What would you do

[karros]

What would you do if someone actually proved in a controlled setting that they are indeed psychic??? Honestly, I think some of you would have your whole world fall apart.

[Lisa Simpson]

I would be excited. A whole new area of science to learn about. That would be cool indeed.

[Diogenes]

Only one way to find out ..

[quixotecoyote]

I'd be jealous as heck, but even as a regular human, it'd be more interesting to live in an X-Men universe.

[Jackalgirl]

What would you do if someone actually proved in a controlled setting that they are indeed psychic??? Honestly, I think some of you would have your whole world fall apart.

Are you the author of this thread (http://forums.randi.org/showpost.php?p=2308098&postcount=1)? If so, you say that you can prove that you are psychic. Go ahead and do so, and you'll see what I'll do.

[Mojo]

What would you do if someone actually proved in a controlled setting that they are indeed psychic??? Change my PIN, passwords etc. far more often than I do at present. ;)

[DangerousBeliefs]

I'd love it... can you imagine? Channel surfing without actually having to move that one finger.... it would be a dream come true.

[Alan Heap]

ask sylvia browne to marry me.

[Big Les]

The woos don't seem to get that (IMO) most sceptics would be over the moon if any of the things they claim were proven. I know I would be. Or that even that any pathological sceptics that might feel threatened by that, would still have to shut up and get used to the idea. That's the power of REAL evidence.

But I've seen nor heard nor read anything that suggests to me that this might happen in my lifetime. I'd love to be proven wrong though.

ETA - ask sylvia browne to marry me.^you wash your mouth out!

[Lisa Simpson]

ask sylvia browne to marry me.

You are either very brave or very sick.

[logical muse]

I think you'd find that the companies and governments that run lotteries, and the major casino bosses, would hire ex-CIA personnel to assassinate the psychic.

In fact, apparently this happens all the time, which is why there are no real psychics left to take the challenge.

[supercorgi]

What would you do if someone actually proved in a controlled setting that they are indeed psychic??? Honestly, I think some of you would have your whole world fall apart.

I would be amazed and thrilled! Just to think! The things I've dreamed about may actually be real! And, oh yeah, I'd be really jealous that I didn't have that super power. But seriously, it would be fascinating and open up a huge new domain of exploration.

[hcmom]

What would you do if someone actually proved in a controlled setting that they are indeed psychic??? ...

I'd expect them to have posted more than 47 times in a year and a half...

[Matilda]

I'd be fascinated to watch our understanding of the Universe unfold.

[Flange Desire]

What would you do if someone actually proved in a controlled setting that they are indeed psychic??? Honestly, I think some of you would have your whole world fall apart.
I would be amazed.
Do you intend to provide some evidence?
Or just troll around for a while?

[Amapola]

What would you do if someone actually proved in a controlled setting that they are indeed psychic??? Honestly, I think some of you would have your whole world fall apart.

You see, the whole point of being a skeptic is that you change your mind according to evidence. Changing your mind does not make your whole world fall apart. You should try it sometime! Take a look at some good scientific evidence, and instead of holding on to an idea that is not supported by evidence, change your mind. It can be invigorating!

[Kage]

I think that it would be awesome. I have a more open mind towards this than other areas of woo (intelligent design, scientology etc). What I do know with a 99.999 confidence level is that this person is not saliva browne.

[monkey]

In some respects I'd think it fantastic and absolutely fascinating.

However, I'm sure I'd find the reaction to it by those who were already 'believers' frustrating to say the least. Most everyone who already believed would think they were completely right to do so all along (whatever their reasons for doing so) and that the skeptics were wrong for not believing too. I'm sure it would be lost on many that the fact that none of this had been proven in a controlled setting until then means it hadn't actually been proven until then (which is all the skeptics were asking for).

[T'ai Chi]

People being skeptical used to think planes could not fly, that Geller had a radio receiver in his tooth, that continents did not drift, etc., because there was no evidence against it, Occam's Razor, etc.

Once evidence came in that they were wrong, they became right in their minds because they originally said they are open to the evidence of being wrong (their 'out').

So, the lesson is, to be right no matter what the outcome, always say 'I am open to being wrong' before making any statement.

[Slimething]

karros, I would be astounded and, yes, at first, I wouldn't believe it until I could get my slimy little hands on enough of the raw data to convince me that it wasn't just another con job.

I would feel a little badly for the psychic, though. This person would set themselves up for such a loss of privacy as even Jackie O had never envisioned. However, I would assume than any true psychic would be a multi-gazzilionaire by the time they were ready to reveal their talent so they would have a good "escape mechanism" in place.

I, for one, know that there are many wonderful aspects of nature we have not discovered yet. There are many huge revelations yet to be had. I doubt that human beings have psychic abilities because of the lack of evidence, not because of a mechanism that is prohibitive of them.

[Mick Houlahan]

That's the cool thing about science - you can change your mind when evidence dictates.

I'm waiting.

[sat556]

Once evidence came in that they were wrong, they became right in their minds because they originally said they are open to the evidence of being wrong (their 'out').

So, the lesson is, to be right no matter what the outcome, always say 'I am open to being wrong' before making any statement.

I think you saying this shows more about you than it does others TC.

[Geckko]

What would you do if someone actually proved in a controlled setting that they are indeed psychic??? Honestly, I think some of you would have your whole world fall apart.

I would sign them up immediately on a watertight 50 year contract for exclusive promotion, marketing and merchandising rights.

[Big Les]

People being skeptical used to think planes could not fly, that Geller had a radio receiver in his tooth, that continents did not drift, etc., because there was no evidence against it, Occam's Razor, etc.

Once evidence came in that they were wrong, they became right in their minds because they originally said they are open to the evidence of being wrong (their 'out').

So, the lesson is, to be right no matter what the outcome, always say 'I am open to being wrong' before making any statement.

You don't get it, do you? It's not about individuals being "right" and winning silly little internet winky-comparison games. It's not like backing a horse and winning or losing having made a choice based on faith and chance. It's about helping us ALL be as right as we can be at a given time, using all available evidence, via the scientific method. Saying we'll change our mind if evidence comes up is not an "out" so that us sceptics get to say we were still "right" and maintain superiority, it's the truth! That's the idea, anyway.

[Soapy Sam]

People being skeptical used to think planes could not fly, that Geller had a radio receiver in his tooth, that continents did not drift, etc., because there was no evidence against it, Occam's Razor, etc.

Once evidence came in that they were wrong, they became right in their minds because they originally said they are open to the evidence of being wrong (their 'out').

So, the lesson is, to be right no matter what the outcome, always say 'I am open to being wrong' before making any statement.


I dunno about Uri's teeth. People doubted continental drift because it had no explanatory mechanism and therefore little explanatory power. Nonetheless, many geologists were well aware that there had to be something in it because too many structures matched up across ocean basins.
Once an explanatory mechanism (Plate Tectonics) was suggested which explained how it could work- and fitted with the seismic and sonar data which post-dated Wegener - the scientific community accepted it remarkably fast. Compare any undergraduate text written in 1967 with one written in 1977 if you don't believe me. Tens of thousands of working scientists, engineers, technicians and laymen literally changed their worldview in under a decade.

Name one equivalent event in paranormal studies. One.

[Flange Desire]

Nope, Tai did not name one.

[LostAngeles]

Like the others, I'd be totally psyched at this new field of science and this new realm of knowledge.