Criticisms and Controversies
The GCP has faced significant skepticism, particularly from the scientific community:
Methodological Issues: Critics like Robert T. Carroll and Claus Larsen argue that the project suffers from selection bias and "pattern matching." The choice of events and time windows may introduce subjectivity, and post-hoc analysis could inflate significance.
Statistical Interpretation: Peter Bancel’s 2017 analysis suggested that the observed effects might result from an experimenter effect (e.g., researchers’ expectations influencing data selection) rather than global consciousness. He found that data do not consistently support the global consciousness hypothesis, favoring goal-oriented effects.
Lack of Mechanism: The absence of a clear physical mechanism linking consciousness to RNG outputs is a major critique. While the project speculates on quantum or informational models, these remain unproven and controversial.