You should understand this: Science is the study of materialistic phenomena, simply put. I'm not sure what you're trying to do, but it's starting to look like you want to bring anti-materialism into the scope of science.
If you're going to use science, don't **** up its definitions and terms to suit your agenda.
You are right a discussion on Parapsychology would be derailing the OP which is a discussion about whether machines can become self-aware. So I will not say anymore on this subject, beyond what I touch on in this post. Start a new thread if you are sincere about learning about Parapsychology, as it is very clear from your comment "It is only heresay" you know absolutely nothing about Parapsychology. Hence, you are ignorant talking about a field you know nothing about.
However, I will respond to what I quoted. It appears not only do you know about Parapsychology, you seem to know next to nothing about Philosophy of Science or the Scientific method. Science is not a metaphysics, do you even know what a metaphysics is? A metaphysics makes ontological claims about the nature of reality, what reality really is made of(matter, or ideas, or whatever) The fields of science, say like Physics, do NOT make claims about the nature of reality. They make claims about the physical world and they study physical things by looking at the behaviour of physical things like say particles, sound, light etc. It is based on not just describing their behaviour, but also developing models that both describe and predict the behaviour of physical things. It does NOT and I repeat it does NOT make claims about what
really exists -- that is domain of metaphysics.
Psychology, is another field of science. They make claims about the mind and behaviour and they study mental phenomena and behaviour by looking at how it works, again using the scientific method, but using both experimental approaches(controlled blind and double blind) as well other quantitative and qualitative research methods(questionaires, case studies, interviews, observation, mental phenomenology) Of this Parapsychology and recently Trans-personal psychology are branches, they also study mind and behaviour, but they study particular aspects. Parapsychology studies claims using again the same array of methods of claims like ESP, past life memories, ghosts, mediumship etc. It is not based on heresay and just by saying this you are showing how fatally ignorant you are on the subject. A parapsychologist takes a skeptical approach to these claims, devises methods to test the claims to collect data, documents the study, and then draws inferences from the data like any other scientist does then publishes it for peer review which is then studied by other scientists. Transpersonal psychology(which I think now includes Parapsychology) studies transpersonal phenomena like compassion, prayer(directed intention) OBE, NDE and other states of consciousness.
So, if you haven't got it already,
Science is an epistemology a method of obtaining knowledge. It is
metaphysically neutral. You do not have to be a materialist, or that matter an idealist or a dualist to use the method. You simply apply the method and let the data point you to the conclusions. If the data is showing you ESP is real, you accept it. That is what a scientist does. If you do not accept your data because it contradicts your a priori beliefs you ain't no scientist.
