How can we test claims of paranormal abilities?

originally posted by: ClovenSky
a reply to: Woodcarver

Do you think there is something there, something that resides completely in the spiritual? Something that can be felt such as strong emotions from others?

No. I don't think there is. If you feel strong emotion from others, there are many ways to pick up on those cues without resorting to paranormal abilities.

originally posted by: St Udio

any of those psychic abilities are in the nature of Gifts instead of Talents

I learned early on that Gifts of the Spirit were basically 'conditional' and not to be used in a profane manner or One might indeed lose the ability to access that particular Gift


now, a pragmatic & worldly person might call me out on that stance, saying or rather leaving the curious doubter in a quandary.......that's why there is whats called a "Doubting Thomas" in every crowd


re 'Bing'----->""A doubting Thomas is a skeptic who refuses to believe without direct personal experience""


I will agree to an extent that things we call Psychic most likely have a physics basis & explanation and are not truly woo-woo stuff

The term gift would imply a giver. As i do not believe in gods, i have a hard time accepting this claim. I am guessing you have a christian world view with all of the christian inuendo around your name and in your post?

originally posted by: EvillerBob

originally posted by: Woodcarver

For instance, how do we, as a group, go about testing someone's psychic ability or ability to astral project?

"Science" generally doesn't look for one person to prove something, it looks for one person to create a methodology that allows anyone else to repeat the experiment and get measurable, consistent, and predictable results.

That becomes more difficult when everyone has their own special way of doing things with a variety of limitations that, rather conveniently one might say, often seem to frustrate the ability to actually study the claim.

i agree that a methodology for measurement is what we would need. A way to reproduce one of these claims in a way that satisfies both sides. It may be impossible on the net. Certainly, i would like a room built for the purpose as well as a variety of tools.

My thought when i wrote this OP was that there are a lot of folks here who claim to have these abilities. I have offered cash rewards before on this site for anyone who can display an ability normally associated with the paranormal. I have never had anyone take me up on this challenge and yet the para threads keep getting written with wild claims abound. My premise is that these claims are fake and simply a way for the claimant to feel special or that they use this topic to escape reality like a hobby. Kinda like cosplay without the costume. Any way. Let's up the ante a bit.


How about i offer a $10,000 reward once we come up with a set of criteria to judge one's performance?

Well if being psychic mean one all knowing and sensitive to thoughts or intents, then one should be able to dodge a wrench. If you can dodge a wrench without seeing or avoid that split second of thinking where your brain realizing a wrench coming at you, telling you to dodge, then you can dodge anything else.

That would be a true test of one psychic ability.

a reply to: St Udio

I learned early on that Gifts of the Spirit were basically 'conditional' and not to be used in a profane manner or One might indeed lose the ability to access that particular Gift

it amazes me how many alledged " practitioners of these gifts " are charging astronomical speaking and preformance fees - and have books , products etc for sale but as aoon as scientific investigation is mentioned - they bail with the quoted cop out

a reply to: ignorant_ape

I worked for a very famous medium for several years, and loved his work, until he started to charge outrageous prices for readings. It was somewhere between 250 and 500 for 15 minutes. I lost a lot of respect for him at that point.
He has a right to charge whatever he wants for his talents, as anyone does, such as artists, psychiatrists, etc,
but the price alone showed who he was targeting as clients, and who he was starting to leave out.
(Perhaps his location and fame just gave him that opportunity to make that kind of money but still)

Many really good psychics do not charge at all for their talents,instead they live "normal" lives and generally just help those around them when they can.

If a person do not want to go outside of their reality box then it will not seek the maxed out potential of being human.

a reply to: Specimen

I think they made a movie about this. Anyway, i think it's a good idea. We can eliminate a lot of posers right off the bat.

How about this... Do a cold read. Post a picture of a person, place or thing that has a connection to the the person chosen to post the picture. The rules are simple: Absolutely know about the picture your posting and don't post a picture that's already been posted on this sight.