Secrets of the Psychics
Are psychics power real or fake? This is a documentary that try to answer that question. Are some of us born with mysterious powers, able to move objects at will, read a person's thoughts, even cure physical ailments with the power of the mind? Follow master magician James Randi as he uncovers the secrets about psychics.
Can psychics predict the future? Many people seem to think so. Others argue that, in most cases, so-called psychic experiences are really misinterpretations of events. In this episode of NOVA, magician and confirmed skeptic James Randi challenges viewers to weigh the evidence for and against the existence of psychic phenomena.
Randi argues that successful psychics depend on the willingness of their audiences to believe that what they see is the result of psychic powers. The program highlights some of the methods and processes he uses to examine psychics' claims. Using his own expertise in creating deception and illusion, Randi challenges specific psychics' claims by duplicating their performances and "feats," or by applying scientific methods.
His goal is to eliminate all possible alternative explanations for the psychic phenomena. He also looks for evidence that they are not merely coincidental. His arguments can motivate your class to discuss the differences between psychic performances and legitimate cases of unexplained phenomena.
Whatever you believe your special abilities or beliefs are, it is up to you to wrap them in a testable procedure if you wish them to be acknowledged by science, if that is so important to you.
Many people have approached the "Un-Amazing" Randi to prove their psychic abilities and he just ignores them if they might win that money. It's a PR grift by Randi to promote his "debunking" career. He is a professional for-profit debunker (whatever a debunker is) and has made a living smearing and harassing people. He spent decades harassing Uri Geller, while bolstering his own reputation, when Geller had ALREADY been tested at several top notch universities in serious scientific double blind experiments that proved his psychic abilities. Randi has been nailed for lying and omitting facts that did not support his debunking theories. He is an ex carny "showbiz magician" and not a scientist.
One time this person looked like he had to take a cr*p and sure enough he had to take a cr*p. Does this make me a psychic? All intuition is just refined thought, all thought is just memory in movement. Nothing mystical really..
Teresa, Great post. Yes, I have written several books on this issue. You cannot have "fakes" unless you have a "truth". We live in a world of good and bad duplications. In some cases, things are not really as they appear. I have seen, experienced and written about them. We have the truth in us but we continue to search and search and search. That is the way of life. Stay blessed. MMK
Psychicism and Religion are one in par insofar as disbelievers and sceptics are concerned. I am not religious and cannot prove or disprove that a God exists. Randi knows he's safe in his offer of a million (or whatever it is?) to try and get a psychic to prove his/her autenticity. It's absolutely impossible for me to prove to you my psychic experiences/dreams. One can never measure extra-sensory phenomena. Randi is very cleverly living off this fact.
Don't think Randi is on this show (or any other) for no money.....even if a genuine psychic nailed him, he would deny it because he is earning his living as a controversial sceptic. Emailed him and asked if anyone can explain how I dreamed of a murder before it happened and also a dream of my brother's death before it happened? All I got back was...,,,QUOTE: ''If you can predict the lotto numbers, that would be impressive''
The thing is, Randi knows it's not possible to prove anything psychic to a sceptic. No matter what they are told they can explain it away with a ''so called'' logical explanation. I once emailed Randi about precognitive dreams and got a reply saying...unless you can predict the lotto numbers then there is no proof? Coincidentally, I once did dream of five lotto numbers which came up some years ago...didn't play it myself but told some of my friends before the draw (who were very happy). It's a bit like religion, ''Is there a God?''.........who can ever prove that?? Of course there are some charletons out there and this is what keeps Randi in the media spotlight.......though it is grossly belittling to genuine psychics.
been searching the world wide web for really cool documentaries. Am home!
fraudsters caught with there pants down! always enjoyable viewing! good doc!
My favorite is the water. What a crock of s***.
If something scientific fails the scientific test, merely claim that it is not scientific.
The anthem of the psychic--Don't examine, accept!
Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson - say no more ...
i believe in psychic phenomenon because I have experienced it myself... as of now, some disprove of its existence because it is unexplainable...psychics are real, but i believe they tend to hide themselves because they don't want to be accused of demonic associations...many are scared. Others are trying to use some dirty tricks and call themselves psychics which I think is an advantage for some of the real psychics, so that they can live their lives as how are they living right now. However, soon enough, this phenomenon will be acknowledged as a fact, even those who are unbelievers right now will certainly attest its veracity.
Until I found James Randi I felt alone in the world with my beliefs (or lack of...) I will be forever grateful for his life work. Years ago I worked at a historical hotel and many of the customers asked me if I had seen the ghosts. I worked the night shift and never saw or heard a thing. I just told them,"Sorry, I am spiritually challenged."
@tomoa,
"I thinks randy’s excuse for not using mind altering/expanding drugs is a poor one. I feel like if your looking for the truth you would take plunges into the mind to experience some of the states of being above thought processes."
You misheard Randi. What he said was that he prefers to be in full control of his life, which is why he does not take narcotics or drink. He admitted that he forfeited a sense of comfort that other people enjoy from putting faith in external influences like fantasy and religion.
I think Randi was a great person for what he did. People were getting ripped off and spending money carelessly. He was a intelligent and brave man. So get off of him.
BUSTED
It's crazy how a person like Peter Popoff can go on scaming people. He's the real definition of the devil--someone who presents themselves as a man of God, but is really scamming and deceiving people.
You can't use science, which is a limited subject, to test something that falls out of what we know of science. That is why it's called paranormal.
circa 1993
I want that James Randi action figure!
oh he never added anything about Woo-Doo and any other type of magic. There are plenty curses and other beliefs that exist in this world, i don't think that everything is fake.... just saying :)
so harry potter isn't true ? :P
Let me just clarify-- I've only ever been to a strip club once in my life, on my 30th birthday. It was "Delialah's" the "gentlemen's club" (really?).
My wife let me go, on the condition that I never mention it, or ever go to another strip club ever again!
I had an "in" with the Italian mob that owned the clubs, (this was in Philly, but I think they had clubs in Atlanta and Atlantic City, of course...).
Actually, it was very clean and seemed very safe, (the Italian Mob always does it right...), but a little creepy...
The men there just stared evilly at the women dancing, and drank their 12 dollar beers. I was like, "Um... these woman are real human beings!"
I was standing up, cheering, clapping and fanning myself with my hand and, of course, I was rewarded by these women coming over to me and giving me special attention.
('Course I was young and cute then...)
Also, I had a 15 inch stack of one dollar bills that they loved.
But, the point of this story is this:
What was really funny is that I was right up on the stage, I mean there was a stage bar, a few inches lower than the stage, and I was drinking these long-neck texas beers, so the necks of the beers stood above the stage.
Well, these women all had on massive clear heels, like 7-8 inches tall. And when they writhed in front of me, they kept spilling my beers all over me, knocking them down with their heels.
Everytime, they came over and apologized, over the loud Van-Halen music, but I would just nod and grin and say, "That is totally all right! Spill all the beer on me you wish!"
Ah... good times...
(I'm sure this will be moderation... sorry Vlatko...)