Stanford Research Institute

Stanford Research Institute

Location:	United States
Case File:	[[Remote Viewing Main Page]]

SRI (Stanford Research Institute) remote viewing refers to the parapsychological research conducted in the 1970s and 1980s by physicists Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ, who coined the term to describe the alleged psychic ability of individuals to perceive remote or hidden subjects. While the SRI team and others reported some statistically significant results and the CIA sponsored projects based on this work, later scientific reviews found no credible evidence, and remote viewing is largely considered a pseudoscience.

What was SRI remote viewing?

Origin:

In the early 1970s, physicists Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff at SRI International studied psi phenomena, including remote viewing.

Term Coining:

They coined the term "remote viewing" to differentiate it from clairvoyance, though Ingo Swann, a key remote viewer, had also suggested the term.

Process:

It involved a "viewer" describing a distant target (object, event, person, or location) unknown to them. This was often done through a blind judging process where an independent panel matched the viewer's descriptions to the actual targets.

Notable aspects of the SRI research:

• CIA Involvement:
• The initial work led to the CIA-sponsored Project Stargate, which investigated psychic abilities for intelligence gathering.

Reported Success: Targ and Puthoff published their findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals, claiming statistically significant results that indicated remote viewing was not due to chance.

Involvement of Ingo Swann:

One of the program's most famous participants was Ingo Swann, an artist and psychic who claimed to be the creator of the term "remote viewing".

Scientific and historical context:

Pseudoscience Status:

Despite the government funding and initial claims, extensive scientific reviews have concluded there is no credible evidence for remote viewing.

Public Interest:

The concept of remote viewing was a subject of interest during the Cold War, partly due to reported Soviet advancements in psychic technology.

Program Conclusion:

The government-sponsored Stargate Project was eventually declassified and closed down, with the CIA concluding that the ability could not be reliably used for intelligence purposes.