The limitations of science (The limitations of science)

by dhw, Sunday, February 21, 2010, 16:54 (5390 days ago) @ dhw

On 7 February at 14.59, under "Identity", I quoted an article in The Guardian about a Belgian who had been in a coma for seven years, but with whom doctors had been able to make contact by monitoring his brain activity. They got him to answer questions by either imagining wandering through his home, or playing tennis. This raised all sorts of questions about the nature of identity.-I haven't seen any follow-up to this article, but in yesterday's Guardian was another report on a different case which caused a sensation last November. This concerned a car crash victim (also Belgian) assumed to have been in a coma for 23 years, but who was "suddenly found to be conscious and able to communicate by tapping on a computer". This was called "facilitated communication". The implications once again are intriguing, or would be if the story was true. But now one of the doctors treating him has recanted. Herewith the relevant paragraph:-"We did not have all the facts before," he said. "To me, it's enough to say that this method doesn't work." Just three months ago the doctor was proclaiming that Houben had been trapped in his own body, the victim of a horrendous misdiagnosis, and only rescued from his terrible plight thanks to medical advances.-In my discussions with George, I'm constantly harping on my own unwillingness to dismiss subjective experience and anecdotal evidence, and I stand by the need for open-mindedness. However, this article, along with all the recent revelations of misinformation, errors and cover-ups, serves as a timely reminder that open-mindedness needs to be balanced by an appropriate degree of scepticism.