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May 07, 2013

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I'm not sure if I see the 'ratings whores' that run many television shows in a much better light than the bloodsucking 'psychic' frauds!

"bloodsucking 'psychic' frauds!"

Who could reasonably dispute that?

The media outlets that promote these frauds fund these bastards and must therefore accept guilt as being accessories to their crimes and for enabling their criminal and morally abhorrent activities.

5 (out of thousands) of psychics failed on 3 situations (out of millions), and you conclude all the psychics in the world are useless. That's not skeptical, that's stupid (among other things).

Hi D,
Skeptics look at the evidence that exists and see what it suggests, challenging their own beliefs if necessary. Please provide an address or link to the data that shows proof of the claims you make. Then I can know what you are talking about and I wont be confined to the information that is available to me, I can give the data you present appropriate consideration.
Skepticism taught me well how to assess a scientific test, maybe you can alter my view on the subject. (Assuming the data can hold water)

You don't know much about what skeptics say about psychics, D.

So far, every single properly double-blinded and controlled test performed with a psychic has resulted in failure. If I'm wrong, I'd like you to point to a success instead of making cliched personal accusations. It only takes one psychic who is willing and able to pass such a test, and none have emerged despite skeptics making demands over the course of decades.

Many of us would love it if psychic powers were demonstrably real because it'd open up a new wild field of science where we could watch scientists devise and test competing hypotheses. We'd have a front row seat as the scientific community hammers a consensus out of the chaos of the formerly unknown. We might even see inventors apply that hard won knowledge for practical use. We'd get to see a field of science grow from infancy to maturity within our lifetime.

But in reality, the failures have happened so consistently and predictably, a great many of us have gotten bored with the topic. The field of parapsychology hasn't made any advances I'm aware of.

If you want us to pay closer attention, you have to present us with something truly extraordinary to shock us out of apathy. Most believers don't even know what that would be because they aren't interested in listening to us or our expectations. We know a lot about what ordinary human beings are capable of, and I typically find that believers underestimate human ingenuity and imagination. Instead of taking the time to really listen and tailor their message to us, they rehearse the same old prejudices instead of acknowledging that they need to approach us differently.

Psychics are generally only willing to be tested under loose circumstances where non-psychics have been known to succeed through known methods of trickery (stage magicians do such things for a living) or have their believers interpret any questionable outcome as a success because they fell prey to known, universally human methods of self-deception. Clear failures are explained by inconsistent ad hoc hypotheses after the fact.

We want test protocols that prevent known methods of trickery that can be performed by ordinary human beings and produce clear success or clear failure that aren't so easily subjected to spin. We want psychics to do things non-psychics can't.

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