The experiment that measured the 'weight of the soul'... I believe its credibility was extremely low, but why was that?

The 'experiment that measured the weight of the soul' refers to the famous experiment where weight decreases at the moment of human death conducted by American physician Duncan MacDougall in 1907.

Overview of the experiment

• Six patients near death were placed on a bed, and that bed was placed on a precise scale.

• Measurements were taken based on the hypothesis that 'weight might decrease at the moment of death'.

• As a result, it was recorded that one patient 'lost 21 grams,' and this was announced as the 'weight of the soul'.

Reasons why it is considered to have low credibility

1. Extremely small sample size

   • There were only 6 subjects. Moreover, the '21-gram decrease' was observed in only one person.

   • The sample size is overwhelmingly insufficient to be scientifically significant.

2. Issues with measurement precision

   • With the precision of the scales at the time, it was impossible to distinguish errors of several tens of grams caused by respiratory arrest or body fluid evaporation.

3. Statistical inconsistency

   • The other patients did not show a 21-gram decrease, or their weight actually increased, and the amount of decrease varied.

   • Consistent numerical values were not obtained.

4. Failure of animal experiments

   • Similar methods were tried on dogs, but no changes were observed at all.

   • MacDougall himself claimed it was because 'dogs do not have souls,' but there is no scientific basis for this.

5. Deficiencies in the observation environment

   • He did not rule out the possibility that weight changes were caused by other factors, such as air movement due to body temperature drops, excretion, or the release of sweat and water vapor.

Summary

The term '21 grams of soul' has become widely known in literature and film, but the actual experiment is considered to have almost no scientific reliability due to insufficient sample size, low measurement precision, and lack of reproducibility.

Although this experiment has been scientifically refuted, it continues to hold strong symbolic significance culturally.

Yes, the '21-gram experiment' itself has been scientifically refuted, but it was quite a hot topic at the time. That said, it had more of a character of spreading as a 'sensational topic' rather than being taken seriously in academia.

Reactions at the time of the experiment (1907)

• It became a topic of conversation after being featured in medical journals and local newspapers, claiming that 'the weight of the human soul has been determined.'

• However, it was immediately criticized by the academic community and was largely ignored.

• It was discussed more in the realms of occult and religious interest than in science.

Why it became famous for posterity

1. The simplicity of the idea that 'the soul has weight'

   • Representing the abstract soul with a 'number (21 grams)' had a powerful impact.

2. Influence on literature and media

   • It was repeatedly cited in occult and spiritual books throughout the 20th century.

   • It remained as a 'romantic episode' rather than a scientific proof.

3. Renewed attention from the film '21 Grams' (2003)

   • It symbolically used the phrase, 'People lose 21 grams when they die. That is the weight of the soul.'

   • Because of this film, the image of '21 grams = soul' became firmly established worldwide once again.

Summary

The experiment itself was small-scale and lacked credibility, butthe bold approach of 'quantifying the soul' captured people's hearts and survived culturally outside of academia.

In other words, 'a failure as a scientific experiment, but a huge success culturally'—that is the true nature of the 21-gram experiment.

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AI-generated, for reference only.