Global Consciousness Project
Experimental research project attempting to detect collective human consciousness effects on random number generators during major world events, based at Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research laboratory.
The Global Consciousness Project (GCP) was established in 1998 by Roger Nelson at Princeton University's Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) laboratory. The project operates a network of random event generators (REGs) worldwide, monitoring their output for patterns that might correlate with significant global events or collective human attention.
The hypothesis suggests that during moments of intense worldwide focus—such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, or major celebrations—human consciousness might influence the behavior of quantum random number generators. The project has collected data from events including September 11, 2001, the Asian tsunami of 2004, and various royal weddings.
Researchers claim to have detected statistical anomalies in the random data during major events, interpreting these as evidence of a "global consciousness" or morphic field effect. Critics argue that the statistical methods are flawed, that post-hoc data selection creates false patterns, and that the claimed effects are within normal statistical variation.
The project continues to operate with funding from private donors and maintains a public database of results. While the scientific consensus rejects the consciousness-technology interface hypothesis, the GCP remains influential in parapsychology research and New Age communities interested in collective consciousness phenomena.
Another entry in this category is Randonauting.
Bibliography:
- Nelson, Roger. 'Coherent Consciousness and Reduced Randomness.' *Journal of Scientific Exploration*. 2001.
- Radin, Dean. *The Conscious Universe*. 1997.
- Bösch, Holger. 'Examining Psychokinesis: The Interaction of Human Intention with Random Number Generators.' *Psychological Bulletin*. 2006.
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