Telekinesis vs. Psychokinesis

[Ascension]

It seems to me that up until a few years ago whenever anybody moved anything with their mind, it was telekinesis. A few years ago, though, somebody decided that "psychokinesis" sounds cooler or something, and all of a sudden some people were using that instead of telekinesis. As far as I can tell there's absolutely no difference between TK and PK, it's just a personal preference thing... but I find it annoying. We don't say "psychopathy" to mean telepathy, why use "psychokinesis" to mean the same thing as telekinesis?

According to Wiki, telekinesis was coined in 1890, psychokinesis in 1914, and in 2004 an Air Force study defined telekinesis as a subset of psychokinesis. So apparently the Air Force is to blame for this... or something. The Wiki article is even under the "psychokinesis" heading now, even though the term telekinesis came first, parallels telepathy, and (in my opinion) sounds nicer. Gah! Stupid Air Force Teleportation Physics Study! I bet you're in league with the people who made Pluto an unplanet!

Anyway, since Wiki and the Air Force have disappointed me, I turn to you, Playground. What do you think sounds better? Telekinesis or psychokinesis? Does this mean we can start calling telepaths "psychopaths"... and vice versa, leading to hilarity in the courtroom (We believe this man to be a telepathic serial killer!)? Am I going to ask another question?

[Innis Cabal]

A few what ago?

As to what sounds better....they are more or less synonyms....so does it matter which sounds better? They are more or less interchangable.

[Ascension]

A few what ago?

Years. I swear I typed it... weird.


As to what sounds better....they are more or less synonyms....so does it matter which sounds better? They are more or less interchangable.

What bugs me is the proliferation of psychokinesis as a more "correct" and inclusive term. I've been watching the Let's Play of Sonic 2006 and Silver's driving me nuts talking about his "psychokinesis"... Everything he does falls under the banner of telekinesis, why use the term that makes me want to punch his voice actor and script writer because it sounds stupid?

"Telekinesis" came first, by 24 years, "telekinesis" parallels "telepathy" in a way "psychokinesis" can't, what purpose does having the word "psychokinesis" in the English language even serve? It's redundant! Worthless! Gah!

[Innis Cabal]

Its just the english language.

Why have two words for dislike? Or car? Or heck, even pop.

Barring that particular game (its not the point of the topic, but I have more then just the posted problem with the game, Silver in and of himself for instance). They both sort of cover the same powers, and dispite its flow with Telepathy, Psycokinesis works minus said flow.

[thubby]

Years. I swear I typed it... weird.



What bugs me is the proliferation of psychokinesis as a more "correct" and inclusive term. I've been watching the Let's Play of Sonic 2006 and Silver's driving me nuts talking about his "psychokinesis"... Everything he does falls under the banner of telekinesis, why use the term that makes me want to punch his voice actor and script writer because it sounds stupid?

"Telekinesis" came first, by 24 years, "telekinesis" parallels "telepathy" in a way "psychokinesis" can't, what purpose does having the word "psychokinesis" in the English language even serve? It's redundant! Worthless! Gah!

tele-distance, kinesis-movement.

psycho-???, usually implies the mind. kinesis-see above

psychokinesis would also fit the "tactile telekinesis" used to sometimes explain super strength, which doesn't fit the tele- part of telekinesis.

[Rawhide]

Why do we call it brontosaurus and not apatosaurus? (http://www.unmuseum.org/dinobront.htm)

[averagejoe]

Language does what it does, there's no reason to get worked up over it. I did not know that "psychokinesis" was taking over, and had only heard the word in the context of the Expanded Psionic's Handbook, but I've never had any particular attachment to the word "telekinesis."

[Fishman]

We don't say "psychopathy" to mean telepathy, why use "psychokinesis" to mean the same thing as telekinesis?Using "psychopathy" for telepathy would grossly confuse the issue, because the "-path" in "psychopath" is derived from "pathos", "suffering", whereas the -path in "telepath" is derived from "patheia", "feeling". This non one-to-one mapping results in the earlier definition taking precedence, much like two companies squabbling over a domain name.


According to Wiki, telekinesis was coined in 1890, psychokinesis in 1914, and in 2004 an Air Force study defined telekinesis as a subset of psychokinesis. So apparently the Air Force is to blame for this... or something.This is, of course, backwards. Telekinesis is motion at a distance, whereas psychokinesis would be motion through the mind. Therefore, psychokinesis would be a subset of telekinesis, which includes all forms of action-at-a-distance, regardless of their origins. It is technically possible to create telekinesis through purely physical means, as electromagnetism, forcefields, or gravitational manipulation, not to mention outright magic, although the term is generally used to refer to paranormal means (However, the only difference between magic and technology is understanding). Psycho- would be a restricted subset of this. It is NOT the more "inclusive" term, because its literal definition excludes forms of action at a distance that do not originate from a mental source.

The true offender, however, is neither of these, it is "pyrokinesis", which is the offender. Pyrokinesis is "Fire motion". How does that pertain in any way to creating fires with your mind? This word is simply completely WRONG, created by people with no understanding of the original words involved!

[Exeson]

What people forget is true Telekinesis is actually the control of things on an atomic level. But generally used to refer to the ability to move objects from a distance.

Psychokinesis seems to me (and it has been a while since I did Latin/Classical Greek) to be moving things with your mind.

So yeh, they mean pretty much the same thing.

[averagejoe]

The true offender, however, is neither of these, it is "pyrokinesis", which is the offender. Pyrokinesis is "Fire motion". How does that pertain in any way to creating fires with your mind? This word is simply completely WRONG, created by people with no understanding of the original words involved!

Untrue. I say "pyrokinesis" and most people will know what I mean. Therefore it cannot be wrong. Also, to people who know little about root meanings (like myself) it is intuitively similar to other words used to describe psychic abilities.

It's also worth knowing that words can, and do, divorce themselves from the meanings of the root words. One cannot argue what a word "should" mean based on where it came from.

[Athaniar]

It's also worth knowing that words can, and do, divorce themselves from the meanings of the root words. One cannot argue what a word "should" mean based on where it came from.

A good example would be necromancy and all the other -mancy stuff out there. -mancy actually indicates divination, not spellcasting in general, but you won't see many necromancers doing divination in modern fantasy. Concerning telekinesis and psychokinesis, I don't really care.

And what does the US Air Force has to do with mental powers now again?

[averagejoe]

And what does the US Air Force has to do with mental powers now again?

You don't have the clearance to know that.

[thubby]

It's also worth knowing that words can, and do, divorce themselves from the meanings of the root words. One cannot argue what a word "should" mean based on where it came from.

seeing as how the entirety of language is governed by group consensus, one cannot argue what a word should mean at all.

[Kaelaroth]

I seem to recall my friend's comics defining psychokinesis as blunt force, applied from the mind, while telekinesis was refined movement.

[Toastkart]

as has been stated, telekinesis refers specifically to the movement of objects, with the connotation that the mind is responsible. Psychokinesis, on the other hand, refers to movement by the mind. Another way to say that might be intentional or applied mental force.

The reason that psychopathy can't be used in place of telepathy is because psychopathy already has a meaning.

Parapsychology has always been an interesting topic for me. A couple weeks ago I saw some of William Roll's research materials in my university library's special collections. Seeing a box of cutlery not bent but twisted and wound in on itself so tightly that it should have broken or at least left stress marks in the metal makes you wonder what we routinely deny the mind is capable of.

[Ascension]

Why do we call it brontosaurus and not apatosaurus? (http://www.unmuseum.org/dinobront.htm)

Heh... I prefer brontosaurus too... :smallredface: I guess I'm looking like a... I don't know what word to describe it... Like a Luddite, but refusing to adopt new language instead of new technology.


I did not know that "psychokinesis" was taking over,

It probably isn't, I'm probably just paranoid. But I do seem to be seeing it a lot more than I used to (which is to say I used not to see it at all).


This is, of course, backwards. Telekinesis is motion at a distance, whereas psychokinesis would be motion through the mind. Therefore, psychokinesis would be a subset of telekinesis, which includes all forms of action-at-a-distance, regardless of their origins. It is technically possible to create telekinesis through purely physical means, as electromagnetism, forcefields, or gravitational manipulation, not to mention outright magic, although the term is generally used to refer to paranormal means (However, the only difference between magic and technology is understanding). Psycho- would be a restricted subset of this. It is NOT the more "inclusive" term, because its literal definition excludes forms of action at a distance that do not originate from a mental source.

Wow... given that definition I can't actually argue against the use of "psychokinesis." It certainly means the Air Force's "expert" has got it backwards, though.


The reason that psychopathy can't be used in place of telepathy is because psychopathy already has a meaning.

I'm perfectly aware of that. It was meant as something of an intentional hyperbole, horribly overstating my case. I fully recognized while composing the original post that psychopathy-as-a-synonym-for-telepathy is an entirely different (and far more serious) sort of absurd than the psychokinesis-as-a-synonym-for-telekinesis I-just-don't-like-it absurd. Thus the (lame attempt at a) joke about the "telepathic serial killer."

[Starshade]

A good example would be necromancy and all the other -mancy stuff out there. -mancy actually indicates divination, not spellcasting in general, but you won't see many necromancers doing divination in modern fantasy. Concerning telekinesis and psychokinesis, I don't really care.

And what does the US Air Force has to do with mental powers now again?

Necromancy, was actually a sort of divination, in archaic times. The word applied originally to calling back the spirit, not about animating a body.

[Recaiden]

Like others have said, psychokinesis is moving things with the mind, telekinesis any movement of things at a distance. Pyrokinesis is technically wrong in reference to its roots, but what would we call it? Psychopryia? Psychofotia?

[FireFox]

Using "psychopathy" for telepathy would grossly confuse the issue, because the "-path" in "psychopath" is derived from "pathos", "suffering", whereas the -path in "telepath" is derived from "patheia", "feeling". This non one-to-one mapping results in the earlier definition taking precedence, much like two companies squabbling over a domain name.

The true offender, however, is neither of these, it is "pyrokinesis", which is the offender. Pyrokinesis is "Fire motion". How does that pertain in any way to creating fires with your mind? This word is simply completely WRONG, created by people with no understanding of the original words involved!

Yes.
Oddly enough, I was thinking about this subject yesterday. I was getting severely bent out of shape just thinking about how Greek words were getting mangled. Then I realized that "teleportation" is Greek + Latin. (Longeporting sounds weird though...) However, I do thinking that pyrokinesis can apply if you take it as the ability to move and manipulate fires. The whole "with your mind" thing is just extra flavor... I dunno, I think if you look at the word that way it makes sense.

[Collin152]

Well, strictly speaking, psychokinesis is influencing the world with nothing but your mind; telekinesis is just moving things, and is therefore a bsubset.
See, what they usually test for now is influencing random number generators. That's pyschokinesis, but you wouldn't call that telekinesis, would you? Likewise, while you might call pyrokinesis a subset of telekinesis, pyrogenesis is a subset of psychokinesis.

I like using the most precise terms I can, see, like Pyrogenesis. My necromancers learn things from the dead, consarnit, and it's my "We don't need a new name" Morticians that revive them!

[T-O-E]

I prefer telekinesis, sounds a lot better.

But it doesn't really matter.

[Trog]

Why do we call it brontosaurus and not apatosaurus? (http://www.unmuseum.org/dinobront.htm)

"Apatosaurus Burger" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

[Douglas]

Neither telekinesis nor psychokinesis is a strict subset of the other, actually. They have a lot of overlap and the overlap is by far the most commonly meant meaning of either word, but the overlap does not completely cover either word. Moving something at a distance through use of a machine would be telekinesis but not psychokinesis. Moving your own body or something you are in physical contact with by using your mind without the intermediary of your muscles would be psychokinesis but not telekinesis. Moving something at a distance purely by mental effort is what both words are most commonly (and correctly) used for, but the two factors are distinct and independent.

I prefer telekinesis in most cases for the overlap, but that's just personal preference.

[Illiterate Scribe]

As telekineticist goes to psychokineticist, telepath goes to psychopath.