Remote viewing refers to the alleged ability to perceive or gather information about a distant or unseen target using extrasensory perception (ESP) or psychic abilities. The scientific validation of remote viewing is a complex and contentious topic.
In the 1970s and 1980s, remote viewing was investigated by the United States government through a program known as the Stargate Project. This program aimed to determine the military potential of psychic phenomena, including remote viewing. However, the results and conclusions of the program remain controversial.
Some proponents of remote viewing claim that there is scientific evidence supporting its validity. They often point to research conducted by parapsychologists and organizations like the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) Laboratory. However, the majority of these studies have faced criticisms for methodological flaws, lack of proper controls, and failure to replicate results.
On the other hand, many skeptics and mainstream scientists argue that there is no credible scientific evidence to support the existence of remote viewing. They emphasize that the positive results reported in some studies are often statistical outliers or can be explained by chance, selective reporting, or experimental bias.
The scientific consensus among the broader scientific community, including mainstream psychology and neuroscience, is that remote viewing lacks empirical support. The prevailing view is that any positive results claimed in remote viewing studies can be attributed to methodological flaws, cognitive biases, or the misinterpretation of statistical noise.
It's important to note that extraordinary claims like remote viewing require extraordinary evidence to be accepted by the scientific community. As of now, remote viewing has not met this criterion and remains a topic of debate and skepticism within the scientific community.