"Body Language Expert" Calls Psychics Nonsense

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trollface

14-08-2014

Originally Posted by silven:
“Mark was not displaying 'psychic' ability with Christopher, he was supposedly displaying 'telepathic' ability. One can be predictive amongst other things, the other reading thoughts.”

Mark claims he can predict the future, as well.

Quote:
“Beware the telepathic who thinks they are psychic.”

"Beware" is a strong word, but I wouldn't accept at face value anybody who claims to be either. Instead, let's see them demonstrate their ability in a controlled test. As has been said more than once in this thread, they could win a million dollars doing so and further the course of science by millennia.

Quote:
“Also beware the deluded like MissingtheMark.”

The only way to separate the deluded from those who genuinely have psychic abilities is to test them in a controlled manner. Thus far, nobody has managed to show a result above chance in such a test.

John_Clarkson

14-08-2014

Originally Posted by trollface:
“Prove it. ”

How very dare you imply that I might be lying!

planetmatt

14-08-2014

Psychics are pure scum. One step above child abusers in my opinion.

Using cold reading, probability, and confirmation bias to convince people they can talk to dead parents or children for money is the lowest of the low.

The prey on the emotionally needy and weak and exploit them in the worst way.

delazarous

14-08-2014

Originally Posted by artstu:
“Next week: A faith healer calls BS on homeopathy.”

Not quite the same!

Thrombin

14-08-2014

Originally Posted by artstu:
“That's where she pushes it into the area of woo, isn't it? She attaches meaning to any random, meaningless move in order to push the producers' chosen narrative.

Ultimately, her approach to 'analysing' body language puts her in a similar relationship that a nutritionist has to a dietician.”

I've always considered Psychologists on BB to be the equivalent of someone reading a horoscope or a tarot card. The body language might inform you of the emotion behind the gesture but, after that, the actual meaning, the reason for that emotion, is all open to interpretation. The number of times the psychs had completely the wrong end of the stick in their opinions in past years has left me taking anything they say with a huge pinch of salt. I certainly wouldn't let it change my opinion of anyone.

trollface

14-08-2014

Originally Posted by John_Clarkson:
“How very dare you imply that I might be lying!”

Oh, no, no, no, no, no. I'm not implying that at all. I've not ruled out the possibility you're deluded.

John_Clarkson

14-08-2014

Originally Posted by trollface:
“Oh, no, no, no, no, no. I'm not implying that at all. I've not ruled out the possibility you're deluded.”

How very dare you imply that I might be deluded!
Last edited by John_Clarkson : 14-08-2014 at 13:42

Arnold1

06-09-2014

Originally Posted by planetmatt:
“Psychics are pure scum. One step above child abusers in my opinion.

Using cold reading, probability, and confirmation bias to convince people they can talk to dead parents or children for money is the lowest of the low.

The prey on the emotionally needy and weak and exploit them in the worst way.”

You mean the fake psychics are scum. There are a few genuine psychics about.

Conehead

06-09-2014

Originally Posted by Arnold1:
“You mean the fake psychics are scum. There are a few genuine psychics about.”

If they belong to the Independent Professional Register of Affiliated Psychics, (IPRAP), then they are genuine and their guesses come with a full 10 year guarantee.

Arnold1

06-09-2014

Originally Posted by trollface:
“And here we go

5.8 magnitude; Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca, Mexico; before 30th August 2014, exactly 2 weeks after the prediction.

Now, it may not be a terribly good prediction. But, and this is the important point, it's a much, much better prediction than Sollog's. Sollog, if you remember, didn't predict a magnitude, didn't predict a location, and didn't give a time period within which the earthquake would happen. Plus, just to ensure all the relevant information is in everybody's mind, his prediction came in a long list of failed predictions, and was actually wrong as it predicted multiple earthquakes rather than just the one that is claimed as a hit. And Sollog's prediction is cited by his own website as being one of the best he's ever made. And the fact that Sollog has made such a prediction is being offered up as proof that human beings can predict the future.

So, if it's true that Sollog can genuinely predict earthquakes via psychic means (or by being God, as he claims), then the lesson to learn here is that he's doing it the hard way. He would do much better to simply use a little bit of knowledge of geology, geography, and probability. He could predict earthquakes much more precisely that way.

And if that's the case, that does rather ask the question - what use is a psychic ability to predict earthquakes? What actual use is it, if non-pyschic means of prediction are orders of magnitude better?

Just one further prediction. Given that he's been very quiet since I posted what Sollog actually predicted, rather than what his followers claim he predicted, I predict that Arnold1 will not acknowledge that my prediction is better than Sollog's, and the next time he enters in to a discussion such as this one he will once again claim that Sollog's earthquake predictions are amazing and that anybody who disagrees with him about it doesn't know anything about Sollog or about predicting earthquakes.

But, just as I took something of a risk with my earthquake prediction (the fact that it took 2 full weeks for it to be fulfilled demonstrates, I hope, that it wasn't a foregone conclusion), I'm prepared to be wrong in this prediction. I hope I am.”

Sollog predicted a rare killer quake that killed 26,000 people. You predicted a 5.7+ earthquake that occurs around forty times per month somewhere on the planet and you pretended you did something rare and special.

Forty quakes per month means it's likely you are going to get a hit during the 31 day time frame you specified. How deceitful of you to pretend it was a rare thing you were doing. Is this how you skeptics argue, by deceiving?

be more pacific

13-09-2014

Originally Posted by Arnold1:
“You mean the fake psychics are scum. There are a few genuine psychics about.”

Name one. If such abilities could be conclusively proven to exist, it would be the greatest scientific breakthrough in history. Whoever validates it will surely win a Nobel Prize.

Alas, no such thing is ever likely to happen and "psychics" will continue to display abilities at a level no higher than the tricks of a skilled Mentalist.

eviled2010

13-09-2014

As the great Carl Sagan used to say: "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence".

Codswallop, the lot of it.

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