Telekinesis: Pseudoscience Or Mental Ability?

Telekinesis, or psychokinesis, refers to the ability to affect, change or move physical objects with the mind. Is it pure science fiction? Pseudoscience and superstition, as the beloved Carl Sagan said? The answer is probably yes.

When you think of telekinesis, scenes with Jedis from Star Wars, Carrie White from the Stephen King novel or Eleven from Stranger Things come to mind. Again, pure fiction. However, there is new information that may change your perception of this idea.

With the development of so-called “neurotechnologies” like Neuralink, innovators like Elon Musk claim that humans are about to be able to interact with electronic devices with the mind… and an interface. As Arthur C. Clark once famously said, “Magic is just a science we do not yet understand.”

Telekinesis – What do we know so far?

The word telekinesis was coined in 1914, but it was not until 1934 that parapsychologist JB Rhine began to conduct experimental research on the phenomenon. However, no one has yet been able to show that humans are capable of influencing external events or objects mentally without using physical force.

Despite the lack of evidence, there is still a great deal of interest in the phenomenon. The height of research on the subject occurred during the Cold War. In the 1980s, the U.S. Army Research Institute asked the National Academies of Sciences , Engineering and Medicine to conduct what would be one of the most remarkable studies in telekinesis.

The results of the study coincide with what experts today say about the subject. Let’s analyze them.

Why is telekinesis impossible?

The British physicist John G. Taylor is probably the foremost scientist in the “field” of telekinesis. According to Taylor, no physical mechanism would enable psychokinesis. Here’s why:

The curious case of Nina Kulagina

Nina Kulagina was the subject of much interest and intrigue for researchers studying telekinesis. She was born in Russia in 1926 and joined the Red Army at the age of 14. During World War II, she was part of the tank regiment. Only after the war did she begin to show some skills out of the ordinary for a housewife.

Kulagina could move objects without touching them. When the rumor came out, a group of Soviet experts subjected her to a host of tests and experiments. This is one of the most famous cases from the Cold War. You can still see black-and-white footage of Kulagina separating egg yolks from egg whites and moving matches with their minds.

According to Kulagina, her powers were more intense when she was angry. After these demonstrations, she complained of fatigue, back pain and eye pain. In the end, Kulagina claimed that she had lost her abilities due to storms. She said the electrical phenomena in the weather affected this seemingly extraordinary ability.

Did Nina Kulagina actually have telekinetic powers? These days, most experts believe that the story was just Soviet propaganda.

Can telekinesis be possible in the future?

Those who claim that telekinesis is just around the corner have many opponents. It makes sense, given the fact that scientists have spent decades showing that the concept challenges everything we know about physics and seems impossible.

However, as we mentioned earlier, Elon Musk recently introduced Neuralink, a company that develops technology that will create bridges between the brain and machines. What is the goal? The first is to treat diseases such as blindness, movement problems and neurogenerative diseases. The second is to push the boundaries of what we take for granted. Maybe they design a car that you can drive with your mind. This form of telepathy will be mediated by small interfaces that allow communication between you and the car’s computer.

It seems that the lack of a link to put previously impossible things in our reach is technology. Let’s see what the next few years bring.