It may be a little late, but perhaps an explanation of the title I chose for this regular page may be in order. It comes of course from Shakespeare's 'There are more things in Heaven and Earth Horatio than are dreamt of in your philosophy'; a phrase which, along with 'Don't thrown the baby out with the bath water' is often used by believers of the paranormal. Indeed, it was used by Brian Inglis on LBC in March. I hope to prove that there are more things in this regular column than are dreamt of in the philosophy of Mr. Inglis and other supporters of paranormal claims.
Although not exactly a football fan, I do have the occasional look at results and league tables, and even watch some of the more important matches on television. One of the football teams whose fortune has especially interested me since about 1983 or 1984 is Birmingham City. It was about that time, with the club at the bottom of the First Division, that the manager discovered that it had been cursed by a gypsy. He therefore employed the services of astrologers and mediums in a mass of publicity to lift the curse and save the club from relegation. Although I cannot remember the exact sequence of events since then, I seem to recall that the club wasn't relegated that season. The lifting of the curse had worked. Or had it?
It must have been the following season when Birmingham City was indeed relegated to the Second Division, since when their fortunes have only got worse; they have now been relegated to the Third Division. Things might have been even more dire if the curse hadn't been 'lifted' though. They could now be in the Fourth Division.
Although not an avid football watcher, I must admit to being keen on motor racing. At a recent meeting at Brands Hatch I saw a saloon car which appears to have been sponsored by the Church of Scientology. On the front door in large letters was the word 'DIANETICS' with 'The Book' in smaller letters underneath. When I saw this car lined up on the grid I immediately thought 'I hope it crashes'. This was completely out of character. Really! In fact, earlier in the day I had told my companion that along with the majority of motor racing enthusiasts I don't like to see cars crashing. That day proved me wrong, for on about the third lap the 'Dianetics' driver lost control at one of the bends and the car crashed into a barrier. I couldn't help laughing at the situation, which I am pleased to report only damaged the car, and not the driver. I suppose he has subsequently been invited by the Church of Scientology to attend an E-Meter session to purge him of any indiscretions of his previous incarnations.
Staying on a sports' theme, I have noticed that snooker commentators regularly demonstrate an inability to evaluate evidence in much the same way as people do when recalling 'psychic' experiences. For example, in the World Professional Snooker Championship at the end of April, one of the matches was drawing to a close; the score was 12-11, with thirteen frames needed. When one of the players missed a shot in the twenty-fourth frame, a commentator said 'If ..... loses this match, we all know which shot lost it for him'. This is obviously disregarding all the previous occasions in the match when the player missed pots which subsequently lost the frame for him. Many people can remember the final four or five years ago, when Dennis Taylor 'beat' Steve Davis on the black ball. But who remembers the other misses which Davis made which enabled Taylor to draw level after being some frames behind? Isn't this just the way that people remember the 'psychic' hits, while forgetting the misses?
In other situations too people can find it difficult to evaluate odds and perhaps end up making unnecessary psychic connections. Another example from snooker demonstrates my point. How often during the making of a high break have you heard a commentator make a statement about the quality of play or the total score possible only for the player to immediately make a mistake? The commentator will sometimes take the 'blame', admitting that players often make errors following such remarks. Whether they are suggestion a connection I don't know, but the situation is an interesting one, as the likelihood of such a remark and an error by the player are perhaps in proportion to one another. It is going to be mainly towards the end of a high break that a commentator will make a remark which subsequently appears to have been the kiss-of-death. But bearing in mind the pressure, the higher the break the more likely - it seems to me - a player is to make an error, which is why really high breaks (say, over a hundred) are considered special.
This is a good example of how predictions are often in proportion to the subsequent event. People probably have precognitions of old people dying more often than young people dying; of air crashes when someone they know is about to fly; or of someone dying during a war. People must be open to all kinds of illusions, but the only ones which are commonly demonstrated are optical. It would be interesting to hear from readers of B&IS who have good examples to demonstrate ways in which people can be fooled by illusions of the other senses or by the brain.