Study Questions on Psionics
- Basic kinds of Psionic Stories
- Wild Talent --
- Biological Radio
--
human organism has these talnets and is slowly evolving them (Superman
stories)
- Metaphysical Psi
- Plot Device
- What's the Historical
arc of the use of psionics in SF?
- evolution (begins in 30's -->)
Charles
Fort, J.B. Rhine (Duke experiments)
- social effects (golden age)
- spies/police (WWII and
cold war paranoia)
- Campbell -- support in Astounding
(50's) gadget science.
- beginning of creating
societies,
corporations, communities etc. based on ESP (60's-70's)
- subjectification of psionics
- stories about telepathic
psychiatrists
- ESP from the inside
- world-building
- exploration of ESP with aliens
(80's)
- What's the relative power of the
indivual
vs. society?
- What's the attitude towards these
mental
powers?
- What are the different varieties of
psi
powers? How do these wax and wane in SF?
- telepathy
-- being able to communicate mind
to mind
- mind-control
- animal bonding
- empathy
-- ability to feel/ affect people's emotions
- telekinesis
-- ability to move objects
- ability to heal
- teleportation -- ability to move
people
or objects through space
- pyrokinesis
-- ability to control/ start
fires
- cryokinesis
-- ability control water/ ice
- clairvoyance
-- ability to see things outside the normal range of vision
- Pre-cognition
-- clairvoyance in the future
- astral
projection -- ability to project
mind to other locations
- psychometry
-- ability to sense the
past from objects
- psychic
weapons-- ability to defend
- shields
- defensive
use of telepathy and empathy
- How are these powers
developed? Technologically? Socially? Religiously?
- How do stories with psionics reflect
author's fears and desires? Also social criticism.