Thread: The Amazing Randi

This is also informative: About Randi

[EDIT]
PS - The search button on top would have found this for you - James Randi's $1 Million Dollar Challenge

Regardless Placebo, paranormal/supernatural phenomena and powers have repeatedly failed the test under controlled observation. A supernatural or paranormal event has never been observed in a scientific setting.

However, many people (many in this forum) still hold firm beliefs in these types of events. Here's why:

1) Biased reporting - a supposed "discovery" of ESP or some other phenomenon is made, this event get much media attention. However, when the phenomenon cannot be replicated or observed in a controlled setting, this gets zero media coverage.

2) Will to believe - Wishful thinking, people have a basic psychological desire for predictability in their world and the supposed existence of these supernatural events give them even the faintest illusion of control and comfort.

3) Data of everyday experience - People often see "strange coincidences" as something more than coincidence. However, all of these events are statistically explainable, not only are these coincidences happening, its inevitable for that they will happen. Take a simple example:

The case of death premonitions: Suppose that you know of 10 people a year who die and that you think about each of those people once a year (In reality, it's probably much higher than that). One year contains 105,120 five-minute intervals during which you might think about each of the 10 people, a probability of 1 out of 10,512--certainly an improbable event. Yet there are 295 million Americans. Assume, for the sake of our calculation, that they think like you. That makes 1/10,512 X 295,000,000 = 28,063 people a year, or 77 people a day for whom this improbable premonition becomes probable. With the well-known cognitive phenomenon of confirmation bias firmly in force (where we notice the hits and ignore the misses in support of our favorite beliefs), if just a couple of these people recount their miraculous tales in a public forum (next on Oprah!), the paranormal seems vindicated. In fact, they are merely demonstrating the laws of probability writ large.

Personally, I'm sick of arguing it. Everyone else that has watched me, has no negative criticism (other than that its 'evil') - thats more than enough for me, for now

So I'll continue my daily telekinesis practice, and ignore any threads about psionics or psychic abilities on DreamViews as of today
With the possible exception of my wayward experiment topic....

I have had 2 preminissions of people dying
In my entire live only 3 people close to me have died and 2 of these occurences have been under strange cirumstances
One was a cousin, i had not seen her in a while. The cause of her death was inconclusive, the case is still open. It is not known weather it was suicide or murder.
My uncle (by marriage) commited suicide.
My preminissions were on the same day as the deaths.
I didn't know who the person was going to be, i just knew someone was going to die.

I don't think of death, and yes there have been people who have died around me. But i believe if u have experienced this, u would know there is something special/ deeper to human thinking.

(i like bradybaker. he has sense).

Originally posted by Anna_Mae
I have had 2 preminissions of people dying *
In my entire live only 3 people close to me have died and 2 of these occurences have been under strange cirumstances *
One was a cousin, i had not seen her in a while. The cause of her death was inconclusive, the case is still open. It is not known weather it was suicide or murder. *
My uncle (by marriage) commited suicide. *
My preminissions were on the same day as the deaths. *
I didn't know who the person was going to be, i just knew someone was going to die.

Please re-read my post above, note the entire paragraph about premonitions of death, what don't you understand?