Towards a Natural History of Psi: An Evolutionary Proposal Based on Consilience of Inductions

Psi, often considered paranormal, may actually be a natural and normal ancestral capability widely distributed across many non-human organisms, not just humans. Evidence from historical records, surveys, animal psi experiments, common vertebrate brain structures, the inhibitory role of recently evolved primate brain layers, and potential survival advantages suggests psi emerged long ago, possibly before vertebrate divergence, and has been preserved by biological evolution, likely through stabilizing selection. Understanding psi's neurobiological bases requires focusing on brain regions common to all vertebrates to identify its genetic foundations and evolutionary history.

Study at a glance

Abstract

For almost a century since its establishment as a scientific discipline, the field of Parapsychology has been very fruitful in terms of positive experimental outcomes that suggest the existence of psi. However, it has not been possible to integrate this body of results into an appropriate biological framework rooted in evolutionary biology. Some interesting attempts have been proposed throughout the last few decades, but almost all draw their interpretations from an anthropocentric perspective. Here, by means of an approach known as consilience of inductions, I try to overcome this problem by analyzing complementary evidence from different disciplines that point toward a common conclusion: that psi might be an ancestral capability widely distributed in many non-human organisms. Such pieces of evidence are the following: 1) That psi is not paranormal but natural and normal, as indicated by the historical record and by recent surveys applied to people around the world; 2) The reports that suggest the presence of psi in domestic and non-domestic animals, including the positive results of a large number of animal psi experiments; 3) Common brain structures to all vertebrates, which take part in certain functions and processes that have been associated with psi; 4) The apparent role of the outer layers of the brain—which are recent evolutionary innovations mainly developed in primates—in the inhibition of psi function; and 5) The evolutionary advantages that psi might confer in many human and non-human organisms, mainly those related to survival. Altogether, these pieces of evidence point towards a scenario in which psi emerged long ago, perhaps before the divergence of vertebrates, and in which it might have been preserved by biological evolution given the obvious advantages that could represent for organisms, even if it operates in an unconscious way. Furthermore, many experimental results in the field of parapsychology suggest that one specific kind of natural selection, known as stabilizing selection, might be operating behind the evolution of psi or, more specifically, its biological bases. Finally, I point out that, if we want to unravel the neurobiological bases of psi function, it is crucial to start focusing on brain regions or structures widely distributed in vertebrates and, from here, it would be possible to try to identify the genetic bases of this extraordinary function, which in turn would allow us to elucidate its evolutionary history.