 What is the significance of the idea of authority?
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, August 1957. The first was from Roberts Bros., announcing another shift of deadline on the book, and demanding the galley proofs two weeks earlier than scheduled. As director of psionic research at the Hoffman Medical Center, he had long since learned how administrative detail could suck up daytime hours. In recognition of your position as an authority on human Psionic behavior patterns, we would be gratified to schedule you as principle speaker at the Conference in Chicago on October 12th. "A Theory of Psionic Influence on Infant and Child Development." When they were finally forced to recognize that this great and powerful force did indeed exist in human minds, with unimaginable potential if it could only be unlocked, they had plunged eagerly into the search, and found themselves in a maddening bramble bush of contradictions and chaos. They were trying to study phenomena which made no sense, observing things that defied logic. Natural laws came crashing down about their ears as they stood sadly by and watched things happen which natural law said could never happen. And the more they struggled, the thicker and more impenetrable the bramble bush became— But now David Lessing had discovered a pathway through that jungle, a theory to work by— At his elbow the intercom buzzed. "Of course, I've seen old dried-up Authorities before—but never before a brand spanking new one, just fresh out of the pupa, so to speak!" "I want to hear this fairy tale you're about to publish in the name of 'Theory'," Melrose said. But mostly, I want to see just what in psionic hell you're so busy making yourself an Authority about." "As for our 'fairy tale', we happen to have a staggering body of evidence that says that it's true." "If the papers you've already published are a preview, we think it's false as Satan." "So far, we haven't found any way to set up logical controls," said Melrose. "We haven't been energetic enough to find an orthodox approach that got us anywhere. "Until we had to throw it out. "In fact, you can't really be certain that your instruments are measuring the children at all. "Only took them seventy years to climb it, thanks to a certain man's theories. A phenomenon exists.
 It is one of many concerns the scientists have surrounding their research
 It is the only way Dr. Lessing will get enough traction to publish his book  It is the only thing that drives Dr. Melrose and his goals  It is one of many concerns the scientists have surrounding their research  It is the deciding factor in who gets to speak at the major conference