randi,skepticism,credulity,paranormal What color is your aura? Nonexistant? Mine too.

What color is your aura? Nonexistant? Mine too.

posted by gluonium

2 years 4 months ago • 943 views

tags: randi, skepticism, credulity, paranormal

James Randi tests an "aura seer".

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Comments

scientism |ˈsīənˌtizəm| noun rare thought or expression regarded as characteristic of scientists. • excessive belief in the power of scientific knowledge and techniques.

written by bighead | 2 years 4 months ago | CH

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haHA! I'd as proudly wear that pseudonymous label just as I would the one tacked onto Randi himself by a zealous psychic believer who called him "obsessed with reality".

written by gluonium

| 2 years 4 months ago | CH

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... i may just get 'scientism' tattooed on myself somewhere.

Favorite part is how he doesn't get the short girl with the huge hair right when you can clearly see her outline. This could have totally backfired if the guy had a great eye for details.

written by bamdrew

| 2 years 4 months ago | CH

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I don't think he saw the shadows, that was just for the audience.

"Obsessed with reality", that's a cool quote

written by Deano

| 2 years 3 months 4 weeks ago | CH

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AUROWNED.

written by quantumushroom

| 2 years 3 months 4 weeks ago | CH

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How did this get on the air? Does Randi have a TV show of his own (and where can I get it?!), or was this just some paranormal-ish show that he had a segment on?

written by cheesemoo

| 2 years 3 months 4 weeks ago | CH

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um this was an Australian or UK TV show that he made in 1991. Its so obscure its not even listed on imdb. I don't even know if it actually aired. Its called James Randi - Psychic Investigator.

written by gluonium

| 2 years 3 months 4 weeks ago | CH

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i feel bad for the psychic guy.. he looks frightened..

written by kennn

| 2 years 3 months 4 weeks ago | CH

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Cheesemoo, I was wondering where these keep coming from too. I keep seeing them on different sites and it looks like good, clean fun. When I see these, I always think of Myth Busters and how they turn critical thinking into entertainment. I wish there were more shows like this partially because it's good to someone call these nut-jobs on their lies, but mostly because there's a warm satisfaction in knowing how every one of his tests will turn out. They'll always come out looking like morons when they are held accountable. It's like watching a Jeopardy re-run.

written by eatbolt | 2 years 3 months 4 weeks ago | CH

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I could tell the girl was A just by her shadow at the beginning

written by K0MMIE

| 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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I think what I like about Randi is the fact that he frequently puts claims to the test, but he rarely if ever belittles his guests. It seems that humiliation through failure is enough.

written by bhyphenlow | 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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good point bhyphenlow; normally i get embarrassed watching people get called out like this, but i can always watch james randi. he just lets the facts stand for themselves.

written by CalamityKate | 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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James Alcock relates this incident which occurred at a meeting where Randi was duplicating the performances of Uri Geller: A professor from the State University of New York at Buffalo shouted out that Randi was a fraud. Randi said "Yes indeed, I'm a trickster, I'm a cheat, I'm a charlatan, that's what I do for a living. Everything I've done here was by trickery." The professor shouted back: "That's not what I mean. You're a fraud because you're pretending to do these things through trickery, but you're actually using psychic powers and misleading us by not admitting it."

written by bluecliff

| 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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The guy did clearly not see the shadows, as Randi asks the "psychic" to step aside with him and says "We will now reveal to our audience the five volunteers" or sth.

written by pragmatick | 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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Randi would make a lousy scientist. He only ever does one experiment, using only one set of test subjects. I would call his results less than conclusive and his method less than thorough.

written by persephone

| 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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Oh and he's too smug to be a scientist. Guess that's why he's just a lame t.v show host.

written by persephone

| 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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it's not science, at all. You can NOT sense an aura. He just picked his cards 2/5 right. Reminded me a bit of poker xD.

written by Kaneiku | 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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"too smug to be a scientist"-I like that!....like most of the science worshipers around, without letters......probies.

""obsessed with reality". ....Just what IS reality gluonium? A better question is, what is YOUR reality.

written by choggie

member is hobbled for abuse of privileges

| 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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what i see, in all objectivity, is a test easy to trap.

There a more objective test: When the firs person stand in front of his hypothical lot, a flash behind reveal if the lot is empty (who mean the seer have see right). Repeat the exercise three time, after

written by chicar

| 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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"Randi would make a lousy scientist. He only ever does one experiment, using only one set of test subjects. I would call his results less than conclusive and his method less than thorough.

It was a demonstration. And he's never claimed to be a scientist (afaik). (But I guess being "smug" would preclude him from that occupation anyway, huh?) He's a former magician and skeptic who is simply showing people how foolish it is to buy into this dreck. His million dollars is safe. I swear it is... on the bible.

"Just a lame t.v. show host"? Awww, did he make you angry? Is he a poopy-head, too? Some people can't see the truth right in front of them, and get angry at anybody that crashes their fantasy worlds of magic sky gods, auras, fortune tellers, psychics, et al. Grow up.

And choggie... arty whores only impress themselves.

written by Fletch

| 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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It takes a lot to get me angry, Fletch. How 'bout you? Your avatar looks like he's about to blow a gasket.

written by persephone

| 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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And your avatar strongly resembles a pomegranate. Are you a pomegranate?

written by Fletch

| 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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dude, not that doubts and knowledge don't exist, that most of the folks who claim to have an awareness other than another's are idiots.....but obviously, the unexplained, confuses and overwhelms you....while not a particularly clever representation of a ruse uncovered, is posted here.....you have not so cleverly engaged in assuming you know, once again, the unknowable.......

written by choggie

| 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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scientism |ˈsīənˌtizəm| (noun) [UNRARE] thought or expression regarded as characteristic of other people's perceptions. Scientism may manifest itself, as people in a room, begin to acknowledge that one or more domesticated primates, tend to believe they know more than similar, equally qualified domesticated primates, in the same room. (syn) experticm,
doubterobot.

written by choggie

| 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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Look who's talking. You're as clueless as you are confused, and you read what you wish to read. Feel free to reread what I wrote and quote which line you drew your ridiculous conclusion from. You post condescending and confrontational shit for every vid that questions your precious beliefs, so don't get pissy when someone bites back. Unless yer just suckin' up for them dag brownie points? Hmmmm? Choggie to the rescue? Persephone isn't under attack, and I'm sure she could give as well as take if she were.

You obviously (obviously) have no idea what I believe, and you jump to conclusions to support whatever disjointed, rambling prose the 100 monkeys locked in your basement can come up with. The only thing even remotely clever about your comments is your incredibly high word count/points made ratio, often undefined. Some may see your act as wisdom bordering on insanity, or chalk it up as "choggie just being choggie". I just see it as stale.

This pretty much sums up my view on the unexplained and unknown. Please don't watch it. You need all the boogeyman you can conjure.

Have a nice day.

(Was gonna post this private, in reply to your bs profile comment, but didn't feel like defending on two fronts)

written by Fletch

| 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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oh, i see now, because this one guy appears to have got it wrong ... therefore auras are nonexistent and all Knowledge is contained within present day Science! Great conclusion guys! Notice how Randi himself doesn't push that conclusion, he just leaves it for fanboys to fill in for him. Also notice how he belittles the fact that the guy chose better than average. 2 correct guesses is not "slightly" better than chance. anyone want to work out exactly how much better it is?

About the title... "invisible" and "nonexistent" are not the same thing.

Even if this clip did prove this one guy to be a fraud (which it doesn't) then extrapolating those results to all the universe would be VERY unscientific.

If the guy had guessed right, it still wouldn't have proved anything because this is on TV, and TV is bullshit. All you scientismists would just say "lucky guess" anyway.

But his failure does NOT disprove anything at all, and Randi never says it does, because it doesn't.

Why can't scientismists be more scientific in their thinking instead of having blind faith in rationality?

lol

You all just choose what you want to believe, and then jump on any youtube clip that vaguely seems to suggest agreement, and turn it into some kind of Reality Bible.

written by MINK

| 2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago | CH

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@ Fletch. No, not a pomegranate but I've been told I have a very pink aura....It's the colour of love and passion