Do you believe in psychics

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

Discuss.

 

[Siúil a Rúin]

Only once in a clear manner. I think it is possible that the human mind can perceive more than with the senses alone, but I accept it is speculation. People who try to work as professional psychics have a burden of performing on demand, which I think leads to a foundation of psychological tactics that provide an appearance of insight, but are not examples of the actual phenomenon. The general to specific tactic used a lot a few decades ago with the public popular psychics like "I am sensing a great loss related to the letter 'K'", and then people say "Yes, my aunt Kate died last week!" The second tactic is speaking in non-falsifiable ways. "I can see you surrounded by the color green in the summer which means 'xyz', and then later in Fall there is an engulfment in golden shades". Presenting the generality or the non-falsifiable notions and allowing the client to respond with details is a social communication tactic and not necessarily extra-sensory insight. I have been generally skeptical about it.

I did go to an elderly psychic and I did not help him at all. He gave a lot of very specific accurate information that could not happen statistically. I have had a few experiences myself that go beyond statistical anomaly like I kept hearing the phrase "Your house sells for [$insert dollar amount]" and then it did. The offer was over the asking price, so completely bizarre that I heard that number in my brain ahead of time. It was an exact dollar amount, so statistically incredible if a random correlation. I feel connection to people who have passed, and I think humans in general likely have some of this ability, but it is difficult to hear. It is like reality is a huge stew and some of the information is from the external world, some is from our memories, some is from our subconscious symbolic language, and some could be external to us on a metaphysical plane. It is difficult to parse out what is what and be definitive, but it is important to me and something I spent countless hours exploring.

 

[The Cat]

Sure I do.
I very much do.
I also believe in Charlatans.
"The sight" runs in my family on my father's mother's side of the family.
It was never something that the family really talked about outside itself though due to fact that up until the last 50 years it was a quick trip to social ostracization in most communities, after all no one wants to be associated with the people who bring bad news or see through masks.
Growing up I used to ask why no one with the gift tried to make money off it; aside from the "religious implications" (ie no one in church can find out regardless what they say about spiritual gifts, they'll still freak out) And a general belief that the gifts werent for making money but staying alive and helpful to the family and community, and to play with it for just money risked losing it or offending those who gave it to the family in the first place.
And no one wants to offend Good Neighbors...
This means more to some than others.

As far as charlatans go...
Snake oil is one of the most diversified, expansive, and cost effective things one can sell, from colored liquids in bottles laced with radiation(radithor), internet scams, nothing(crypto, nfts), placebo medicine, and of course real fake psychics, like John Edwards, and Miss Cleo, and i would venture to guess anyone associated with the Russian mob. Then of course there's prosperity gospel, stirrup pants, p.f. flyers, and the el camino. Run faster Jump higher, win bigger, cure cancer, get a bigger penis/breasts, magic beans for sale... Snake oil. It goes down smooth, but comes up and out both ends. (its the venom you see)

There are many schools of magic but advertising and marketing are among the most sinister and dangerous if used irresponsibly...​

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[highlander]

I don't believe in this. I was dragged to see Theresa Caputo last month as an example and it is obvious she is a complete fraud.

 

[Totenkindly]

I've always been fascinated by reports of psychic phenomena and speculative sciences, since I was very young.

However, I haven't really ever experienced anything that would lead me to believe in the actuality of said abilities. I'm not against them, I just have not found any convincing data.

(Note that I grew up in a very religious environment and was pushed to accept a particular faith ideology, and put it under the same scrutiny, and also found it all wanting.)

Human beings are quick to see supposed patterns or interpret events from their own subjective view that enforces the patterns they want to experience, rather than stepping outside of the situation and thinking about them in broader terms and being willing to suffer the pain of doubt and self-scrutiny. "Meaningful" is important and helps a person value aspects of their life, but it is not necessarily the same as "true." Some of our experience is limited and what seems a significant data point actually is more random when you assess a lot of other data points. They will ignore things that don't support their beliefs and fixate on the things that do. Sometimes our misinterpretations are innocent and based on longing, we have desperately good motivations. (Is it a bad thing to believe in heaven, for example? Or that our loved ones still exist after death?) Other times they can be more conscious and cynical, which are the cases that raise my ire.

There's a practice called cold reading that allows for what looks to be significant results that is really more knowing how to appeal to a person's own inclinations, for example.

As noted, I would love for some of this to be true. I've spent my life searching for this kind of phenomena and enjoy speculative writing itself as an act of creation. It has been more disappointing than not to have reached a conclusion that, if any such thing exists, it either hasn't been confirmed or isn't really rooted in any type of explicable reality.

 

[Astara]

Definitely not. Don't me wrong, I'd love to believe in them, but it's just such rubbish and I do try to keep myself in the realm of reality.

In my experience, they will tell you general nonsense that relates to most people 'you've been having a really tough time lately...', if you have any basic knowledge of other people it is a very easy thing to fake and prey on the ignorant and vulnerable. I think there is a divide between people who are deluded and really believe they are psychics and people who deep down know they are scamming others, both are equally concerning to me personally, haha.

I think good intuition can make people believe they have powers, I have often made predictions that come true, but that hardly makes me psychic. I am a firm believer in 'self-fulling prophecies'.

 

[ceecee]

I don't believe in this. I was dragged to see Theresa Caputo last month as an example and it is obvious she is a complete fraud.

Did you lose a bet or something?

 

[Siúil a Rúin]

This isn't exactly about psychics, but is compelling for the question of consciousness and how it operates. "Some have even considered the Jim Twins’ case as possible proof of telepathic connections between twins. Jim Springer did state that he “always felt an emptiness,” after all. Was it his brother he was subconsciously feeling?"

The Uncanny Case of the Jim Twins, Two Estranged Twins Who Led Identical Lives

The Jim Twins of Ohio were reunited at age 39, after being separated at birth. When they got to talking, they found that they had lived identical lives!

www.ripleys.com

 

[Siúil a Rúin]

Would anyone be interested in trying to do telepathic tests? Yes I've lost my mind. Anyone who feels slight to strong inclination in this area?

I was thinking of setting up a specific time for people to meditate and attempt to send messages. Then find a way to record our impressions and then share notes afterwards? Oh, each person could send a message to their own self, so it's timestamped, and then forward the messages to each other to check notes - or agree to post the results or something. We'd agree on a plan.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

no.

 

[xXxXx_wEltschmErz_xXxXx]

It depends on what you mean by physics.