Why do we still entertain the idea of psychics?

[Beige Lantern]

Personally, I think anyone who says that it is NOT real with 100% certainty is JUST as ludicrous as those who claim it IS real. Being ignorantly close-minded is just as bad as being ignorantly open-minded.

No it's not. It's bad, but not as bad, because skeptics are likely to end up closer to the truth than true believers.

But okay, I won't say I know with 100% certainty that psychic abilities don't exist. I will say that at this time there is no verifiable evidence whatsoever, despite having sought it for centuries, that indicates the existence of psychic powers.

 

[The End]

Of course it isn't real.

Think about the world we live in today, the world of the 21st century, where information is so widely available, and all the video technology that exists in the palms of so many hands.

You would think that if psychics were real, there would be at least 1 indisputable example documented or recorded, getting passed around on the net.

The fact is that under even the slightest scrutiny or skepticism, claims of psychic powers don't hold up. The techniques that so called psychics use are well known and easily replicable. Cold reading, for example. Just standing in front of a large group of people and throwing things out there until you get a hit.

James Randi's spent his life debunking this stuff.

Clips of Randi simply, well, destroying psychics are almost endless.

James Randi debunks Maureen Flynn

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She does a reading on the audience then Randi does a poll.

How many people in the audience can connect with the name Taylor? 30%
How many people can relate to the condition of the grandfather? 55%

Also, Randi has a transcript of one of her private readings. Absolutely hilarious. Here's some of the names she threw out in this one single reading with one person...

Alan
Alfred
Alice
Ann
Bill
Charley
Collin
Coney
David
Derek
Irene
Ellen
Fred
George
Jim
Joe
John
Lilian
Liz
Mark
May
Michael
Sherly
Steve
'Can you connect with a name beginning with n?', lol

Everyone has biases. People remember the hits, and they forget the misses.


For decades now, James Randi has offered money to anyone that can actually demonstrate psychic power. No one has ever ever ever ever been able to collect.

James Randi Test "Psychics" on ABC For The One Million.

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The importance of skepticism cannot be understated. There is a danger of being so open minded that you allow crap to fill your brain; skepticism is a good filter. I consider professional psychics to be scum of the earth. They prey on people's emotions, they lie to people, they prey on people's grief, they give desperate people false information.

Sylvia Browne exposed as a fraud on CNN Anderson Cooper by James Randi

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It should go without saying that evidence would be the thing that should convince people. The burden of proof is on those who claim to have psychic powers.

 

[KevanG]

I distrust psychics who charge money. Charles Xavier never charges people, that's why he has credibility.

Try as I might I can't find that picture of Xavier mindwiping some guy and making Cyclops steal his wallet.

 

[The End]

Uh oh, someone actually brought up quantum mechanics to explain psychic phenomenon?

Let's just go full Deepak Chopra!

 

[Doctor Evo]

Uh oh, someone actually brought up quantum mechanics to explain psychic phenomenon?

Weeeeellllll, not exactly.

 

[Gr0oT]

We still entertain the idea because by and large we are still part of societies that legitimize faith base claims.
If you're made to believe from an early age that there is a magic man in the sky who knows your every thought and controls every aspect of reality then it isn't that much of a stretch to lend belief that certain people have been gifted with supernatural talents.
And since belief is held to a higher standard evidence then it doesn't matter if everything points to psychics being frauds.

 

[Beige Lantern]

If you're made to believe from an early age that there is a magic man in the sky who knows your every thought and controls every aspect of reality...

And here comes the invisible bearded man sitting on a cloud fallacy...

 

[Piper Maru]

If you don't believe in the flying spaghetti monster you can just get out.

 

[Feenix]

There was a "psychic" who was invited to my work once (because HR was ridiculous) and she spent the first 15 minutes of the "reading" telling us about her upcoming show and where to buy tickets. She played up to people's emotions and one woman asked her about her dead grandfather and she replied that he's doing well and he's happy. What a crock. I hate people who claim to be psychics and I hate the people who give them money.

 

[Alien Anal]

The thing that i guess i don't understand is how people can ignore science so easily

 

[KevanG]

The thing that i guess i don't understand is how people can ignore science so easily

1) Check the conspiracy thread for more on ignoring science.
2) There really isn't any conclusive testing done to prove or disprove psychic abilities.
3) Evo is going to have a field day with that.

 

[Alien Anal]

I don't think you really need to do studies and tests on psychic abilities to see if its real or not. surely using the knowledge we have of the human anatomy and our pretty good understanding of physics combined with history we can clearly make the rational conclusion that its not real and never has been. we all know why Santa clause doesn't exist but we all know why children believe he does

 

[Doctor Evo]

1) Check the conspiracy thread for more on ignoring science.
2) There really isn't any conclusive testing done to prove or disprove psychic abilities.
3) Evo is going to have a field day with that.

Eh, I've got better things to do right now. Got about twenty papers I need to read, a textbook I need to run through, and I need to get ready for my shark-wrangling dives tomorrow. You get a pass (for now).

 

[Tanin]

Eh, I've got better things to do right now. Got about twenty papers I need to read, a textbook I need to run through, and I need to get ready for my shark-wrangling dives tomorrow. You get a pass (for now).

Santa Clause exists. Pretty good movie... Now Santa Claus he does not.

 

[Tempest]

The thing that i guess i don't understand is how people can ignore science so easily

Because science is boring and takes all the magic out of everything. That's how.

 

[KevanG]

http://www.cracked.com/article_18553_5-cheap-magic-tricks-behind-every-psychic.html

Some light reading.

 

[The End]

Because science is boring and takes all the magic out of everything. That's how.

I'm not sure if this is a serious comment or not. But I'd say the reality revealed by science is so much more exciting and beautiful than the rubbish that people try to make up about reality.

Watch Neil deGrasse Tyson's Cosmos if ya don't believe me!

 

[The Endless]

I think there are things that are beyond human comprehension. The rules and theories were know are only man made.

But when you consider the vastness of the universe and the infinite possibilities, I don't think we should be arrogant enough to think we can quantify everything.

I'm not saying i believe in psychics and ghosts and all that. But i believe there is things going on that we will never understand, we can't understand. I believe there is things beyond the physical, beyond our level of understanding.

 

[The End]

Prove it.

I hate this vague stuff of "oh there are things we can't understand, we can't quantify everything, I believe there is something beyond the physical".

'Cause you're being too vague, and in trying to sound "deep", you just sound silly. If you can't even quantify what the hell it is you're talking about I'm not going to take you seriously and neither should anyone else.

 

[The End]

Deepak Chopra random quote generator!

http://www.wisdomofchopra.com/

http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/deepak-generator/

which of these four statements was actually said by Chopra, and which were generated by the program:

“Perception is inherent in cosmic possibilities”;
“Interdependence inspires quantum life”;
“Hidden meaning is serving your own evolution”;
“Freedom heals self-righteous knowledge”.

Hahaha.

 

[Lantern Venom]

I believe the answer is in the question. Most accounts of ghosts, alien encounters, and psi instantly pose so many questions that their veracity cannot be substantiated. Even if the individual is telling the absolute truth about his/her perceptions, there are so many other internal and external variables, that "undetermined" is the best case scenario for the person making the claim.

But, you phrased the question as "entertain the idea", which is an apt description of where humanity is in its evaluation of psi. The truth is that our understanding of the brain is still in its infancy. Concepts like autism, schizophrenia, dementia, eidetic memory, amnesia, etc..are very new in the scope of scientific study.To say that psychic phenomenon absolutely cannot exist is to claim a level of understanding of the brain that might be centuries away.

Also, I'm also skeptical of James Randi for the same reason he and his fans are doubtful of psi. Whenever I've seen his show, he brings out individuals whose "abilities", even if substantiated, would be completely worthless. Randi's challenge is like seeing a strawman argument played out on a TV screen. *If* someone were to possess such a rare ability as precognition or clairvoyance, I seriously doubt he/she would want to expose himself/herself to the circus of Randi's show for the selfish reason of wealth.

 

[PacificBoy]

Prove it.

I hate this vague stuff of "oh there are things we can't understand, we can't quantify everything, I believe there is something beyond the physical".

'Cause you're being too vague, and in trying to sound "deep", you just sound silly. If you can't even quantify what the hell it is you're talking about I'm not going to take you seriously and neither should anyone else.

Not a fan of poetry then? I'm with you (I'm on board the Neil deGrasse Tyson, Richard Dawkins train too) in that paranormal phenomena should be examined with scientific rigour and scepticism before passing credence.

But your reply to The Endless seems unnecessarily dogmatic. What he's saying is "maybe, just maybe". You're taking offence when there's none to be taken.

 

[Breogan]

Because science is boring and takes all the magic out of everything. That's how.

You're going to make them cry....
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Meanwhile what superstition and "magic" wrought -
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[Spider-Who?]

No it's not. It's bad, but not as bad, because skeptics are likely to end up closer to the truth than true believers.

But okay, I won't say I know with 100% certainty that psychic abilities don't exist. I will say that at this time there is no verifiable evidence whatsoever, despite having sought it for centuries, that indicates the existence of psychic powers.

I think you are misunderstanding the definition and role of skepticism. True skeptics do NOT go around vehemently denying the existence of X,Y and Z with 100% certainty, and without any room or desire for finding the truth. Skeptics are uncertain and QUESTION the existence of X,Y,Z and desire to seek out the truth. The two are VERY different and I see very few skeptics here.

 

[Alien Anal]

But why does psyhic phenomena even deserve skepticism? Its made up. Its never actually been a thing and has never been proven to be a thing.

maybe i misunderstand what skepticism is but if you don't believe in Santa surely your not a skeptic.