For ten years, the modern skeptical movement has wielded a cudgel against claims of the paranormal: the James Randi Million Dollar Challenge. In many debates over the possibility of psi abilities, the Challenge provides a final word for one side..."has so-and-so applied for the Challenge?" The financial reward offered by the James Randi Educational Foundation is seen by many skeptics as providing an irresistible motivation for anybody with paranormal ability - after all, if someone could genuinely exhibit such powers, surely they would step forward to take the million? However, after ten years, the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) says nobody has even got past their preliminary testing. Furthermore, none of the 'big fish' - medium John Edward, spoon-bender Uri Geller, psychic Sylvia Browne - have applied. And now, perhaps as a result of that fact, James Randi has announced that the Challenge will come to an end in two years, on March 6th, 2010. But does the challenge really make a statement about the existence of the paranormal and/or psi abilities? According to paranormal investigator Loyd Auerbach (who, like Randi, is a member of the magic fraternity): The suggestion that ending the Challenge after 10 years supports any statement that psi does not exist or someone would have won the challenge, is absurd on many levels. The procedures for the Challenge included several hurdles in favor of, and multiple "outs" for Randi and the JREF that any discerning individual capable of any kind of extraordinary human performance would think twice about (and here I'm not just referring to psychics and the like).

What are these hurdles that Auerbach refers to? Chances, of Anything... First, and perhaps the most important, is the effect size required to win the challenge. While the JREF says that "all tests are designed with the participation and approval of the applicant", this does not mean that the tests are fair scientific tests.

View: Full Article | Source: The Daily Grail

Ah, the old 'it's not a fair test boo hoo!' rubbish excuse again. I have nothing to say to anyone that believes this other than 'you're wrong' and 'try to educate yourself properly about it'.

There's nothing stopping a person who claims paranormal abilities from undertaking a fair test just to shut us skeptics up aside from Randi's challenge.

I would also like to second what Anonymous51 states. The deniers are simply wrong and the facts are there to be found but purveyors of the paranormal are damn short of facts on a consistent basis.

Of all the people in this world that claim an ability of any kind including accepted natural feats, the paranormal claimants are the weakest of the lot. They offer nothing but poor shows, no shows and disappoinment.

What it comes down to is that these so called psychics always find some excuse not to prove themself.

"What it comes down to is that these so called psychics always find some excuse not to prove themself."


I agree 100%

Do you know anything about the paranormal? What books and journals have you read? Can you name any of the famous
investigators of UFOs or Psi? Comic books do not count.

~~~~Cebrakon

I used to watch his show; very interesting

Well, how many shows put on by psychics have you seen? Aside from Uri Geller's TV shows in the 1970s, they are pretty rare. On local Los Angeles TV, I once saw a contest between a psychometrist (a psi power) and a psychologist, moderated by Thelma Moss, of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Center. This was in the 1960s. Various objects had been borrowed from various members of the audience. The idea is to identify characteristics of the owners of these objects. Here is one that I specially remember. It was a cheap strand of orange plastic beads. The psychologist always went first. He said it was a low class, poorly educated woman. The psychometrist said it belonged to a highly educated and successful lawyer, a man, who enjoyed going to the Hippie freakshows of the time. Correct. BTW, I used to go to those freakshows myself and also had a kind of costume.

~~~Cebrakon