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Psychic Powers


dryrain

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I apologize if this has been covered before but I have a question for everyone here. I do not know if psychic powers exist. If they did they would come in many different shapes and forms. However if they did exist and you had them would you want other people to know about them or would you keep them secret? Is it better to hide in the shadows? Would people with genuine powers really want the world to know these people existed? Would a person with real abilities ever want to be tested?

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If I had the psychic power to sterilize people who annoy me....well, humanity would not have many more years to live.

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The excuse is always that one would NEVER use such powers for personal gain or exploit them in any way EVER.

The reality is that if psychic powers were real, every inbred redneck with a pickup truck would have their own psychic tv show,

Edited by Imaginarynumber1
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The same folks would win the lottery every week, that could get boring. :no:

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Without going too deep into whether or not psychic powers are real (for the record, I believe in some types, but not others--strip mall psychics and pop psychics are just good psychologists, but there are too many accurate, if minor, predictions, to be coincidence), let's try a little thought experiment. Let's start with the assumption that they are real.

1. Does everybody have the capacity? First answer is yes, since is would be most likely a function of the brain or nervous system, like linguistics. Alternatively, it could be random or genetically influenced, like hair color. Either you have it or you don't, and you can't change that naturally.

2. Are some people's more developed than others? Yes. Some people are faster, some people are have stronger immune systems, some people are more psychic.

3. Would it be better to display them or hide them? This depends on Question 1. If everybody has the capacity, it wouldn't be too big of a deal to develop and display abilities. (Now I'm imagining a Psy Olympics, with competitions like Speed Card Reading and Weightmoving.) If only some people have them, the people who don't could very well rise up in a witch hunt.

4. Should these abilities be tested? Yes, because as yet nobody knows how they work. Physiologists can tell you everything about muscle contraction, but parapsychologists usually admit they have no idea what makes psychic powers work. Is it willpower? Intellect? Focus?

So, to summarize, I think if they did exist, it wouldn't be horrible to display them, but it would mostly be along the lines of party tricks. Prophecy is dangerous, since most major predictions are either incredibly vague (see Nostradamus) or totally wrong (Edgar Cayce). Telekinesis would probably be okay to show off to friends. Emotional readings are too hard to explain and demonstrate.

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Eventually any ability would get boring.

I don't know, the ability to make people speak poor French could always prove to be interesting.

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I apologize if this has been covered before but I have a question for everyone here. I do not know if psychic powers exist. If they did they would come in many different shapes and forms. However if they did exist and you had them would you want other people to know about them or would you keep them secret? Is it better to hide in the shadows? Would people with genuine powers really want the world to know these people existed? Would a person with real abilities ever want to be tested?

Hi,

My answer would be no. Humans generally speaking fear the unknown and the unknowable. Those that are different have always been harmed.

Now as a subject for discussion in an educational setting, I would be inclined to talk openly about the need for humanity to evolve from a fear based creature to one who was more masterful.

John

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I don't know, the ability to make people speak poor French could always prove to be interesting.

The ability to speak poor french has stuck with me all my life no need for anyone to use the powers on me

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I apologize if this has been covered before but I have a question for everyone here. I do not know if psychic powers exist. If they did they would come in many different shapes and forms. However if they did exist and you had them would you want other people to know about them or would you keep them secret? Is it better to hide in the shadows? Would people with genuine powers really want the world to know these people existed? Would a person with real abilities ever want to be tested?

The vast majority of ancient texts recommended those powers to keep in secret .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hermit

"His secrets are not for everyone, only for those earnestly seeking them and those willing to climb the heights to wisdom."....................

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I apologize if this has been covered before but I have a question for everyone here. I do not know if psychic powers exist. If they did they would come in many different shapes and forms. However if they did exist and you had them would you want other people to know about them or would you keep them secret? Is it better to hide in the shadows? Would people with genuine powers really want the world to know these people existed? Would a person with real abilities ever want to be tested?

Try to realize the gigantic affect evidence of these abilities would have on the world. It would literally be bigger then the discovery of fire, the wheel, DNA, Newton's laws of motion, modern physics, evolution, the light bulb, the car, the airplane, and so on, combined. It would change the history of mankind as we know it. We would have to scrap physics, chemistry, thermodynamics, etc. Everything that we know about how the universe works would have to be thrown out.

Then ask yourself why people would be so selfish to withhold this information from others when they could change the course of humanity for the better. The people who claim to have powers almost always make the excuse that they don't want to be made into guinea pigs, but the simple answer is that these people know they don't have powers.

If I had a real ability I would gladly volunteer to be tested.

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Try to realize the gigantic affect evidence of these abilities would have on the world. It would literally be bigger then the discovery of fire, the wheel, DNA, Newton's laws of motion, modern physics, evolution, the light bulb, the car, the airplane, and so on, combined. It would change the history of mankind as we know it. We would have to scrap physics, chemistry, thermodynamics, etc. Everything that we know about how the universe works would have to be thrown out.

Then ask yourself why people would be so selfish to withhold this information from others when they could change the course of humanity for the better. The people who claim to have powers almost always make the excuse that they don't want to be made into guinea pigs, but the simple answer is that these people know they don't have powers.

If I had a real ability I would gladly volunteer to be tested.

Would they then test you?

No it would not scrap science, nor change the course of humanity.

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I apologize if this has been covered before but I have a question for everyone here. I do not know if psychic powers exist. If they did they would come in many different shapes and forms. However if they did exist and you had them would you want other people to know about them or would you keep them secret? Is it better to hide in the shadows? Would people with genuine powers really want the world to know these people existed? Would a person with real abilities ever want to be tested?

"Keep it secret, keep it safe"

If there are genuine "powers" they are probably skills that would only belong to personality types that have no interest in exploiting them. If "powers" exist, it would be my guess that they exist for a higher intelligent reason not to show the world. Excuses, well yeah. A higher power dishing out powers might have a vested interest in not wanting everyone to know its true for sure.

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Without going too deep into whether or not psychic powers are real (for the record, I believe in some types, but not others--strip mall psychics and pop psychics are just good psychologists, but there are too many accurate, if minor, predictions, to be coincidence), let's try a little thought experiment. Let's start with the assumption that they are real.

1. Does everybody have the capacity? First answer is yes, since is would be most likely a function of the brain or nervous system, like linguistics. Alternatively, it could be random or genetically influenced, like hair color. Either you have it or you don't, and you can't change that naturally.

2. Are some people's more developed than others? Yes. Some people are faster, some people are have stronger immune systems, some people are more psychic.

3. Would it be better to display them or hide them? This depends on Question 1. If everybody has the capacity, it wouldn't be too big of a deal to develop and display abilities. (Now I'm imagining a Psy Olympics, with competitions like Speed Card Reading and Weightmoving.) If only some people have them, the people who don't could very well rise up in a witch hunt.

4. Should these abilities be tested? Yes, because as yet nobody knows how they work. Physiologists can tell you everything about muscle contraction, but parapsychologists usually admit they have no idea what makes psychic powers work. Is it willpower? Intellect? Focus?

So, to summarize, I think if they did exist, it wouldn't be horrible to display them, but it would mostly be along the lines of party tricks. Prophecy is dangerous, since most major predictions are either incredibly vague (see Nostradamus) or totally wrong (Edgar Cayce). Telekinesis would probably be okay to show off to friends. Emotional readings are too hard to explain and demonstrate.

From my research on Edgar Cayce most people claimed he was spot on in his predictions. I don't understand why Nostradamus is as big as he is today honestly

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