in an unsympathetic light and that criticism of it is too extensive or violates Misplaced Pages's Neutral Point of View (WP:NPOV) policy. The sections of the policy that apply directly to this article are:

Also of particular relevance are:

In short, there are certain topics and fringe viewpoints we should not be giving false balance to. See Fringe theories (WP:FRINGE) for more context on how Misplaced Pages deals with fringe views.
This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Rupert Sheldrake article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.
Article policies
Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs· FENS · JSTOR · TWL
Archives: Index, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23Auto-archiving period: 30 days 
The contentious topics procedure applies to this page. This page is related to articles about living or recently deceased people, and edits relating to the subject (living or recently deceased) of such biographical articles, which has been designated as a contentious topic.

Editors who repeatedly or seriously fail to adhere to the purpose of Misplaced Pages, any expected standards of behaviour, or any normal editorial process may be blocked or restricted by an administrator. Editors are advised to familiarise themselves with the contentious topics procedures before editing this page.

The contentious topics procedure applies to this page. This page is related to pseudoscience and fringe science, which has been designated as a contentious topic.

Editors who repeatedly or seriously fail to adhere to the purpose of Misplaced Pages, any expected standards of behaviour, or any normal editorial process may be blocked or restricted by an administrator. Editors are advised to familiarise themselves with the contentious topics procedures before editing this page.

Arbitration Ruling on the Treatment of Pseudoscience

In December of 2006 the Arbitration Committee ruled on guidelines for the presentation of topics as pseudoscience in Misplaced Pages:Requests for arbitration/Pseudoscience. The final decision was as follows:

  • Neutral point of view as applied to science: Misplaced Pages:Neutral point of view, a fundamental policy, requires fair representation of significant alternatives to scientific orthodoxy. Significant alternatives, in this case, refers to legitimate scientific disagreement, as opposed to pseudoscience.
  • Serious encyclopedias: Serious and respected encyclopedias and reference works are generally expected to provide overviews of scientific topics that are in line with respected scientific thought. Misplaced Pages aspires to be such a respected work.
  • Obvious pseudoscience: Theories which, while purporting to be scientific, are obviously bogus, such as Time Cube, may be so labeled and categorized as such without more justification.
  • Generally considered pseudoscience: Theories which have a following, such as astrology, but which are generally considered pseudoscience by the scientific community may properly contain that information and may be categorized as pseudoscience.
  • Questionable science: Theories which have a substantial following, such as psychoanalysis, but which some critics allege to be pseudoscience, may contain information to that effect, but generally should not be so characterized.
  • Alternative theoretical formulations: Alternative theoretical formulations which have a following within the scientific community are not pseudoscience, but part of the scientific process.
This article must adhere to the biographies of living persons (BLP) policy, even if it is not a biography, because it contains material about living persons. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libellous. If such material is repeatedly inserted, or if you have other concerns, please report the issue to this noticeboard.If you are a subject of this article, or acting on behalf of one, and you need help, please see this help page.
This article has not yet been rated on Misplaced Pages's content assessment scale.
It is of interest to multiple WikiProjects.
Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details.
WikiProject iconBiography
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Misplaced Pages's articles about people. All interested editors are invited to join the project and contribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to the documentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography
Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details.
WikiProject iconAlternative views Low‑importance
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject Alternative views, a collaborative effort to improve Misplaced Pages's coverage of significant alternative views in every field, from the sciences to the humanities. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion.Alternative viewsWikipedia:WikiProject Alternative viewsTemplate:WikiProject Alternative viewsAlternative views
LowThis article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.
WikiProject iconParapsychology (inactive)
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject Parapsychology, a project which is currently considered to be inactive.ParapsychologyWikipedia:WikiProject ParapsychologyTemplate:WikiProject ParapsychologyParapsychology
Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details.
WikiProject iconSkepticism Low‑importance
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject Skepticism, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of science, pseudoscience, pseudohistory and skepticism related articles on Misplaced Pages. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.SkepticismWikipedia:WikiProject SkepticismTemplate:WikiProject SkepticismSkepticism
LowThis article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.


Semi-protected edit request on 24 December 2022

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

Correct first "citation needed" reference following "Big Bang" to reflect the following correct reference for Dr. Sheldrake's assertion: https://www.google.com/search?q=youtube+rupert+sheldrake+pbs+interview+1993&rlz=1C1OKWM_enUS800US800&oq=youtube+rupert+sheldrake+pbs+interview+1993&aqs=chrome..69i57.18367j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:0a2a1bd2,vid:z5Z4sI3gxZc

, a Dutch documentary which first aired in the U.S. in 1993. Baldy63 (talk) 18:46, 24 December 2022 (UTC)

 Not done: All that would do is move the citation needed tag to the previous sentence. What's really needed here is for someone to find page numbers in A New Science of Life, preferably supported with book reviews and the like. Tagging Baldy63. casualdejekyll 18:58, 24 December 2022 (UTC)

WikInquisition

I am disgusted by the incompetence and arrogance gathered in this article hoping to suffocate progress. This is not what Misplaced Pages should be for, you dare talk below about facts, but facts are REPRESSED AND REMOVED from the article. Here some BASICS that the article fails to honestly mention:

1. MOST IMPORTANTLY, Sheldrake is a proved high standing SCIENTIST. He studied biology and got his PhD from Cambridge, where he was sharing a house and frequenting some of the most brilliant minds of the time. At the beginning of his career he did way opening "main stream" research, which led to the fact the two of his papers were published in Nature, an achievement that most standing professors still dream of. PLEASE mention this and stop lying about him, as if he was just an "author"

2. Sheldrake decided to go his own way, being interested in phenomena for which there was no funding in academia, but he proceeded to be inventive and extremely cautious in EMPIRICAL SCIENCE. If he talks about evidence for the phenomena -- objective, seriously measured phenomena -- to which the morphogenetic field is just an ad interim PROPOSAL of an explanation, because the phenomena are not explained in present science, and the telephathy belong, his statistical support is so accurate, that I could only dream that the propaganda around covid had been supported by statistical evidence only 10% as accurate as Sheldrake's. I am sure that the ignorant contributors who dare cut explanations in favor of Sheldrake and spread difamation have no slight experience, never read a book or followed a complete conference of Sheldrake. To answer a question raised below by Thinker78 (talk · contribs): the only funding for study of parapsychological pheonomena, to what I know, comes from Koestler's funding of the society for the study of parapsychological phenomena. So yes, there have been empirical studies, but Sheldrake is leading by the extensivity and accuracy of his experiments, as well as the inventivity used. Nobody was abled to find flaws in his empirical studies, which why they go ad hominem directly, precisely as this page does.

3. His empirical facts on the morphogenetic field are impressive enough, for having motivated research by many other main stream scientists, who diversified the realm of observations -- but kept low profile, for understandable reason. He is not alone!

4. You completely fail to mention a fundamental book of Sheldrake, "The science delusion" in which he individuates and explains 10 fundamental unstated axioms that are hidden behind the main stream sceintific view of life and the Universe. Noone could prove him wrong, this why you preferred not to mention the book, not having base for difamation.

I have not more time to go into detail, but must say that I am appaled by the insiduousness of ignorant contributors who obviously have the say also in REMOVING positive information, in order to maintain the overall difamatory style of the page. I propose to these ignorants to make their own site called WikInquisition, since THIS is what their level of undersanding and intelligence is! Misplaced Pages initially intended to educate, not to cenzor and difamate -- for this main stream media suffices! —PredaMi (talk) 09:27, 9 July 2023 (UTC)

Empirical research into telepathy

Thinker78 (talk · contribs) changed "empirical research into telepathy" to "telepathy" with the edit summary "removed text for conciseness". That may have been the intention, but I see it as further chipping-away at any remnants of legitimacy that Rupert Sheldrake has in his BLP, along with the amplification of illegitimacy under the WP:FRINGE umbrella.

The fact that he is conducting experiments using empirical research is more noteworthy than removing three (yes, THREE) words in the name of conciseness, imo. Esowteric + Talk + Breadcrumbs 20:17, 18 February 2023 (UTC)

My interest in this case is the format and syntax of the lead. The previous sentence was "Other work by Sheldrake encompasses paranormal subjects such as precognition, empirical research into telepathy, and the psychic staring effect." I removed "empirical research" from the sentence fragment for conciseness. I did this because its inclusion is not congruent in the in-line list within the sentence. Let's analyze this in a regular list format.
Other work by Sheldrake encompasses paranormal subjects such as
  • precognition,
  • empirical research into telepathy,
  • and the psychic staring effect.
In my opinion, "a paranormal subject" is "telepathy". I would say that "empirical research into telepathy" seems to be more an activity than a subject.
I modified the edit after your challenge. If you have further considerations let us know. Regards, Thinker78 (talk) 22:02, 18 February 2023 (UTC)
A clarifying question would be "what other way is there to study telepathy (as a biologist or psychologist)? Other than empirical research?" I can think of no other way within those disciplines, which are inherently empiricist. — Shibbolethink 23:08, 18 February 2023 (UTC)
I think it would be best to keep discussing to seek consensus instead of just reverting. Esowteric didn't revert and came directly to the talk page instead. Regards, Thinker78 (talk) 04:59, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
See: WP:BRD. This is the normal cycle. — Shibbolethink 22:46, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
Thanks. Esowteric + Talk + Breadcrumbs 08:43, 21 February 2023 (UTC)

Actually, cedar777's manual revert is better still (at least from my POV). See edit difference.

It re-adds useful biographical info: He has worked as a biochemist at Cambridge University, Harvard scholar, researcher at the Royal Society, and plant physiologist for ICRISAT in India.

and also reverts to Other work by Sheldrake encompasses paranormal subjects such as precognition, empirical research into telepathy, and the psychic staring effect.

Esowteric + Talk + Breadcrumbs 19:56, 20 February 2023 (UTC)

I agree and personally think the manual revert from cedar777 is the best version of the options presented. I think the "empirical research" part probably is unnecessary but I don't think it detracts enough to remove it at this point. It seems important to others enough for compromise to be the best way forward here. — Shibbolethink 21:13, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
Thanks again. Esowteric + Talk + Breadcrumbs 08:44, 21 February 2023 (UTC)
Did he only conduct empirical research in telepathy? Thinker78 (talk) 00:54, 23 February 2023 (UTC)

Deepak Chopra

Why has the reference to how Deepak Chopra has been a notable supporter of Sheldrake's work been removed from the end of the introduction? YTKJ (talk) 22:23, 19 February 2023 (UTC)

I'm honestly not sure when or why that happened, but I agree with its removal. Notable supporters aren't really WP:DUE for the introduction, which is meant to summarize the most important aspects of a subject's article. — Shibbolethink 22:48, 19 February 2023 (UTC)

Objective writing on wikipedia

Please do not write your opinion just facts. This man really is a scientist: a phd. He wrote books and wrote a theory and even had hypothesistesting with it. There are also counter views and science isnt settled on this issue. However to write someoneis accused f beeing a pseudoscientist: tgere are no scientists on this world tgat have never been accused of doing pseudoscience. Science about new and in this case very broad abstract and fundamental subject matters are by definition debated about and there is no consensus. The term pseudoscientist is an opinion and Misplaced Pages should be about facts. Facts are he has a theory. Please dont use Misplaced Pages as a way to cent your opinion, it is ruining this medium. Nobody want toknow the writers opinion on someone, we just want tokniw what bookstgeories where he did his phd etc. there is something written about “new age” but that movement has little to do with this subjectmatter.on wikipedia people should stop ruining things by constantly in the intro saying their personal opinion on so eone; this is an online encyclopedia, its just a statement of facts. We dont want the writers opinion in every intro. Or if histheory is tge “truth” there is no totalitairian truth, there are just people writing books and writing theories and the reader should think We dont need the writers advice what we should think about it. 2001:1C02:2B15:2900:CC2B:6391:F413:2C6 (talk) 22:24, 19 May 2023 (UTC)

We document the facts and opinions described by reliable sources. No opinions from editors. -- Valjean (talk) (PING me) 23:23, 19 May 2023 (UTC)
Categories: