Important Subtitle: “Stupid” Given current evidence (a good skeptic is always ready and willing to change their mind if reliable evidence is brought to light)
I’m going to be posting a number of these over the next week or two. It may get a bit controversial, but whatever, it’s not like anyone really cares what i think. I mean, who am I right? I’m posting these as much so I’ll have a reason to put these thoughts down in an organized fashion as anything else. Enjoy!
1: Psychics and Other Imaginary Creatures
I think this pretty well sums it up (from XKCD):
Somehow though, people still believe in this.
Here’s a simple question to ask yourself: If these types of powers and abilities really exist, why has there never, not once, been a verifiable and reproducible demonstration of these powers in a controlled setting? Some people believe there has been, but they are mistaken. Let’s look at a few of the examples people often point to as “proof”:
Uri Geller - You know, the guy who could bend spoons and keys with the power of his mind? He’s a hack, a slight of hand magician, and not even a very good one. Johnny Carson, with the help of James Randi (both are experienced magicians, and well versed in methods of trickery), once put him to a simple test. He presented Geller with a number of objects and asked him to demonstrate his powers. He refused (previously, Geller had supplied his own materials). Here’s a video put together by James Randi about Geller and his trickery (he also tackles Peter Popoff).
John Edward - John Edward’s show Crossing Over was a big hit, and I’ll admit that I was suckered by it at the time. The fact is, he’s just a cold reader, and not even a very good one (notice that, both examples so far are highly charismatic yet not terribly skilled in a technical sense, people just want to believe someone they inherently like). If you watch the show with a skeptical eye, you’ll notice that he flounders quite a lot. There’s a reason he warns that he may only be able to come up with initials or sound-alike names, this opens up the pool of potential hits. You’ll also notice that most of what he actually says - by that I mean the things he says before getting help from his targets, who invariably fill in the specific details - are very general and non-specific. Here’s a detailed, step by step explanation of how he does it. And another one, less detailed but shorter.
Sylvia Brown - I can’t believe anyone still believes in Sylvia Brown, but apparently they do. Brown is not only a charlatan, she’s a bad person too. The whole Shawn Hornbeck debacle is her most well known blunder, it’s also well documented. If you want more, watch this, or this, if you can still stomach her.
Police Psychics - Don’t believe it. Most of those who claim that they’ve helped the police can’t substantiate those claims. I’d like to see some statistics that actually show some sort of reliability. I don’t think such a thing exists.
These examples don’t prove that psychic phenomena aren’t real, of course. But bear in mind that these are the best examples, the shining lights, and they’re frauds, every one. Similarly, research has been going on for centuries without coming up with anything definitive. You can’t prove a negative, but no one has even come close to proving a positive on this one.
If you still insist on believing, or worse, insist that you’ve experienced psychic phenomena first hand, do yourself a favor: Go to your local community college or continuing education center and sign up for a psychology class or two. Or at least crack open a few books on that subject, as well as science, critical thinking, and skepticism (anything by James Randi or Carl Sagan would be a great place to start).
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