Do some people have psychic abilities?

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Do you guys believe some people are psychic? I know lots of people don't believe in such a thing. I'm just wondering if anyone here believes in psychic abilities.

Short answer: NO. Longer answer: There is no valid empirical evidence to consistently prove beyond any reasonable doubt that psychic abilities exist.Lots of people believe in psychic abilities, even though when the alleged paranormal powers of psychics are tested, it turns out that: (1) they have never before tested their powers under controlled conditions, (2) those who don't offer preposterous rationalizations for their inability to perform seem genuinely baffled at their failure, and (3) they genuinely believe in their powers; but remember that mere belief proves nothing.

Psychics don't rely on other psychics to warn them of impending disasters. Psychics don't predict their own deaths or diseases. They go to the dentist like the rest of us. They're as surprised and disturbed as the rest of us when they have to call a plumber or an electrician to fix some defect at home. Their planes are delayed without their being able to anticipate the delays. If they want to know something about Abraham Lincoln, they go to the library; they don't try to talk to Abe's spirit. Psychics aren't overly worried about other psychics reading their minds and revealing their innermost secrets to the world. No casino has ever banned psychics from the gaming room simply because there is no need to do so!

In short, psychics live by the known laws of nature that govern the rest of us, except when they are playing their psychic games with gullible people.

Last edited by Fnord on 05 Mar 2020, 11:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

Psychic: having a special mental ability, for example so that you are able to know what will happen in the future or know what people are thinking: psychic powers.

I guess to answer the question it's important to first define "psychic". ^

By definition, "psychic" doesn't suggest there are any supernatural forces at play, but rather a special ability.

Sure, some people have a special ability. It could be attributable to a highly developed limbic system which can sense energy and make very accurate predictions. It could just be a higher rate of coincidence for these people, it could be "good guessing", and it could be that their minds have an ability that others' don't.

Time and space don't exist, so I think some people are able to see / think past those implied constraints.

In short, sure some people are highly accurate at guessing (knowing?) the future, or being able to perceive what others think. I'm not suggesting it's necessarily supernatural but yes, some people are better at these skills than others.

@IsabellaLinton: It's called "Intuition", and it's a perfectly normal and mundane ability that all animals have. It's the unconscious ability to process ordinary sensory inputs into feelings -- unease when encountering a stranger, or well-being when in a safe and familiar environment. There is nothing "paranormal" about it.

You can define terms any way you want. Most believers seem to put forth made-up definitions that can't help but to support their beliefs. However, as an adjective, "psychic" refers to imaginary forces or agencies of an alleged paranormal nature; while as a noun, "psychic" refers to a person who allegedly has paranormal powers.

Last edited by Fnord on 05 Mar 2020, 12:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Right. Agreed. That's what I was saying in response to the definition of psychic. It doesn't need to involve anything "supernatural", but could definitely be "a special ability" regarding intuition.

That's why I said this:

Good. I'm glad we've nailed that down. Seeing another person "go off the deep end" regarding myths of paranormal abilities always breaks my heart. They either come out of it at a later date much poorer and regretting missed opportunities, or they become so deeply involved that they lose all credibility among reasoning and sensible people. Either way, it's a tragedy.

I defined the term "psychic" using the OED.

I'll admit I've gone to a few psychics (for entertainment purposes only) and some were downright freakish in their accuracy about my past, present, and future, with no other explanation. I'm not suggesting it's supernatural or that they weren't charlatans of some sort, but it's entirely possible they were excellent at reading me due to their "special intuition" or some other uncanny luck. It was definitely a gift they had, regardless of how they got it (even if it was all just wild coincidence and probability).

What looks like psychic ability in action is little more than a game of Twenty Questions or perhaps a "fishing expedition", with the client providing all the relevant details and connecting all the dots for the "psychic" while the "psychic" appears to be getting messages from beyond. Of course, the "psychic" is simply an observant, thoughtful person, who says things appropriate for the age and gender of the subject.

For example, one of my classmates -- right out of high school, tall, handsome, strong and athletic -- was told by a "psychic" to refrain from premarital sex or he'd be fathering a baby. He became an immediate believer because he had already gotten a girl pregnant and produced a daughter. Good advice from the "psychic" became proof of power in this young man's mind. She also told him other things "nobody could have known" (he said), such as that he had once vomited all over himself and soiled his trousers. He apparently had done this as a young man while drunk and didn't realize that the "psychic" was actually describing nearly universal experiences for infants and babies!

It took a long time to dissuade him from this belief, and I often wonder if he relapsed after we had parted ways.

I never did believe it, until a couple of years ago when my mother went to see a psychic, and my mum was totally stunned at how accurate the psychic was. My mum even found out a couple of things she herself didn't even know about one of her family members, and this was proved when my mum phoned this relative who she doesn't see hardly and asked her and the relative said yes.
The psychic said other things to my mum that were accurate, like one of the first things she said was "a baby girl was born in 2002", which was right because her brother had a baby girl in 2002. And some of these aren't things a total stranger can just guess accurately by looking at you. Not one thing the psychic said was wrong.

Explain that.

^ Well, if I was running that scam I’d say “a baby was born in 200x” (where x is any random integer between 1 and 9 inclusive) to every middle aged punter that came by: it’d be true enough times to keep the money rolling in. Specifying gender looks like a risky strategy, but 50/50 chance so why not: the times you look awesomely powerful will be worth the times you look like an idiot.
(I’d probably throw in “a first or second degree blood relative was sexually abused” as well for the same reason: probably say cousin because people have more of them and it’s non-gender specific so higher likelihood of a positive hit.)

And to channel Shappi Khorsandi: “has any of this white English-speaking audience lost a John recently” for group events.

So, nope, don’t believe it for a second.

Last edited by Karamazov on 05 Mar 2020, 1:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Okay.Most people are surprised at how accurate psychics seem to be, yet when recordings of their sessions are played back, those same people are equally surprised at how much information they had given away themselves, either through facial expressions, posture, or gestures, or even through direct spoken statements. Yet, even when confronted with such evidence, they still refuse to believe that the "psychic" was anything other than the real deal.First of all, did the psychic say something specific like, "Cousin Francine had a child out of wedlock in 2002 that she put up for adoption", or did she say something more general like, "A close relative of your mothers has a shameful past involving a man she never married"? I'm inclined to believe more the latter than the former, and simply because while it is accurate, a "shameful past" could also apply to at least one female relative of anyone's family.If you ask around, you will find a good number of the people you know had a female relative born in 2002. In fact, two of my nieces became first-time mothers in 2002, and there was nothing "psychic" about either birth.Of course! A total stranger would need to know things that only your mother could reveal, either through facial expressions, posture, or gestures, or even through direct spoken statements (as I've noted before). It is also very likely that the alleged "psychic" assessed your mother's appearance, clothing, shoes and jewelry to determine her approximate age and city of residence. From there, certain assumptions can be made that will be generally applicable to women of your mother's apparent "type", and these assumptions can be stated in such general terms as to seem to be completely accurate. Once your mother confirmed their accuracy, the "psychic" then honed the statements in a final summary -- which was only a repetition of all of the "hits" she made, without any mention at all of the "misses".Cognitive bias. Your mother (and you) remember only the "hits" and not the "misses". Besides, were you actually there during the reading, or are you only relating what your mother has told you?

Keep in mind that I once worked profitably as a "psychic", so I know all of the tricks they use.

This is pretty much where I stand on the issue too.

Well, I did have the loo remodeled last September, and the workers had to remove everything for a full day; so yes, I did lose a "John" ... in a certain sense of the word.

Spooky.

I should buy me some tarot cards and a big glass paperweight!

No, and I find the number of people who do even after having things like cold readings explained and demonstrated to them somewhat alarming.

Find some 100-year old books in foreign languages to put on display. Add a few dreamcatchers and leave a bowl of polished stones nearby. Don't forget to light some scented candles. Offer the clients some "imported herbal tea" which you can find in any grocery store. Play some Enya music in the background. Make sure that there is a cat in the room, and talk to it as if it could understand you.

Finally, claim to NOT be psychic, but only sensitive to the voices of the Spirits, which are often difficult to understand due to "dark forces" nearby.

Works every time.