Secular Pinoy

That's highly conjectural and pretty much unlikely. Most self-styled psychics have no trouble claiming their beliefs to anyone who listens.

Secular Pinoy

Sure, no problem. Let them try.

Seraphim

By Secular Pinoy

Secular Pinoy That's highly conjectural and pretty much unlikely. Most self-styled psychics have no trouble claiming their beliefs to anyone who listens

My reply : I had meet a few people with various abilities (including one who claims can heal plants with her touch) and most of them are very quiet about it ... even in a country where such claims don't bring much attentions to themselves.

Sure, no problem. Let them try.

My reply : If you ever comes to Malaysia one of this days, I can introduce you to someone like that ... but he probably won't like it much if you freak out.

Secular Pinoy

I promise not to freak out. I don't know about going to Malaysia. Maybe next year, if my bowling skills is good enough that I'd try to play at the Malaysian Open.

Pretty quiet, eh? Here in the Philippines, I can't get these "psychics" to shut up about their abilities, even after I debunk them.

Seraphim

Pretty quiet, eh? Here in the Philippines, I can't get these "psychics" to shut up about their abilities, even after I debunk them.

My reply : You're from Philippines?

Oh yeah, I saw National Geography (or was it Discovery) once where they did a programme on some group of psychics who band together and help people out with their "abilities". I saw that this people managed to convinced the government in reopening a case of alluged suicide of a Marine/Army member when they managed to reach his soul on the otherside who told them the event of his death. Last I heard (in the show), no one was charged for that murder.

Frankly speaking, I have not seen bunch of people who are too much into spiritual stuff, despite of their Christianity background.

My friend (he trusts me) always says that the key of developing such abilities lies in mentally accepting it, seek nothing out of it and let it come out on its own. Like a pair of extra hands, such abilities jumps in and out when it's help is needed.

Almost time to leave now.

Secular Pinoy

Of course! Isn't this a Filipino Forum?

Actually I've seen your posts before. Corgan invited you here, right? Does he still post here?

Your friend seems to be saying that one must accept the paranormal to see the proof of the paranormal. I hope you see the circularity of his recommendation.

Selamat malam! (Is dat korek?)

Answerer

I'm open about the existence of psyhic abilities, of course, I hope such abilities could be put in the context of science so that we can undestand them better.

Jan Haugland

I don't think your psychological analysis is universally valid. Sure, that could be the outcome in some cases. However, it is just as likely that such a person would use his or her powers in a way that made people feel comfortable, and certainly would want to be his or her friend.

Sure, why not?

You are talking about what would be an extreme, eh, dare I say superpower. Even if a person having these powers would be tempted to hide them, they would be tremenously effective. In fact, if there existed such people, they would rule the world.

Conspiracy theory of the day: they are ruling the world.


- Jan

...who rants and raves every day at Secular Blasphemy

Lobstrosity

Seeing the future requires that information travel backwards in time. No mechanism for this has been even remotely postulated, current physics, which works exceedingly well, forbids this, and no one can provide any evidence that they have been able to see the future. Furthermore, have you even begun to fathom the paradoxes that would arise from such a thing? The most reasonable conclusion to draw at this moment: it is impossible to see into the future. If you claim otherwise you are making an extraordinary claim and that will require some sort of extraordinary evidence (not some David Copperfield type stunt). The default position is clearly to assume that this is not possible.

Reading minds means that our thoughts actually transmit information outside of our brains in a way that is detectible by another structure in our brains or on our bodies. No one has postulated any mechanism for this to occur and furthmore no reasonable mechanism is evident. Lastly, I do not see why we would even possess such an ability. What is the point? How does it benefit us? We evolved to speak for a reason: to communcate our thoughts to others. We already have a way of communicating our thoughts. It doesn't make sense to me that we would also evolve the ability communicate our thoughts a second way and have this communcation be so bad as to be nearly indetectible by all. Once again, let's take the default possition and assume it is not possible until someone can clearly demonstrate otherwise.

Basically, apply these kinds of arguments to all forms of psychic behavior to know where I stand on everything. Telekinesis--that's just pointless. We have the ability to move things. It's called "hands." Why do we need the ability to move them with our mind, especially when that ability is so weak that only five people in the world claim to be strong enough to move a paperclip with it. By what mechanism is a force being produced? If telekinesis were possible, I guarantee you that other organisms on this planet would have evolved to exploit the ability. You'd see some species catching prey with its mind. Humans would also have mastered the technique by now. Think how useful that would be for commiting crimes! Humans are resourceful and would not let such an ability go unmasterd.

Jan Haugland

Lobstrosity,
It would also, as I see it, imply that the future is already fixed. If anyone could predict, say, next week's lottery numbers, it means that the outcome is already 100% determined.

When I have said this to superstitious people, they reveal they have not reaally thought through the consequences of their beliefs.

- Jan

...who rants and raves every day at Secular Blasphemy