The Atheist
The Grammar Tyrant
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2006
- Messages
- 36,354
I have finally concluded that the supernatural exists.
The world does have truly inexplicable things happening and I have taken heed of the dozens of people who e mail me on a daily basis, explaining why the MDC has not and could not be won and why the supernatural isn't obvious to those whose position starts with doubt. The MDC has always been designed to show the challenger to be fake. It is a negatively-designed test, which can only produce negative results. Ask Edge!
Since my own $2M challenge remains unclaimed, I have decided to take advantage of my inside knowledge. Those silly, pragmatic bookies still have the same odds for psychics actually telling the truth as they did last week - their odds aren't going to alter one iota because I've changed my mind.
Accordingly, I'm changing the $2M Challenge in a research fund for the paranormal. The important distinction is that as a former sceptic, I fully understand the level of evidence required and I am very sure that I can sort the few grains of wheat from the tons of chaff.
The job is easy. All I need do is find one example of the many of paranormal activity and that person will then have the opportunity of working with me in a $2M research program into the causes and effects of paranormal phenomena. As I see it, the main problem seems to have been getting mainstream interest into funding of the paranormal, which is why no serious scientific investigation has ever happened. History is littered with flawed studies and who knows what damage Randi & Banachek's academic fraud did to the chances of having paranormality investigated properly. "Skeptic", with or without the "c" is all very well, but the word literally means "to doubt". It's a little bit like being a christian and starting with an a priori, "God exists". Given that, I think it's quite obvious why the MDC is still intact. (for now, anyway)
I'll be happy to discuss the subjects with sceptics of both ilks, but my focus will be on finding the select few who are genuinely involved in paranormal phenomena. I will be changing my web pages asap to reflect this new idea, but I thought I'd introduce JREF to it first.
The most important thing, for sceptics and believers alike, is that I am abit of a pragmatist myself.
Coming to me with a ghost story will be, as it always has been, as useful as tits on a bull. Come to me with evidence of supernatural and paranormal phenomena, properly documented, and I will enjoy working with you to establishing a research partnership, dedicated to explaining to the world the benefits of having an understanding of the supernatural. From Qi to Feng Shui to Tarot, let's rid the planet of the frauds and let people find the joy the spirit world can bring to their lives. (As The Atheist, I'm delighted to let the secret out that the spirit world rules out the christian god - I mean, these people are dead and they're in neither the christian heaven nor the hell and they are quite sure no bloke called "God" exists, although apparently Winston Churchill and Julis Caesar have some pretty staunch arguments.)
What I will be seeking - and this is where Buzzlightyear, Edge, jcraig and others come in. You guys have done the initial research for me. What I need is a proposal to do a test with a genuinely independent panel watching. The panel is made up of people who are all registered engineers who have no pre-conceived position on the paranormal. I work with mechanical and electrical engineers every day and most of them never consider the non-physical world. None of the ones on the panel would be classifiable as "sceptics" in terms of the meaning in here - doubt, denial, derision. They are simply; observe and record, no analysis required. If you say you're going to turn that psi-wheel clockwise for 5 seconds and make it stop, as long as you do it, these people will gladly write it up as fact.
For the sc/keptics, have no fear - I have no intention of showing fuzzy pictures of "orbs", I am involving a reputable and internationally-accepted firm in terms of scientific investigation - Auckland Uniservices; a division of University of Auckland's Engineering department. I've had professional dealings with them and I spoke to them during my Fuelstar investigation*. When I present evidence of paranormal activity, it will be actual evidence, certified by unimpeachably dedicated scientists.
Yes, I do realise that the marriage of physics and paranormal - Dawkins foresaw this when he discussed "perinormality" with Randi at one of the Tim-Tams - will be worthy of a Nobel Prize. As merely the administrator, I won't be getting one myself, but as I'm the marketer and boss as well, everyone will know bloody well who got the ball rolling!
A small statue in the Bay of Islands will suffice. Or maybe at Cromer, next to one of my heroes, Henry Blogg. (Ok, a little bit behind 'Ry.)
*Even more important note: pseudoscience will still get rubbished in exactly the same way by me. Science works - it just doesn't yet have an understanding of the paranormal universe. Please; if you have a perpetual motion machine, make sure it works!
The world does have truly inexplicable things happening and I have taken heed of the dozens of people who e mail me on a daily basis, explaining why the MDC has not and could not be won and why the supernatural isn't obvious to those whose position starts with doubt. The MDC has always been designed to show the challenger to be fake. It is a negatively-designed test, which can only produce negative results. Ask Edge!
Since my own $2M challenge remains unclaimed, I have decided to take advantage of my inside knowledge. Those silly, pragmatic bookies still have the same odds for psychics actually telling the truth as they did last week - their odds aren't going to alter one iota because I've changed my mind.
Accordingly, I'm changing the $2M Challenge in a research fund for the paranormal. The important distinction is that as a former sceptic, I fully understand the level of evidence required and I am very sure that I can sort the few grains of wheat from the tons of chaff.
The job is easy. All I need do is find one example of the many of paranormal activity and that person will then have the opportunity of working with me in a $2M research program into the causes and effects of paranormal phenomena. As I see it, the main problem seems to have been getting mainstream interest into funding of the paranormal, which is why no serious scientific investigation has ever happened. History is littered with flawed studies and who knows what damage Randi & Banachek's academic fraud did to the chances of having paranormality investigated properly. "Skeptic", with or without the "c" is all very well, but the word literally means "to doubt". It's a little bit like being a christian and starting with an a priori, "God exists". Given that, I think it's quite obvious why the MDC is still intact. (for now, anyway)
I'll be happy to discuss the subjects with sceptics of both ilks, but my focus will be on finding the select few who are genuinely involved in paranormal phenomena. I will be changing my web pages asap to reflect this new idea, but I thought I'd introduce JREF to it first.
The most important thing, for sceptics and believers alike, is that I am a
Coming to me with a ghost story will be, as it always has been, as useful as tits on a bull. Come to me with evidence of supernatural and paranormal phenomena, properly documented, and I will enjoy working with you to establishing a research partnership, dedicated to explaining to the world the benefits of having an understanding of the supernatural. From Qi to Feng Shui to Tarot, let's rid the planet of the frauds and let people find the joy the spirit world can bring to their lives. (As The Atheist, I'm delighted to let the secret out that the spirit world rules out the christian god - I mean, these people are dead and they're in neither the christian heaven nor the hell and they are quite sure no bloke called "God" exists, although apparently Winston Churchill and Julis Caesar have some pretty staunch arguments.)
What I will be seeking - and this is where Buzzlightyear, Edge, jcraig and others come in. You guys have done the initial research for me. What I need is a proposal to do a test with a genuinely independent panel watching. The panel is made up of people who are all registered engineers who have no pre-conceived position on the paranormal. I work with mechanical and electrical engineers every day and most of them never consider the non-physical world. None of the ones on the panel would be classifiable as "sceptics" in terms of the meaning in here - doubt, denial, derision. They are simply; observe and record, no analysis required. If you say you're going to turn that psi-wheel clockwise for 5 seconds and make it stop, as long as you do it, these people will gladly write it up as fact.
For the sc/keptics, have no fear - I have no intention of showing fuzzy pictures of "orbs", I am involving a reputable and internationally-accepted firm in terms of scientific investigation - Auckland Uniservices; a division of University of Auckland's Engineering department. I've had professional dealings with them and I spoke to them during my Fuelstar investigation*. When I present evidence of paranormal activity, it will be actual evidence, certified by unimpeachably dedicated scientists.
#Takes Bow#
Yes, I do realise that the marriage of physics and paranormal - Dawkins foresaw this when he discussed "perinormality" with Randi at one of the Tim-Tams - will be worthy of a Nobel Prize. As merely the administrator, I won't be getting one myself, but as I'm the marketer and boss as well, everyone will know bloody well who got the ball rolling!
A small statue in the Bay of Islands will suffice. Or maybe at Cromer, next to one of my heroes, Henry Blogg. (Ok, a little bit behind 'Ry.)
*Even more important note: pseudoscience will still get rubbished in exactly the same way by me. Science works - it just doesn't yet have an understanding of the paranormal universe. Please; if you have a perpetual motion machine, make sure it works!
