Randi's Million Dollar Challenge

[schticknz]

Via C2C ... a very interesting article about James Randi's Million Dollar Challenge to mediums, psychics, and those who can show similar paranormal abilities. He gets more of a bad guy to me every day ...

http://www.dailygrail.com/features/the-myth-of-james-randis-million-dollar-challenge

So ... Randi ... is he just a bit of an old fraud a bit like those he's trying to 'debunk'???

Any thoughts??

(Beard comments will be accepted )

[Jose Collado]

I think Randi is well versed in illusion but I give him credit for stating illusions as such. Whilst others state it as a "gift" or supernatural power. I just wonder what he'd do if he actually had to cut that money loose. Would he hand it over, or demand repetition over and over. It would suck if that check bounced after all these years.

I've come across plenty of crank psychics and miracle workers in my time. I'm public enemy number one in their books.

[kova]

Randi a fraud? Is is/was a magician/illusionist.

he will never have to pay up, because psychics do not exist. Plain and simple.

He is the best thing that ever happened to the field.

[schticknz]

Originally Posted by kova

Randi a fraud? Is is/was a magician/illusionist.

he will never have to pay up, because psychics do not exist. Plain and simple.

He is the best thing that ever happened to the field.

Oh ok ... sorry ... my whole opinion of the universe, time and space, and beards has been totally overturned by your cogent argument.

I'll be told next that even though the universe is how old??? ... 14 maybe 15 billion years old ... that man is the only sentient life in universe ... blimey ... might be time for me to grow an enormous beard and to 'de-bunk' every sodding paranormal incident in the entire history of the human race and get away with it constantly ... oh damn ... thats been done already.

schtick ... again getting increasingly baffled by peoples naive and vacuously black and white view of the universe

[TClaeys]

Randi's testing conditions are so extreme that I don't know you could prove anything exists, much less some type of paranormal phenomenon. Just because you can't prove it via Randi's protocol doesn't really mean a damn thing. What the hell kind of an incentive is money to a person with a real gift?? It would perhaps transcend material things.

I'm not saying that psychics exist as I am very skeptical, but try proving hate or love in a Randi controlled forum. Could you do it?? I wonder if you could gather any proof for the big bang(matter apparently came from nowhere) or dark matter(it seems to exist and scientists are banking on it). Certain elements are not measurable, testable, and repeatable, but yet they exist.

[kova]

My reply was not based on randi de-bunking anyone....

I'm just saying Randi won't have to pay, because psychics do not exist. Why should he not be tough on them? These people are claiming they have these special powers... atleast prove they can perform in an observable and scientific fashion and not have hits by pure coincidence. How tough could that be. There should still be anomolies in the testing even if they don't test 100%.

What the hell kind of an incentive is money to a person with a real gift??? I laughed out loud when I read that last post. This is a brutal statement to say, since Randi is trying to test people who make LOADS AND LOADS of cash off innocent people. Sylvia Browne, James Van Praagh, John Edward and Rosemary Altea are just a few reasons why Randi should be doing what he is doing... The rest of the[Frauds] would love to have thier money.

[Columbine]

'...make loads and loads of cash off innocent people.'

Is it the same innocent people who engage mediums? If so, I have never come across any 'innocent people' who haven't wanted to speak with a medium. It never works the other way around i.e. mediums don't barge into peoples' houses and begin 'spouting off.' One would need to take the decision to visit one.

I don't know any rich ones either..or any fraudulent ones, come to that.

Columbine.

[kova]

Originally Posted by Columbine

'...make loads and loads of cash off innocent people.'

Is it the same innocent people who engage mediums? If so, I have never come across any 'innocent people' who haven't wanted to speak with a medium. It never works the other way around i.e. mediums don't barge into peoples' houses and begin 'spouting off.' One would need to take the decision to visit one.

I don't know any rich ones either..or any fraudulent ones, come to that.

Columbine.

That is because these innocent people think they are getting the real deal... It is called being a victim.

WOW... you know a real medium or psychic. That is amazing. It is called COLD READING.

[TClaeys]

Originally Posted by kova

What the hell kind of an incentive is money to a person with a real gift??? I laughed out loud when I read that last post. This is a brutal statement to say, since Randi is trying to test people who make LOADS AND LOADS of cash off innocent people. Sylvia Browne, James Van Praagh, John Edward and Rosemary Altea are just a few reasons why Randi should be doing what he is doing... The rest of the[Frauds] would love to have thier money.

Lets get this straight because I don't think you understand my point. I'm not saying these people have any type of gift. In fact I am sickened by them. They are frauds definitely. But by saying psychics don't exist doesn't make it so. And just because Randi hasn't found the person to commit to his testing and pass doesn't make it so either. In this case money is the incentive to "show off your talents". Where maybe somewhere there is someone who doesn't indulge in this mass marketing virus and cold readings, etc. In other words perhaps they just exist in their own world to offer insight when applicable, but couldn't care less for money or showing their talents or whatnot.

This is something you can neither prove or disprove despite your opinions on the matter. And even though I tend to agree that they, in fact, do not exist, Randi's challenge does nothing because it only appeals to the frauds in the first place. A forum for the fakers to hang themselves and I wish they would do just that. But as far as psychic phenomenon, there are many strange things that perhaps need an explanation or defy it.

Originally Posted by kova

Where did I compare life in the universe and psychics??? Even though it has never been proven either... Obviously you don't know what my signature means... I think there should be life, but I have seen no proof.

My comments were not all directed at you, but were general comments concerning Randi. And I don't know that I said that you were comparing them, at least I didn't mean to if I did. I was just saying there are things that certainly exist, but we would be unable to prove them Randi-style because of his standards of testing. I mean, they do exist, but the Randi protocol would leave them unproven. At least that is how I see it.

[kova]

I don't believe that Randi is the only catch all to the truth... And I also don't believe that the money should be an incentive either...

It should be about the truth. If they were real... they could step up to Randi, pass or prove something that would wow us... and then throw the cash/bonds back in his face or give it to charity.

I am sorry too... I thought most of that was directed at me.. and it almost seems we have the same stance on most of this stuff.

I think proving the truth would be hard, but not impossible.