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Mind Power

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Pseudoscience and Science Fiction

Part of the book series: Science and Fiction ((SCIFICT))

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Abstract

Most people use their minds for thinking, and according to conventional science that is all they can do. Thinking, however, gives rise to imagination, and using their imagination is what science fiction writers and pseudoscientists do best. In the world of the imagination, the powers of the mind are unlimited: from telepathy and precognition to psychokinesis and teleportation. Although most commonly associated with SF, these concepts crop up in non-fiction too, for example in J. B. Rhine’s ESP experiments or Charles Fort’s speculations about “wild talents”. The mysterious Force of Star Wars has its non-fictional counterpart in Wilhelm Reich’s orgone energy, while comic-book mutants can trace their ancestry to the mystical writings of Pauwels and Bergier.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Crewkerne, UK

    Andrew May

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  1. Andrew May
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May, A. (2017). Mind Power. In: Pseudoscience and Science Fiction. Science and Fiction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42605-1_5

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