Etäkatselu

Etäkatselu, which translates to remote viewing in English, is a controversial purported psychic ability to acquire information about a distant or unseen target by means of extrasensory perception. Proponents claim that etäkatselu can be used to perceive objects, people, locations, or events. The concept gained significant attention in the late 20th century, particularly following reports of its alleged use in government-sponsored research programs.

The methodology typically involves a viewer, often referred to as a psychic or remote viewer, attempting to describe a target that has been selected by a monitor or facilitator. The target is usually known only to the monitor and is not revealed to the viewer until after the session. The viewer then records their impressions, which can include visual imagery, sensations, emotions, or conceptual information. These descriptions are subsequently compared to the actual target for verification.

Skeptics often attribute the alleged successes of etäkatselu to factors such as vague or ambiguous descriptions that can be interpreted in multiple ways, confirmation bias where viewers focus on matches and ignore misses, and the possibility of unconscious sensory leakage or information gathering. Scientific investigations into etäkatselu have generally failed to produce repeatable and statistically significant results under controlled conditions that would satisfy the standards of scientific evidence. Despite this, the phenomenon continues to be explored in parapsychological research and popular culture.