WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.509 [Music] 00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:12.390 picture this a silent room bathed in 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:15.070 warm candl light a group of Scholars 00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:18.269 leaning forward eyes closed hands on a 00:00:18.279 --> 00:00:21.710 trembling table suddenly a loud knock 00:00:21.720 --> 00:00:25.349 shatters the Stillness the air turns icy 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:28.070 no one speaks could they have just 00:00:28.080 --> 00:00:31.710 conjured something or something one this 00:00:31.720 --> 00:00:34.590 is the philli experiment what if I told 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:37.030 you that you could create a ghost not 00:00:37.040 --> 00:00:41.750 summon one not invite one but create one 00:00:41.760 --> 00:00:42.590 in 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:45.190 1972 a group of researchers and 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:47.950 paranormal enthusiasts in Toronto set 00:00:47.960 --> 00:00:51.709 out to do just that no seances no Ouija 00:00:51.719 --> 00:00:54.630 boards instead they used the power of 00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:57.110 their own minds to conjure something 00:00:57.120 --> 00:01:00.349 someone out of thin air his name name 00:01:00.359 --> 00:01:04.390 was Phillip at first Phillip was nothing 00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:08.070 more than an idea a fictional character 00:01:08.080 --> 00:01:11.230 invented down to the smallest detail his 00:01:11.240 --> 00:01:15.310 life his loves even his darkest Secrets 00:01:15.320 --> 00:01:17.190 but what began as an experiment in 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:19.910 imagination took a shocking turn the 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:22.429 group began experiencing things they 00:01:22.439 --> 00:01:24.789 couldn't explain cold breezes in a 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:28.230 sealed room disembodied knocks and 00:01:28.240 --> 00:01:30.550 objects that moved on their own 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:32.310 was this proof of the 00:01:32.320 --> 00:01:35.069 supernatural or could the human mind be 00:01:35.079 --> 00:01:38.230 far more powerful than we ever imagined 00:01:38.240 --> 00:01:41.310 could we through sheer belief create 00:01:41.320 --> 00:01:44.310 something that shouldn't exist the 00:01:44.320 --> 00:01:47.389 answer might change everything you know 00:01:47.399 --> 00:01:55.630 let's find out 00:01:55.640 --> 00:02:05.149 [Music] 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:08.630 in the early 1970s the Toronto Society 00:02:08.640 --> 00:02:11.630 for psychical research led by Dr ARG 00:02:11.640 --> 00:02:15.350 Owen wanted to test a bold idea imagine 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:17.509 a time when science and the Paranormal 00:02:17.519 --> 00:02:20.830 danced together in a delicate Waltz when 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:23.150 people still believed that perhaps the 00:02:23.160 --> 00:02:26.350 Mind held secrets we hadn't unlocked the 00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:27.710 goal wasn't just 00:02:27.720 --> 00:02:30.229 curiosity it was to challenge the very 00:02:30.239 --> 00:02:33.309 fabric of what we thought was possible 00:02:33.319 --> 00:02:35.910 they believed that paranormal phenomena 00:02:35.920 --> 00:02:39.190 ghosts hauntings polorized weren't 00:02:39.200 --> 00:02:41.430 necessarily spirits of the dead but 00:02:41.440 --> 00:02:43.350 could instead be manifestations of the 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:44.509 human 00:02:44.519 --> 00:02:48.110 mind to Test's Theory the group created 00:02:48.120 --> 00:02:51.430 Philip Al's Ford every detail of his 00:02:51.440 --> 00:02:54.270 life was carefully crafted close your 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:57.670 eyes and imagine him an aristocratic 00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:00.509 Englishman from the 1600s 00:03:00.519 --> 00:03:02.790 walking through the echoing Stone Halls 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:05.750 of his estate his face is lined with 00:03:05.760 --> 00:03:09.509 sorrow his eyes haunted by a love he 00:03:09.519 --> 00:03:12.350 could never save he was married to a 00:03:12.360 --> 00:03:15.509 woman he didn't love and his heart broke 00:03:15.519 --> 00:03:18.869 the day Margot a gypsy woman he adored 00:03:18.879 --> 00:03:22.030 was taken from him accused of Witchcraft 00:03:22.040 --> 00:03:23.589 and condemned to the 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:27.110 Flames her cries never left his mind a 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:29.869 ghostly chorus of regret 00:03:29.879 --> 00:03:32.550 heartbroken and consumed by guilt 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:34.429 Phillip took his own 00:03:34.439 --> 00:03:38.030 life the group memorized Philip's story 00:03:38.040 --> 00:03:40.789 they envisioned his face his personality 00:03:40.799 --> 00:03:44.550 his world every week they gathered in 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:47.149 the same room a ritual of 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:50.030 imagination now imagine the room a 00:03:50.040 --> 00:03:52.830 circle of chairs surrounding a polished 00:03:52.840 --> 00:03:57.710 wooden table the air hums faintly with 00:03:57.720 --> 00:04:00.550 anticipation candles flicker 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:04.069 their glow soft but insistent casting 00:04:04.079 --> 00:04:07.229 Long Shadows on the walls a quiet 00:04:07.239 --> 00:04:09.750 determination fills the space as this 00:04:09.760 --> 00:04:12.750 group of educated rational people 00:04:12.760 --> 00:04:15.390 focuses their Collective energy on a man 00:04:15.400 --> 00:04:16.509 who never 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:19.629 existed they spoke his name described 00:04:19.639 --> 00:04:22.749 his life and conjured His Image as 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:25.189 vividly as a portrait painted in their 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:28.110 minds for weeks they focused their 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:30.510 energy on Phillip during me meetings 00:04:30.520 --> 00:04:33.390 sitting around a table speaking to him 00:04:33.400 --> 00:04:37.790 as if he were real to them he is real an 00:04:37.800 --> 00:04:41.070 aristocrat with a tragic past burdened 00:04:41.080 --> 00:04:44.990 by guilt consumed by love and ultimately 00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:48.230 destroyed by all of it they speak to him 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:50.950 in Earnest tones their voices brimming 00:04:50.960 --> 00:04:51.670 with 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:55.469 conviction Phillip are you with us they 00:04:55.479 --> 00:04:58.629 ask at first it was 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:01.230 nothing weeks passed in 00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:05.710 silence then one night it happens a 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:08.469 faint knock a chill that crawls along 00:05:08.479 --> 00:05:11.390 the backs of their necks the room goes 00:05:11.400 --> 00:05:14.830 still breath held collectively as if the 00:05:14.840 --> 00:05:17.189 very air is waiting for philli to 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:21.110 respond The Knocks grow louder the table 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:25.350 trembles at first it's subtle almost 00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:27.830 imperceptible but then it moves with 00:05:27.840 --> 00:05:30.350 purpose sliding across the floor as if 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:34.150 pushed by invisible hands to Skeptics 00:05:34.160 --> 00:05:36.230 this might sound like a clever parlor 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:39.430 trick but here's a thing this wasn't a 00:05:39.440 --> 00:05:42.790 dark Seance in a Dusty Victorian parter 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:44.710 this was a modern experiment conducted 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:47.830 in a well-lit room with no hidden wires 00:05:47.840 --> 00:05:49.110 no concealed 00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:52.110 mechanisms and what's even stranger the 00:05:52.120 --> 00:05:53.990 group never wavered in their belief that 00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:56.590 Philip was fictional they knew he wasn't 00:05:56.600 --> 00:05:59.710 real yet somehow they brought him to 00:05:59.720 --> 00:06:02.909 life or at least something that acted 00:06:02.919 --> 00:06:03.830 like 00:06:03.840 --> 00:06:06.469 life the story of Phillip Bears a 00:06:06.479 --> 00:06:08.550 striking resemblance to something 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:12.749 written decades earlier in 1931 French 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:15.309 explorer and spiritualist Alexandra 00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:18.749 David Neil published a book titled with 00:06:18.759 --> 00:06:20.909 Mystics and magicians in 00:06:20.919 --> 00:06:23.629 Tibet in it she described her 00:06:23.639 --> 00:06:26.710 experiences studying esoteric practices 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:29.670 among Tibetan Monks one practice in 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:32.589 particular stands out the creation of a 00:06:32.599 --> 00:06:35.629 topa a topa is a being brought into 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:37.749 existence through sheer 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:40.029 concentration the monks believed that 00:06:40.039 --> 00:06:42.790 intense Focus meditation and 00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:45.110 visualization could manifest a fully 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:47.670 formed entity capable of independent 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:50.469 thought and action David Neil even 00:06:50.479 --> 00:06:52.909 claimed to have created her own topa a 00:06:52.919 --> 00:06:55.510 jolly monk-like figure who eventually 00:06:55.520 --> 00:06:58.790 became unruly forcing her to unmake him 00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:01.710 through further meditative effort if a 00:07:01.720 --> 00:07:03.670 topa could be brought into existence in 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:05.990 the mountains of Tibet could the same 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:08.430 principle apply in Toronto half a world 00:07:08.440 --> 00:07:12.510 away could Phillip be a modern topa born 00:07:12.520 --> 00:07:15.029 not from ancient spiritual practices but 00:07:15.039 --> 00:07:17.469 from a groups shared belief and focus 00:07:17.479 --> 00:07:20.309 intent all right but here's what I don't 00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:22.909 get if the monks could control their 00:07:22.919 --> 00:07:25.430 tulpas through meditation why was 00:07:25.440 --> 00:07:27.550 Phillip so 00:07:27.560 --> 00:07:30.589 unpredictable I mean knocking on tables 00:07:30.599 --> 00:07:33.029 sliding Furniture that's not exactly 00:07:33.039 --> 00:07:36.270 polite Behavior that's a great question 00:07:36.280 --> 00:07:37.510 and that's what makes the Philip 00:07:37.520 --> 00:07:40.309 experiment so fascinating unlike Tibetan 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:43.350 Monks who spent years honing in their 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:45.710 mental discipline the Toronto group was 00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:47.350 experimenting without a spiritual 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:49.350 framework their goal wasn't 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:51.589 Enlightenment it was to test the limits 00:07:51.599 --> 00:07:52.629 of human 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:54.909 consciousness what's even more chilling 00:07:54.919 --> 00:07:57.110 is what Alexandra David Neo warned about 00:07:57.120 --> 00:08:00.270 in her book the danger of a too gaining 00:08:00.280 --> 00:08:02.869 autonomy she described how her Topo 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:05.309 began acting independently developing a 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:07.830 will of its own could the same have 00:08:07.840 --> 00:08:10.230 happened with Phillip was he more than 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:11.270 just an 00:08:11.280 --> 00:08:13.589 experiment the more the group interacted 00:08:13.599 --> 00:08:16.230 with Phillip the stronger his presence 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:18.830 became and yet there was always a 00:08:18.840 --> 00:08:21.589 strange emptiness to it all Philip never 00:08:21.599 --> 00:08:24.110 spoke never gave them anything beyond 00:08:24.120 --> 00:08:26.830 what they already believed about him he 00:08:26.840 --> 00:08:29.589 never contradicted his fictional story 00:08:29.599 --> 00:08:31.309 it was as if the group's own thoughts 00:08:31.319 --> 00:08:33.469 and expectations were reflected back at 00:08:33.479 --> 00:08:36.269 them Amplified through the phenomenon 00:08:36.279 --> 00:08:39.829 they created so here's the question was 00:08:39.839 --> 00:08:41.990 Philip an echo of their Collective 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:45.790 imagination a psychological trick or did 00:08:45.800 --> 00:08:47.670 they stumble onto something far more 00:08:47.680 --> 00:08:51.190 profound proof that the human mind can 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:53.269 reach beyond the limits of reality 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:56.870 itself and if Philip was real even for a 00:08:56.880 --> 00:08:58.870 moment what does that mean for the 00:08:58.880 --> 00:09:00.990 stories we tell ourselves every 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:04.389 day are we shaping the world around us 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:08.120 more than we 00:09:08.130 --> 00:09:11.389 [Music] 00:09:11.399 --> 00:09:15.470 realize so what's really going on here 00:09:15.480 --> 00:09:17.470 did the group really summon Phillip or 00:09:17.480 --> 00:09:20.710 was something else at play let's break 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:22.790 this down a bit one of the most 00:09:22.800 --> 00:09:24.670 compelling explanation ties the Philip 00:09:24.680 --> 00:09:26.829 experiment to an ancient concept the 00:09:26.839 --> 00:09:29.870 tulpa as I previously mentioned in the 00:09:29.880 --> 00:09:32.350 high snow covered mountains of Tibet 00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:34.389 monks have practiced this mysterious art 00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:37.990 for centuries the topa is no ghost no 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:40.630 trick of the senses it is being crafted 00:09:40.640 --> 00:09:43.230 entirely through thought the process 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:46.190 requires intense Focus visualization and 00:09:46.200 --> 00:09:50.230 an unwavering belief over time the topa 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:51.990 becomes so vivid in the mind of its 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:54.509 creator that it manifests in the 00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:57.990 physical world an independent sentient 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:01.230 entity but if toas are real they're not 00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:03.350 just limited to Tibetan monasteries or 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:05.069 1970s 00:10:05.079 --> 00:10:07.550 experiments over the years there have 00:10:07.560 --> 00:10:10.750 been Eerie reports that suggest toas 00:10:10.760 --> 00:10:13.030 might be more common than we think take 00:10:13.040 --> 00:10:14.790 for instance the case of the imaginary 00:10:14.800 --> 00:10:17.670 friends study psychologists observing 00:10:17.680 --> 00:10:19.790 young children found that some took 00:10:19.800 --> 00:10:21.230 their imaginary companions to 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:23.790 extraordinary levels of detail these 00:10:23.800 --> 00:10:25.910 children would claim to hear Whispers 00:10:25.920 --> 00:10:28.509 notice small objects moving or even feel 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:30.990 a presence in the room room in certain 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:33.670 cases parents corroborated these claims 00:10:33.680 --> 00:10:35.870 noting physical changes Furniture 00:10:35.880 --> 00:10:38.590 shifted toys relocated as if the 00:10:38.600 --> 00:10:40.870 imaginary friends had become 00:10:40.880 --> 00:10:43.110 tangible and then there's the infamous 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:46.350 case of Jeff the talking Mongoose in the 00:10:46.360 --> 00:10:49.030 1930s a family on the aisle of man 00:10:49.040 --> 00:10:51.310 claimed to be haunted by a strange 00:10:51.320 --> 00:10:54.870 mischievous entity Jeff described as a 00:10:54.880 --> 00:10:56.750 talking Mongoose would appear 00:10:56.760 --> 00:10:58.790 sporadically moving objects making 00:10:58.800 --> 00:10:59.870 noises 00:10:59.880 --> 00:11:01.470 and even holding 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:03.389 conversations some paranormal 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:06.069 investigators dismissed Jeff as a hoax 00:11:06.079 --> 00:11:07.790 but others believed he was a 00:11:07.800 --> 00:11:10.310 manifestation of collective belief and 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:14.790 fear a TOA inadvertently created by the 00:11:14.800 --> 00:11:17.110 family now take these alongside the 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:20.470 chilling case of the Slender Man what 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:23.389 started as a harmless online contest in 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:26.629 2009 spiraled into something far more 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:29.470 Sinister people shared Eerie stories 00:11:29.480 --> 00:11:32.030 doctored images and even video sightings 00:11:32.040 --> 00:11:35.069 of this impossible tall faceless figure 00:11:35.079 --> 00:11:38.110 and then came the real life horror two 00:11:38.120 --> 00:11:40.310 12-year-old girls in Wisconsin lured 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:43.150 their friend into the woods stabbing her 00:11:43.160 --> 00:11:44.790 in what they claimed was an offering to 00:11:44.800 --> 00:11:48.670 Slender Man was this proof that belief 00:11:48.680 --> 00:11:50.949 magnified by the internet could create 00:11:50.959 --> 00:11:53.590 something with real world consequences 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:55.910 and then there's the case of paranormal 00:11:55.920 --> 00:11:59.629 investigator John ke's ultraterrestrials 00:11:59.639 --> 00:12:01.949 beings that seem to materialize through 00:12:01.959 --> 00:12:03.550 belief and 00:12:03.560 --> 00:12:06.310 expectation ke theorized that what we 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:10.470 perceive as ghosts Cryptids or even UFOs 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:12.629 might not come from external Realms but 00:12:12.639 --> 00:12:14.829 are manifestations of our own minds 00:12:14.839 --> 00:12:17.470 shaped by culture fear and 00:12:17.480 --> 00:12:20.710 Imagination okay but here's the kicker 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:23.350 if belief can create something as 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:26.150 harmless as a monk or as terrifying as 00:12:26.160 --> 00:12:29.790 Slender Man wears the line how do you 00:12:29.800 --> 00:12:31.710 control what you 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:34.590 create well that's the danger David Neil 00:12:34.600 --> 00:12:37.509 warned about in her book a TOA might 00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:40.189 start as a benign creation but once it 00:12:40.199 --> 00:12:42.629 gains Independence it can act 00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:44.829 unpredictably if the Philip experiment 00:12:44.839 --> 00:12:47.870 did in fact create a topa the group may 00:12:47.880 --> 00:12:49.870 have unknowingly invited a force they 00:12:49.880 --> 00:12:52.269 didn't fully understand but there's 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:55.030 another possibility one that's just as 00:12:55.040 --> 00:12:57.629 fascinating some Skeptics suggest that 00:12:57.639 --> 00:12:59.949 the phenomena attributed to Philip could 00:12:59.959 --> 00:13:01.750 be explained by 00:13:01.760 --> 00:13:03.750 psychokinesis the ability to move 00:13:03.760 --> 00:13:05.829 objects or influence the physical world 00:13:05.839 --> 00:13:08.750 with the mind it's a theory that ties 00:13:08.760 --> 00:13:11.670 into the subconscious mind where belief 00:13:11.680 --> 00:13:14.430 stress and emotion can manifest in 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:15.430 surprising 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:17.990 ways what if the group's intense focus 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:20.590 and expectation triggered psychokinetic 00:13:20.600 --> 00:13:23.389 activity without their knowledge the 00:13:23.399 --> 00:13:26.110 knocks the table movements could they 00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:28.509 have been caused by the group itself not 00:13:28.519 --> 00:13:29.829 Phillip 00:13:29.839 --> 00:13:32.829 but here's a Twist the group always knew 00:13:32.839 --> 00:13:35.470 that Philip wasn't real he was their 00:13:35.480 --> 00:13:38.269 creation a fictional character born from 00:13:38.279 --> 00:13:40.870 their imagination and yet they 00:13:40.880 --> 00:13:43.389 interacted with something that felt very 00:13:43.399 --> 00:13:46.030 real and if belief alone can blur the 00:13:46.040 --> 00:13:48.670 lines between fiction and reality what 00:13:48.680 --> 00:13:53.860 else might we be capable of 00:13:53.870 --> 00:13:56.949 [Music] 00:13:56.959 --> 00:13:59.150 creating philli experiment is 00:13:59.160 --> 00:14:01.550 fascinating no doubt it's the kind of 00:14:01.560 --> 00:14:02.829 story that makes you question the 00:14:02.839 --> 00:14:05.069 boundaries of reality the power of the 00:14:05.079 --> 00:14:07.829 mind and even the nature of existence 00:14:07.839 --> 00:14:10.430 but were the findings shared in this 00:14:10.440 --> 00:14:11.509 experiment 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:15.470 real no they were not when you start 00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:17.629 peeling back the layers the cracks in 00:14:17.639 --> 00:14:20.150 the story become impossible to ignore 00:14:20.160 --> 00:14:22.629 let's start with the claims the group 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:24.550 reported hearing knocks in response to 00:14:24.560 --> 00:14:26.069 their questions and seeing the table 00:14:26.079 --> 00:14:29.150 move sometimes violently they did 00:14:29.160 --> 00:14:31.470 described feeling cold drafts and even a 00:14:31.480 --> 00:14:34.269 presence in the room but is there really 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:36.670 any solid evidence that these phenomena 00:14:36.680 --> 00:14:39.470 were anything more than a 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:41.790 performance first let's talk about the 00:14:41.800 --> 00:14:43.949 setup the group conducted these 00:14:43.959 --> 00:14:45.749 experiments in a room that was well lit 00:14:45.759 --> 00:14:48.430 and free from any obvious tricks sounds 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:51.230 impressive right but here's the thing a 00:14:51.240 --> 00:14:53.310 well-lit room doesn't mean a controlled 00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:55.509 environment there were no third party 00:14:55.519 --> 00:14:58.230 oversight no controlled conditions and 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:00.150 no measures to prevent unconscious 00:15:00.160 --> 00:15:02.870 influence without these safeguards how 00:15:02.880 --> 00:15:05.949 can we separate genuine phenomena from 00:15:05.959 --> 00:15:08.110 group psychology or outright 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:11.110 trickery now let's focus on the table 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:14.069 movements this is classic seon style 00:15:14.079 --> 00:15:16.629 theatrics studies in group psychology 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:18.990 and the idea motor effect and 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:21.670 unconscious physical response show that 00:15:21.680 --> 00:15:23.590 people can inadvertently move objects 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:25.550 like a table without realizing they're 00:15:25.560 --> 00:15:29.030 doing it in fact experiments is far back 00:15:29.040 --> 00:15:31.749 as the 19th century debunked Seance 00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:34.389 tricks by revealing how subtle movements 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:36.509 from participants could create the 00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:39.269 illusion of Paranormal Activity and the 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:42.590 knocking easily replicated a shift in 00:15:42.600 --> 00:15:44.509 weight here a subtle movement of the 00:15:44.519 --> 00:15:46.590 legs there and you've got all the 00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:50.309 ingredients for a ghostly tap okay but 00:15:50.319 --> 00:15:52.949 what about the cold drafts if the room 00:15:52.959 --> 00:15:55.790 was sealed where's that chill coming 00:15:55.800 --> 00:15:59.230 from well good question wend cold cfts 00:15:59.240 --> 00:16:01.629 are notoriously subjective a slight 00:16:01.639 --> 00:16:03.910 opening in a door a shift in air flow 00:16:03.920 --> 00:16:06.590 from an HVAC system or even the natural 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:08.550 cooling of the room during a long 00:16:08.560 --> 00:16:11.550 session could create that sensation and 00:16:11.560 --> 00:16:13.910 let's not forget the power of suggestion 00:16:13.920 --> 00:16:16.430 if one person claims to feel a chill 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:18.470 it's almost guaranteed others will start 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:20.590 to notice it too whether it's real or 00:16:20.600 --> 00:16:23.389 not but here's the most damning piece of 00:16:23.399 --> 00:16:25.470 evidence against the Phillip 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:27.990 experiment the group knew philli wasn't 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:31.150 real from the start they admitted he was 00:16:31.160 --> 00:16:33.430 a fabrication a thought experiment 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:36.030 turned into a seance and if you're 00:16:36.040 --> 00:16:38.230 sitting around the table convinced 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:40.670 you've summoned the ghost how much of 00:16:40.680 --> 00:16:42.870 what you see and hear is influenced by 00:16:42.880 --> 00:16:43.710 your 00:16:43.720 --> 00:16:45.509 expectations this is where the 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:47.870 phenomenon of confirmation bias comes 00:16:47.880 --> 00:16:50.269 into play seeing what you want to see 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:52.870 and dismissing anything that doesn't fit 00:16:52.880 --> 00:16:55.030 it's the same trick at work during a 00:16:55.040 --> 00:16:57.790 Ouija board session tiny unconscious 00:16:57.800 --> 00:16:59.710 movements create the illusion of 00:16:59.720 --> 00:17:02.790 external force and the more you believe 00:17:02.800 --> 00:17:05.390 the more convincing it becomes even 00:17:05.400 --> 00:17:07.990 today experiments show that when people 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:11.189 are told to expect Paranormal Activity 00:17:11.199 --> 00:17:13.829 their brains fill in the blanks they 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:15.870 hear sounds that aren't there feel 00:17:15.880 --> 00:17:18.189 Sensations that aren't real and even 00:17:18.199 --> 00:17:21.150 report seeing things that don't exist 00:17:21.160 --> 00:17:24.590 now look I'm not saying toas aren't real 00:17:24.600 --> 00:17:27.470 Tibetan Monks spend years in meditation 00:17:27.480 --> 00:17:29.909 honing their mental discipline to levels 00:17:29.919 --> 00:17:31.470 most of us can't even 00:17:31.480 --> 00:17:33.870 imagine if anyone could create a being 00:17:33.880 --> 00:17:36.909 through sheer willpower it's them but 00:17:36.919 --> 00:17:39.150 the Philip experiment these weren't 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:42.270 Tibetan Monks this is a different story 00:17:42.280 --> 00:17:43.870 this wasn't an ancient spiritual 00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:45.990 practice it was a group of well-meaning 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:48.630 but untrained individuals sitting around 00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:51.390 a table essentially playing pretend and 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:53.630 that brings us to the final question if 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:56.190 the group created Phillip through belief 00:17:56.200 --> 00:17:57.549 why didn't he ever do anything they 00:17:57.559 --> 00:18:00.470 didn't expect he never gave them new 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:02.870 information never deviated from the 00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:05.990 script everything he did aligned 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:08.750 perfectly with their expectations so 00:18:08.760 --> 00:18:11.310 what you're saying is if Philip wasn't 00:18:11.320 --> 00:18:14.430 real then this wasn't just an experiment 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:16.549 it was a group of people convincing 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:19.310 themselves of something they wanted to 00:18:19.320 --> 00:18:22.230 believe exactly and when you strip away 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:24.669 the mystery what you're left with isn't 00:18:24.679 --> 00:18:27.149 proof of the Paranormal it's a lesson in 00:18:27.159 --> 00:18:29.430 how powerful our minds can be 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:32.110 but not to summon ghosts but to trick us 00:18:32.120 --> 00:18:35.350 into seeing what isn't there so was the 00:18:35.360 --> 00:18:37.190 Philip experiment a groundbreaking 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:40.190 exploration of the mind's power or just 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:42.549 a clever paror trick dressed up as 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:45.510 science you decide but one thing's for 00:18:45.520 --> 00:18:48.630 sure belief is a powerful thing and 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:50.720 sometimes it's the only ghost in the 00:18:50.730 --> 00:18:56.990 [Music] 00:18:57.000 --> 00:18:59.230 room thank you so much for hanging out 00:18:59.240 --> 00:19:01.789 with me today my name is Ralph that's 00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:04.110 Wendell and this has been Divergent 00:19:04.120 --> 00:19:06.630 history if you had fun today or learned 00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:09.270 anything new do us a favor and subscribe 00:19:09.280 --> 00:19:12.149 share like hit all the buttons I know 00:19:12.159 --> 00:19:14.190 this sounds like a broken record but 00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:15.830 that stuff really does help the small 00:19:15.840 --> 00:19:17.710 channels like mine that are trying to 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:19.070 make their Mark amongst the giant 00:19:19.080 --> 00:19:22.470 channels out there also like many topics 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:24.870 we cover on this channel today's topic 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:27.750 was recommended by you so if there's a 00:19:27.760 --> 00:19:29.230 story you'd like to see see or learn 00:19:29.240 --> 00:19:31.470 more about please comment below and you 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:34.630 may very well see a video created on it 00:19:34.640 --> 00:19:37.110 until next time thank you for exploring 00:19:37.120 --> 00:19:39.870 with me your curiosity means the world 00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:42.470 and you are truly appreciated have a 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:45.320 great night 00:19:45.330 --> 00:19:49.400 [Music]