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Goodbye Jesus

I want to see a psychic or a palm-reader....


Anushka

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53 minutes ago, sdelsolray said:

 

Again, your continued apologetics are shallow and demonstrate, at least to me, that you are addicted to magical thinking.  Live with it, or deal with it.  Asking for acceptance or approval is infantile and cowardly.

 

Jeez! What's your problem!

I wasn't "asking for acceptance or approval"

I genuinely wanted to know how he did it cos I have seen many others apart from him do it.

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39 minutes ago, Anushka said:

 

Jeez! What's your problem!

I wasn't "asking for acceptance or approval"

I genuinely wanted to know how he did it cos I have seen many others apart from him do it.

 

Here's a bunch of resources on how it could be done.

 

https://www.thrillist.com/culture/7-tricks-psychics-and-mediums-use-how-psychics-use-cold-reading-the-forer-effect

http://www.skepticreport.com/sr/?p=207

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/speaking-in-tongues/201201/tricks-the-psychic-trade

 

Are there talented con people out there? Sure. Do they actually know things using the 'powers' they don't know otherwise. No evidence for that so far.

 

One way to test is to think of a complex sentence or something and ask them to tell you exactly, and I mean exactly, what you are thinking. They won't be able to. They will resort to vague mumblings. "I feel you are thinking about an abstract subject.... it is complex..." Yes well no shit... Now tell me exactly what I am thinking. No one has been able to do this, because while intuition and observation greatly helps cold read people, actual powers is not a thing.

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3 hours ago, Anushka said:

 

Jeez! What's your problem!

I wasn't "asking for acceptance or approval"

I genuinely wanted to know how he did it cos I have seen many others apart from him do it.

 

It might be a good time to abandon this thread. There's a high concentration of Vulcans here who only worship logic. They will tell you that going to a psychic is just a waste of your money. But one secret I've discovered is that a lot of fun things are someone else's waste of money. And waste of time! And be silly (Oh my god, Vulcans hate being silly). :)

 

So have some fun. :) Spend some money. Spend some time. :) Do something silly. :). lol

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1 hour ago, midniterider said:

 

It might be a good time to abandon this thread. There's a high concentration of Vulcans here who only worship logic. They will tell you that going to a psychic is just a waste of your money. But one secret I've discovered is that a lot of fun things are someone else's waste of money. And waste of time! And be silly (Oh my god, Vulcans hate being silly). :)

 

So have some fun. :) Spend some money. Spend some time. :) Do something silly. :). lol

     I don't entirely disagree with you so don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way, but (you knew it was coming), I do think that people are warning against going, I would include myself in this lot, since there seems to be an inclination towards actual belief in these charlatans as opposed to simply wanting to go have a little bit of fun.  I don't see the point of encouraging an addict towards an addiction even if that makes me out to be a downer.

 

     Now if I genuinely thought that this was all about fun and good times I wouldn't have said anything at all in this thread.  There's no point.  Maybe a "It's your time and money, why should I care what you do?"  But I just see a little more going on here.  I see someone who believes in this stuff and is asking if they should go get suckered in.  To that I have to advise against.

 

          mwc

 

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23 minutes ago, mwc said:

     I don't entirely disagree with you so don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way, but (you knew it was coming), I do think that people are warning against going, I would include myself in this lot, since there seems to be an inclination towards actual belief in these charlatans as opposed to simply wanting to go have a little bit of fun.  I don't see the point of encouraging an addict towards an addiction even if that makes me out to be a downer.

 

     Now if I genuinely thought that this was all about fun and good times I wouldn't have said anything at all in this thread.  There's no point.  Maybe a "It's your time and money, why should I care what you do?"  But I just see a little more going on here.  I see someone who believes in this stuff and is asking if they should go get suckered in.  To that I have to advise against.

 

          mwc

 

 

QFT - pretty much the thoughts I was going to say.

 

This 'vulcan' doesn't only worship logic, but in this particular case I felt, as MWC seems to, that the OP is serious about thinking that there might be something to psychic powers. I think it would be remiss of us to not take this into account and just say yeah go for it, its real blah blah.

 

I get tarot readings from time to time. Some of them seem pretty accurate, others are way off. In either case I know I'm doing it for fun and I realize there is nothing to the 'accurate' readings. But I wouldn't encourage someone who took it seriously to go get tarot readings.

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2 hours ago, midniterider said:

 

It might be a good time to abandon this thread. There's a high concentration of Vulcans here who only worship logic. They will tell you that going to a psychic is just a waste of your money. But one secret I've discovered is that a lot of fun things are someone else's waste of money. And waste of time! And be silly (Oh my god, Vulcans hate being silly). :)

 

So have some fun. :) Spend some money. Spend some time. :) Do something silly. :). lol

 

😘

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7 hours ago, LogicalFallacy said:

 

QFT - pretty much the thoughts I was going to say.

 

This 'vulcan' doesn't only worship logic, but in this particular case I felt, as MWC seems to, that the OP is serious about thinking that there might be something to psychic powers. I think it would be remiss of us to not take this into account and just say yeah go for it, its real blah blah.

 

I get tarot readings from time to time. Some of them seem pretty accurate, others are way off. In either case I know I'm doing it for fun and I realize there is nothing to the 'accurate' readings. But I wouldn't encourage someone who took it seriously to go get tarot readings.

 

For MWC and LF: Fair enough. It's shows you care to caution someone against getting sucked into something potentially harmful, though I don't know if I could really say anyone has established from this thread that Anushka has an 'addiction.'  Mostly, the over-the-top pronouncement of "infantile and cowardly" rubbed me the wrong way.

 

For LF: You get tarot readings? You're secretly addicted to magical thinking, buddy. :)Repent of your illogic! (haha)

 

 

 

 

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19 hours ago, Anushka said:

 

Jeez! What's your problem!

I wasn't "asking for acceptance or approval"

I genuinely wanted to know how he did it cos I have seen many others apart from him do it.

 

I chose to poke you hard to see if you are ready to rationally discuss your magical thinking.  It seems that you are not yet ready.

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23 hours ago, Burnedout said:

Anushka,

 

Do what you want.  Don't let the, what I call, Religious Rationalists, tell you not to do anything. You have a free will.  If they can't handle it, flip them the bird. You are curious, explore it. Keep your mind about you. If you approach it as having fun, you may learn more than trying to hide from experience behind the forced rational wall. Not saying not to be rational, but do approach everything with some skepticism. Sometimes the uber rationals try to pretend they are free from all superstition, when, if they could look beyond their own biases, they will realize that they forgot to have fun and are just as boring and sour as any fundy preacher/minister/priest. Some sound and come across like a preacher telling some teenage girl not to have sex, but that can often, if not the use of precautions will mess your life up.  Have a sense of adventure. 

 

Well you've entirely missed the point the "Religious Rationalists" were making, and you have been increasingly resorting to labelling, projecting and insulting others with views different from your own. How surprising.

 

Anushka asked, in the support portion of this forum, if she should see a psychic and indicated she thinks there is something to it. A few of us responded that no there is nothing to it, and here's why. She then made comments that seemed to reinforce the idea that she thinks there is something to the psychic power. I think some of the replies are too blunt, but I'm not about to tell people how to word their posts.

 

I am also not going to tell a person that yes it is magic just because it makes them happy. THAT is what religious people do.

 

I agree, she can do whatever she likes, but in the circumstances I caution that there is no evidence that this stuff is actually real. I don't think its healthy for Anushka to get a reading and come away with the impression that wow people actually have telepathic powers.  Now if it's just for fun, and she realises this no problem, but some people actually make real life potentially harmful decisions based on this stuff. It would be remiss of us not to caution about this.

 

Now like I said, if you are wanting to have a bit of fun, see what happens sure. Come to Discord chat if you want a tarot reading.

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55 minutes ago, Burnedout said:

 

You missed my point.  I get a sense of a smug and sanctimonious attitude. She was being treated like a child by some on here.  Not necessarily saying you.  The phrase "Magical Thinking".  Do you know how insulting that sounds to people?  You don't like what I say "Religous Rationalist".  She was not trying to preach or cajole anyone.  It is one thing to state your opinion, but it is entirely another to be treated like a child, at least to one who was asking honestly. 

 

I do agree with this. It's the balance between stating things as we see them, without being condescending, arrogant or dismissive. Bearing in mind some peoples speech is just blunt and direct without any intention of being condescending.

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I'd like to add my own note of caution here.

Upstairs, in my study (the smallest bedroom - contains a desk rather than a bed) I have, on a shelf, a small plastic Dougal.  The dog off the Magic Roundabout.

It was given to me many years ago when I was a small child by a teenage girl that had been talking to my mother on a bus.  I can just about recall the event well enough to picture it.

Years later my mother informed me that this girl had, subsequently, suffered severe psychological problems.  She had gone to a group practicing with a Ouija board.  Whatever happened had turned her head, so to speak.

Now, I know that is no medical diagnosis.  Nor is this hearsay tale evidence of the dangers of psychic practice.  Certainly, it says nothing of whether it has any basis beyond quackery - even a lie, taken seriously, can have severe consequences.  But, I tend to think that those best qualified to get involved are either not going to take it seriously at all or are of a mindset such that they can best be described as being a bit of a b*stard.

Anushka - by all means do as you see fit.  But tread carefully, make sure you know why you are doing this and that you are mentally prepared for the results - regardless of whether they are fakery.  You need to be satisfied that you are able to maintain your own mental balance against all events.

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I provided an inside look into the "profession." Others provided insights into several methods of acquiring information. Evidence rejected in favor of belief. We are all too familiar with that situation, so moving on......

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1 hour ago, florduh said:

I provided an inside look into the "profession." Others provided insights into several methods of acquiring information. Evidence rejected in favor of belief. We are all too familiar with that situation, so moving on......

 

+1 for ominous effect.

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I think the biggest test to my mind is the TV series Sensing Murder. You take 4 psychics and apply them to a cold case to see what they can reveal. Off the top of my head it has run in ~30 countries, with 5-6 seasons each, with close to 200 different psychics used and over 2000 cases investigated. In all of that effort there has been zero crimes solved, zero new evidence found and zero missing bodies located. 

Really it is the perfect situation to show their powers. They are well paid (average $5k per episode), have as much time as they need, full access to the sites and can use any techniques they wish. To fail with everything in their favour gives a clear message about their abilities. 

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3 hours ago, Wertbag said:

close to 200 different psychics used and over 2000 cases investigated. In all of that effort there has been zero crimes solved, zero new evidence found and zero missing bodies located.

 

This could just mean that the show director knows how psychics work and has removed the components necessary for them to get anything out of it. Otherwise they should produce at least some clues, just like a detective looking at a case would. I would guess they didn't let the psychics interview witnesses or suspects. If I had to guess, the psychic's forte should be human interaction and reading subtle things like microexpressions.

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If it's a reality show then it must be legit. /s

 

 

 

 

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https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00791R000200070001-9.pdf

 

The abstract and conclusions are interesting. I like the part in the abstract that says, "Using the standards applied to any other area of science, it is concluded that psychic functioning has been well established", as well as , "There is little more to be offered to anyone who does not accept the current collection of data."

 

"Show me the evidence that agrees with my world view."

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9 hours ago, ToHellWithMe said:

 

This could just mean that the show director knows how psychics work and has removed the components necessary for them to get anything out of it. Otherwise they should produce at least some clues, just like a detective looking at a case would. I would guess they didn't let the psychics interview witnesses or suspects. If I had to guess, the psychic's forte should be human interaction and reading subtle things like microexpressions.

The psychics themselves never had a problem with how it was run and were happy to return season after season to cash the huge pay cheques. I believe a range of methods such as remote readings, holding photos of the deceased or getting in touch with spirits where the murder occurred have all been tried. 

 

As for Kelvin Cruikshank and his "great" show of locating a body, did you see the size of the search area he highlighted? Basically he went with 5-6 square km of parklands, being the nearest rough terrain from the home that was never searched. So much for "a hot spot" feeling. Having seen him make similar claims a hundred times with no result, eventually by share persistence you are going to get lucky. 

 

If you start with the theory that they have read the police report then ask "what new information do they have that no one else does?" What you find is you are watching a dramatised reading of the police report. 

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3 hours ago, midniterider said:

 

So... the guy... let me get this straight...... marked out the nearest two areas in which an old man, when considered logically, could have gone missing... and this is psychic? Cool, I'm psychic too.

 

Look at the map and surrounding neighbourhood and tell me you wouldn't have marked out the same areas if someone asked you for a likely search area.

 

It's a bit like biblical prophesy - make it vague enough and something is bound to happen that will fulfil it.

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5 hours ago, LogicalFallacy said:

 

So... the guy... let me get this straight...... marked out the nearest two areas in which an old man, when considered logically, could have gone missing... and this is psychic? Cool, I'm psychic too.

 

Look at the map and surrounding neighbourhood and tell me you wouldn't have marked out the same areas if someone asked you for a likely search area.

 

It's a bit like biblical prophesy - make it vague enough and something is bound to happen that will fulfil it.

 

If someone trusted my opinion and asked me to mark an area to check for an old man, I probably would not mark the same area that the cops had already supposedly checked. But that's the logical side of me speaking. In general though, I agree that the most likely spot to search for someone would be close to where he was last seen and that does not require psychic powers. But the logical people apparently did not originally check the 'steep gully'....the trickle of water that wasn't the river. Surely he wouldn't fall in there. :) The psychic sent a relative/friend back there and wow, they found the body. Psychic powers? I don't know. Luck? Could be.

 

Any comments  on the CIA report I posted?

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7 hours ago, midniterider said:

Any comments  on the CIA report I posted?

I've been trying to find any discussion about that report but can't find any specific comments. What I keep hearing about similar works is the confirmation bias, mostly in the fact they are happy to highlight the hits but rarely talk about the misses. When they say "look 6 studies agree, therefore its repeatable and proven" without mentioning the 60 other trials which could not replicate the results then your conclusion is setup to give a positive image. 

They mention hit rates of 33% when 25% is expected by pure chance and therefore claim success, but you could equally come to the conclusion that it was only fractionally higher but still wrong more often than not. 

 

They also add in a few anecdotal stories about individual success but never with enough detail or names to research what really happened. That kind of appeal to emotion shouldn't be in a scientific study. 

 

There is also another technique that I've heard used, the psychics manager says "to make sure you are not mucking us around, I want to know in advance what the subject you will be asking my client about." In that case the study or TV show can still claim they never discussed any details with the psychic while they have plenty of time to be told and research what they need to know. 

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4 hours ago, Wertbag said:

I've been trying to find any discussion about that report but can't find any specific comments. What I keep hearing about similar works is the confirmation bias, mostly in the fact they are happy to highlight the hits but rarely talk about the misses. When they say "look 6 studies agree, therefore its repeatable and proven" without mentioning the 60 other trials which could not replicate the results then your conclusion is setup to give a positive image. 

They mention hit rates of 33% when 25% is expected by pure chance and therefore claim success, but you could equally come to the conclusion that it was only fractionally higher but still wrong more often than not. 

 

They also add in a few anecdotal stories about individual success but never with enough detail or names to research what really happened. That kind of appeal to emotion shouldn't be in a scientific study. 

 

There is also another technique that I've heard used, the psychics manager says "to make sure you are not mucking us around, I want to know in advance what the subject you will be asking my client about." In that case the study or TV show can still claim they never discussed any details with the psychic while they have plenty of time to be told and research what they need to know. 

 

Florduh said, "Believers are gonna believe." Let me add a followup to that:  Deniers are gonna deny.

 

Do you apply the same skeptical eye to physical sciences that you apply to psychic studies? Have you combed through the details of studies on physical phenomena (that you accept) with the same skeptical eye as you apply to psi studies (that you dont accept)? Or do you just accept the word of a physical scientist without actually reading their report? I mean, the nitty gritty like you demand from the psi studies. Should the phone numbers of every participant of a study be available just in case a skeptic thinks something is a little fishy?

 

http://www.who.int/influenza_vaccines_plan/resources/Session4_VEfficacy_VEffectiveness.PDF

 

Have flu vaccines saved every person who has used them? According to this study by the World Health Organization, only 48% of the people inoculated were kept alive by vaccines. People died more often  than not. Now, what about the failures (like the psi misses)? Why does nobody talk about the 'failure' of vaccines?  If vaccines are only 48% effective why use em at all? Where's the details about all the participants? I want to know their social security numbers or it didnt happen. :) Because I don't have access to all the minutiae of the study (that I already disagree with) I will conclude that vaccines are worthless, right? /s

 

The effect size of psi studies is generally small,  imo, but it's still there. I think that psi researchers are pretty cognizant of this fact as they do their research.

 

 

(I'm pro-vaccine, btw)

 

Psi researchers are all hucksters and dying to find a positive result, right? While all physical science researchers are hard-nosed fact finders with zero emotional stake in their work? (Trying to phrase as a question, and not a straw man).

 

Anyway, this was fun. Here a list of links to some other scientific psi studies you can deny as well.  http://deanradin.com/evidence/evidence.htm

 

 

edit: this color. also replaced the word "antibiotics" with "vaccines". My coffee is not doing its job this morning. :)

 

 

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NO CHRISTIAN PROSELYTIZING IN THE RANTS SECTION!!!   @SerenelyBlue  I'm speaking specifically to you THIS time.

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