Psychic Abilities = Real or Bullshit

Hello, hello

I had started mentioning this in "The Future" section, but recently found more some information on it and figured I'd see what some of you kind folks thought about it. Before I begin, I just wanted to stress again, I do not have a firm opinion on psychic-abilites. So I am in no way trying to say that I think all of you are "fake" or "liars". To be honest, I treat the subject kind of like I do with aliens.. I've never seen an alien, but I've also never seen any reason not to believe in them.

With that being said I recently became aware of James Randi and his Educational Foundation. Randi proposed a MILLION DOLLAR challange to anyone with psychic abilities that could come to his institute and prove their abilities under a controlled atmosphere.

Here's from his site:

The Foundation is committed to providing reliable information about paranormal claims. It both supports and conducts original research into such claims. At JREF, we offer a one-million-dollar prize to anyone who can show, under proper observing conditions, evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event. The JREF does not involve itself in the testing procedure, other than helping to design the protocol and approving the conditions under which a test will take place. All tests are designed with the participation and approval of the applicant. In most cases, the applicant will be asked to perform a relatively simple preliminary test of the claim, which if successful, will be followed by the formal test. Preliminary tests are usually conducted by associates of the JREF at the site where the applicant lives. Upon success in the preliminary testing process, the "applicant" becomes a "claimant."

To date, no one has ever passed the preliminary tests.


I first heard about this on Penn & Teller's show, Bullshit, but decided it was something I wanted to further research,


What do you guys think?


And again, I am sorry if I have offended anyone, that was not my reason for posting this. I am merely curious.


Thanks!

 

Okay....that's even more interesting. So,they're not only interested in psychics...they're interested in people claiming all sorts of paranormal activities. Wow...I can't believe that not one person has passed.

 

Two things. People who really have psychic abilities are not going to waste their time with a negative person such as Randi. Also, these abilities are rarely, to most people, available on demand. Most have things occur without making them happen. Being in a lab is maybe the worst place to try to "prove" these abilities. Two, people HAVE done amazing things in the presence of Randi and he ALWAYS finds some bullshit reason to "disprove" and degrade them.

So, no good real psychic or someone with sensitivities is going to take them up. Most are not interested in his tainted money anyway. He is so negative, that psychics mostly know, by instinct, to avoid him. Most people who really have sensitivities don't feel the need to "prove" their abilities to hostile nonbeleivers like Randi.

JMO.

 

The way I see it skeptics will always try to find a way to explain what they see...even though like paranormal events no one can really explain 100%.

 

(quote)
People who really have psychic abilities are not going to waste their time with a negative person such as Randi.
(end quote)

That says it all, really.

 

Thanks for the replies all

You guys make a lot of good points.

One thing that they did bring up though.. even if you don't have any desire for the money, wouldn't you perhaps try it so you could donate the money to a needy charity or something?

I see what you're saying about not always being "incontrol" of your abilities. al very good points. Thanks again, everyone It's a subject I am very curious about and enjoy researching.

Thanks again!
Goo

 

i dont know about the rules, but forgive me if linking to sites breaks them. just delete the post, in that case, thanks.

check these sites out.

http://www.psipalatium.com
http://www.psipog.net

dabble around.

a couple more things

dabble around with those sites, you might be pleasantly surprised.

psychism does not necessarily mean spirituality. fortunately/unfortunately, just because you're attuned to your instinct, doesnt make you a moral person

 

Just so you know, I wouldn't trust 90% of what I see on Penn and Teller's show. I know you've read into the topic, which is good, but just as a general rule, don't be too quick to take what they say on that show for fact. They like to take things out of context and exaggerate things, and the people they interview are always the worst in whatever field or group that particular episode is condemning. And sometimes they say things that are just wrong. It can be funny, but it's also one of the most inaccurate "documentary" shows I've ever watched.

 

Dont believe 90% of what you see on tv anyway. The thing about Randi is he knows he dosn't have to pay up, because he sets it up so it's his word against theres.
I have known two people who were strongly precognitive myself, one was my great aunt, the other a woman in colorado. That one would deny outright she was anything speciel, even when you saw her do it. I think that might be because when she was a child she was ridaculed for admitting to it, and the fact that for most poeple it is a little spooky, worried she could read there mind or something.
it seems to me everyone has some extrasensory abilities, ever drive in bumper to bumper traffic at 70 mph? if you didn't actualy witness such a thing it would seem impossible, yet somehow thousands do it every day.
It could be that all animals are somewhat pyschic, consider a baby, born into this world with an amazing amount of information, far to much in my opinion for a single cell to contain. So where does this info come from? The mother would be a logical assumtion, and that would explain why most all the real deals are woman.

 

Thanks all No worries, I don't read too into television or anything -- and I don't even really like Penn & Teller -- I had just never heard of that Randi organization before seeing happening to catch that episode one evening. I've always been prettying interested in "it" (psychics, precogs, ect.), but I certainly can say I myself don't have any abilities. So I just like reading about it and such. I was interested in seeing some of your opinions on the matter, gracias for sharing!

Again, I certainly don't mean any ill-will or regards with this stuff. Just pure curiousity for me

Thanks again all -- much love!

Goo

 

steffan, what you said about babies makes no sense. babies know nothing until they are tought it. all of the instincts a baby learns is learnt in the womb when the baby actually practices them. babies know very little whenthey are born anyway, so why cant it fit in one (relatively massive compared to the size of genes) cell?

 

abuse is a completely subjective term, and i doubt the ability is a gift, its simply something people do. like, say, breathing isnt a gift, its just something you do to stay alive.

besides, what is this 'abuse' you speak of? the use of the ability to reach an goal you would not call 'good?' what is 'good' anyway? being unselfish? being unhurting?

realize that homosexuality, promiscuity, blasphemy, free-thinking, all these things were once considered 'evil' and were unaccepted by most people years ago, but are more or less accepted, at least in western society, today.

i dont believe in karma. what you do WILL come back to you, but doing 'bad' wont necessarily result in only bad things happening to you in the long run.

who's to say what's 'bad' anyway?

just my thoughts

 

stick a titt in a baby's face and see what it does, and thats just for starters

 

rofl

 

Penn & Teller are obviously entertainers, so you'd be very unwise to take them seriously. However, they do present two fairly compelling arguments: firstly that no-one has ever answered Randi's challenge and tested their 'abilities' in a lab; secondly that Randi can replicate anything that so-called 'psychics' can do.

Another factor, which they take advantage of in their show, is that pretty much every well-known 'psychic' or whatever is a laughable fake. That pretty much goes without saying, even here (right?), but it makes it very easy for people like P&T to make *all* 'psychics' look bad.

 

Sorry, but it's true that stage magicians can do anything that so-called 'paranormal' people can. It's called 'mentalism', and it's one of the oldest forms of stage magic. Randi has repeated every psychic stunt out there, often doing them better than the people who claim its real!

Look at it this way; if every carpenter who anyone had every heard of was shitty, then it'd be reasonable to believe that carpentry is a crock of shit - if there were good ones, we'd see em, right? Of course, there may be decent carpenters hiding behind the scenes, laughing and keeping their skills to themselves, but we assume not because we can't see them. The same goes for 'para-normal' stuff - sure it might be true, but if every 'psychic' I've ever seen was a shuckster, what reason have I got to believe that *you* aren't one too?

 

psychism is also something we do naturally, just like breathing. we have an aura which is a natural by-product of internal processes, or so i choose to believe because it helps me do psychism.

Oh, I know what people consider right and what they consider wrong man, dont get me wrong lol, but I'm an immoralist a la Nietzsche. I don't believe in morals, but that does not mean i don't follow the ethical system sometimes, mostly because it just feels good to forgive or help others. i don't believe in good or bad.
i'll admit, i've attempted and/or used the ability in a harmful way a couple times, but i've seen no direct negative repercussions thus far.

ehh i dont really believe in god, for existential/nietzschean reasons again. im an agnostic-atheist (i dont know about his/her/its existence or absence thereof due to lack of proof, bu choose to live as though he/she/it did not exist). but thats just me.

and yeah, i agree, the silly homophobes must die >_<

i agree wholeheartedly. we are accountable for our own actions. but i think i take karma in the social/physical manifestation of it, i.e. if you hurt someone they'll come back to avenge themselves.

but thats just me man, i dont know anything about this world haha, and yeah im just 17, i'll change. eventually




i encourage you to look into psychic abilities and their use. you've heard of magick and witchcraft, theyre based on the same concepts. i can safely tell you this: that psychic abilities exist and are NOT exclusively available to a few handful of people, that is a myth. not being psychic seems to be the exception rather than the norm.

 

haha very true, very true, but check psychism out anyway man.

http://www.psipog.net
http://www.psipalatium.com

in that order =)

 

I have yet to be convinced.

I am an illusionist and "mind reader" for entertainment purposes only.

I am also a big fan of P&T's Bullshit as well.

The stuff that Edward and Van Prague does is so easily reproduced with stunning accuracy. I do "psychic readings" at my shows and many times the people swear to me that I have to have "powers" even though I know that I don't.

 

Quite. It's the same sort of idiocy as conspiracy theorists. Some people have difficulty with some fairly basic facts about the world - things like co-incidence. I've spoken to shitloads of people who claim to have forseen this that or the other, but it's just bollocks - they may well believe that they forsaw it, but it's really easy to explain all these things with simple psychology.

To me, there are two types of 'psychic' - the ones who make money out of it, who are clearly actual con artists; and the kids who interpret every little bit of deja vu or dimly-remembered dream as some kind of 'psychic' expecience. They tend to support one another, at least in public, but they're actually very different beasts. The latter may well grow into the former, once they realize that their 'abilities' are just a case of post-hoc interpretation and over-signifying of co-incidences.