Having dealt with a few "sceptics" recently I have come to the conclusion that I might as well be talking to my dog as he seems to be more intelligent and has no bias like them.

Their main weapon of choice is JREF's 1 million dollar challenge and the fact that it has gone unclaimed for some time. It's not as important as they seem to make out in my honest opinion.

1.James Randi is a magician, one might say he knows every trick in the book when it comes to deceiving people, the very definition of a magicians trick.

2.He seems to be very unwilling to accept anything which he doesn't believe is possible, so anyone going for his "challenge" has no chance of winning it by my reasoning.

3.A lot of people think that the lure of money is too good of an opportunity to turn down. A materialistic point of view if ever I've seen one.

4.The money is actually $10000 cash up front and the rest is in bonds to the value of the outstanding amount, not exactly as it says on the tin. http://www.skepticalinvestigations.org/Examskeptics/Sean_Randichallenge.html

5.Perhaps people don't feel the need to pass this "challenge" as they feel they have nothing to prove, or maybe they don't want the attention that it would more than likely garner, for better or worse.

Now I have never been to a medium but I know people who have and have had pretty accurate results, more than can be possible from guesswork. So if this challenge was so easy like it is claimed then surely someone would have won it by now. Having said that I don't know how much information these people gave to the mediums to start off with but they are intelligent and sensible people so I trust their judgement in not to be deceived so easily.

Also I had a look at the applicants for the challenge and since 1962 there has only been about 1000 which isn't a lot in that time if you ask me. http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge/challenge-faq.html

It's certainly a little suspicious from what I have seen, I will also add that I don't claim to be able to do any of the things that are covered by this challenge, so I can't say that I'm biased against it to start with.

Do I have a point with what I have said?

What are your thoughts on this?

Andy

They aren't skeptical enough about their own limited way of thinking to be truly discerning.

Skepticism is okay as long a person doesn't get trapped within it to an extent where he can't think freely.

When I've watched Randi on a television show such as Larry King, it doesn't seem as if he has freedom of mind. He's too locked up in his psychological conditioning and his unwilligness to see that he might be wrong about some of his conclusions. People can become emotionally attached to all kinds of ways of thinking.

he he, good point.


You're a good looker, Biker-Chick.

Regarding belief, I "believe" that to some extent we need to come to conclusions. The key is to have freedom of mind when we come to those conclusions.

There is also the matter of learning to tune into universal mind and finding out what it has to say.

Scepticism is okay and is actually a good thing but the people that I am speaking of aren't sceptics, a sceptic has to have an open mind whereas the people I brought up don't. They deny everything that doesn't fit in with their already well established beliefs, even with evidence. That is closed mindedness in my opinion, which means that they aren't really sceptics.

James Randi seems to be like this thus making his challenge impossible to win as he would never deem anyone who goes for it as having the said abilities. Not to mention that if someone did then he would lose his credability and funding for his organisation.

It's funny as JREF apparently promotes critical thinking but it appears that they have changed the meaning of this to suit their agenda.

Of course, as biker chick said it works both ways but it's still the same problem.

Andy

I read somewhere on the net that someone has accepted Randi's challenge and come up with the data he requests.
As you've probably guessed, he immediately ran for the hills at the prospect. He's too attached to his own belief system to risk abandoning it in the light of 'facts'
Hoist by his own petard, really..... :o

Best wishes,
David.
:)

Thanks Dave  :).

It doesn't surprise me that he ran a mile, did he apparently disappear in puff of smoke?  :D

Andy

P.S Recoverer, just to point out I wasn't having a dig at you in my previous post, I've just looked at it again and thought it might look that way.