Psychic readings

takman

Jagraf wrote: »

Do you only believe in everything you know as a fact? Do you have to see everything to believe it? Do you not think there may be more than what we know? This fact has been proven time and time again, as we get to know things. I think an open mind is a good thing.

If someone rang you up from an energy company wanting you to switch to them. In the call they claimed that their gas and electricity is superior to other gas and electricity and you will use less than you would from other suppliers. Now even though you have never seen any evidence of this, would you believe it?. The logical thing to do would be to ask them to provide evidence of this and you won't believe their claims until they do.

Yet what your proposing is that you believe someone who is telling you messages that come from dead relatives or unknown sources. Why would you believe them without any evidence?.

G3.

I heard banging last night. It was definitely ghosts.

cyantist

BarryBlue wrote: »

It is sensible to consider evidence. That way we can ascertain facts. The one certain fact we have is that these so-called psychics are tricksters. They have set techniques that they use, just as a magician does. The evidence for that is overwhelming enough to make it a fact.

Whilst it is an undisputed fact that most of these so-called psychics use these techniques and are frauds I don't agree that you can therefore accurately conclude that every single one is. Not every psychic has been assessed to see whether they use these techniques and there are examples where it seems unlikely that any of these commonly used techniques have been employed.

BarryBlue

takman wrote: »

If someone rang you up from an energy company wanting you to switch to them. In the call they claimed that their gas and electricity is superior to other gas and electricity and you will use less than you would from other suppliers. Now even though you have never seen any evidence of this, would you believe it?. The logical thing to do would be to ask them to provide evidence of this and you won't believe their claims until they do.

Yet what your proposing is that you believe someone who is telling you messages that come from dead relatives or unknown sources. Why would you believe them without any evidence? .

The reason people believe things without evidence is that they want to. Or in some cases, have a need to. That is precisely why these conmen get away with it. People are desperate to buy into it despite the evidence to the contrary, so they do. The worst kind of scam in my opinion as it takes advantage of people who may not normally be gullible but are at a bad time.

cyantist wrote: »

Whilst it is an undisputed fact that most of these so-called psychics use these techniques and are frauds I don't agree that you can therefore accurately conclude that every single one is. Not every psychic has been assessed to see whether they use these techniques and there are examples where it seems unlikely that any of these commonly used techniques have been employed.

Not all have been assessed, but then many would always refuse as they know they would be rumbled. They are all frauds. Not all magicians have been checked to see if they can walk through a wall or levitate themselves, but we know the illusions exist.

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, the chances are that it's a duck. It won't turn out to be a rabbit!:rotfl:

System

I believe some psychics tap into the ether of facepage

Its a very cruel human being who fakes it and messes with people

G3.

MatthewAinsworth wrote: »

I believe some psychics tap into the ether of facepage

Its a very cruel human being who fakes it and messes with people

Psychics have been around since long before the internet. Spiritualism started around the mid 1800s. There may have been ad-hoc ghost-botherers around even before then.

BarryBlue

G3. wrote: »

Psychics have been around since long before the internet. Spiritualism started around the mid 1800s. There may have been ad-hoc ghost-botherers around even before then.

It was a huge fraudulent industry in Victorian times. They used to stage outrageous stunts in darkness for the saps. Apparently, the invention of the infra-red camera put many out of business.

Peter333

takman wrote: »

If someone rang you up from an energy company wanting you to switch to them. In the call they claimed that their gas and electricity is superior to other gas and electricity and you will use less than you would from other suppliers. Now even though you have never seen any evidence of this, would you believe it?. The logical thing to do would be to ask them to provide evidence of this and you won't believe their claims until they do.

Yet what your proposing is that you believe someone who is telling you messages that come from dead relatives or unknown sources. Why would you believe them without any evidence?.

Oh I dunno! Have you seen the latest Eon advert? A few blokes from Eon knock on some random woman's door with a puppet of that little freaky energy flame (zingy!) They tell her to get her energy bills and show them to zingy. She fetches her bills, shows them zingy for 3 seconds, and the man says 'he said you can save £200 a year on your bills with us!' Then she says 'I'm in! where do I sign?!

Stupid advert! :rotfl:

lovinituk wrote: »

What I find difficult to understand is why otherwise seemingly intelligent people believe in psychics and similar mumbo jumbo, even when presented with evidence that it's all make believe / a trick / not widely proven / etc. There is plenty of evidence in this thread alone.

Jagraf wrote: »

You could say that with anything though. Why do seemingly intelligent people buy expensive cars, over priced clothing, believe anything anyone says sbout anything? People have their own mix of what they want to believe for their own purposes. I believe much more in psychic ability that any reason anyone would believe in a £2000 suit.

What Jagraf said. ^^^ People DO have their own perfectly valid views on things, and there really is no right or wrong.

Regarding having psychic ability ... I believe that there are some people who do have psychic abilities. However, I also believe that most psychics are fake and are only it for the money.

reehsetin

Peter333 wrote: »

Regarding having psychic ability ... I believe that there are some people who do have psychic abilities. However, I also believe that most psychics are fake and are only it for the money.

This is why I disbelieve them all, if you were that one psychic with a genuine ability you would work to prove you are different from the fakes - including working with scientists and people like James Randi (win a million whilst you're at it too!)
If a genuine person is indistinguishable from a fraud then what use are they?

no1catman

BarryBlue wrote: »

Correct. It is also an absolute fact that every medium/psychic/spiritualist, call them what you like, is a fake. As Derren Brown said, most of them come from a showbiz background and actually learn the techniques of cold reading, Barnum statements and so on. It is an ancient 'art' but it is always a deception. It is exploitation of the worst kind.

I don't think it is reasonable to believe in these people simply because you don't know how it's done. That's like someone saying that they don't know how the magician apparently saws a woman in half or makes a rabbit disappear. Just because you don't know the secret technique, you wouldn't actually accept that it was real and simply happened by magic. We know for certain that both magicians and psychics use trickery and deception so why believe in one and not the other?

It's irrelevant what Derren Brown thinks, just because he can 'fake' doesn't mean all do. I've never met any from a 'show business' background.
Having seen Randi in action, I wouldn't trust him, to give a fair trial, I remember a trial on TV the medium was brought read a selected guy. Only trouble was that he gave a reading to the cameraman - who validated it (he needed the reading more than the selected guy), but of course Randi disallowed that!

And of course the rest of your diatribe is just your opinion.