Psychics

[Vineon]

dont believe any of it and I hate those murder crimes solved with mediums on discovery channel.

I'd say at best, when it works, its a coincidence. People that believe in it will find meanings to what a medium has said afterwards so that it can make sense.

It's pretty easy to assume that psychics exist because by some degree of luck or logic-guessing some manage to be right and assume every other one is a phony.

We also DO tend to talk about the rare times it "worked" and just never talk about the many times it didnt. It is like weather reports, some would argue they always make mistakes because they remember the one picnic that was ruined because of it and not the many days where they were right.

That said because I dont exactly believe in it, I'm not dead close on the idea there might be something to it.

 

[Castlevaynia]

Psychics are a load of shit.

The end.

 

[bolt]

I get DeJa Vu at least once or twice a month. Does that count?

 

[NESgamer]

I get DeJa Vu at least once or twice a month. Does that count?

I don't think so, but i suffer of them as well, constantly.

About psychics i had never seen one, but Astrologist can be really accurate to determine someones personality with their calculations (birth place, hour, day etc).One said once lots of stuff about me i couldn't possible show to him in other way, like hidden things that you usually don't show to strangers...but he knew them.

 

[Sleep]

From what I know about deja vu, it's just a brain mishap; the unconscious brain puts an experience into memory before the conscious brain is able to process it. I don't think I've ever seen it classified under psychic phenomena before.

I experience it pretty often as well. :o

 

[CasMat]

You will give away something of yours.

A girl will be interested in you. (switch to guy for girls)

You will take a test and do well.

Someone will cause your death.

At least one of those will come "true" for everyone on this board... and as was said before.... you can't say that they won't all happen.

Am I psychic or what?

 

[Screw-On Head]

Psychics are a load of shit.

The end.

Pretty much sums it up.

 

[pervysenin]

I gotta agree that most psychic shit is a load of bull, especailly the stuff on TV. Seeing idiots buying into John Edwards makes me lose faith in humanity.

But what about the idea of precognition in general? Have any of you had gut instincts that proved to be rite? I know I have.

I also have a working theory about psychic experiences. A tidal wave will start off small before it crests at its max size. The point is, what if bieng psychic is just being more sensitive to whats going on around you. Mabye a psychic experience is just subconciously picking up various indicators for an upcoming event around you. I know it sounds like bullshit but it might not be too far-fetched. Afterall, many types of animals can predict upcoming weather conditions long before clear cut signs of an impending storm appear.

 

[Striker]

The only reason people continue to believe psychics is confirmation bias.

Renowned psychic Jeane Dixon predicted that world war three would start in 1958, cancer would be cured in 1967, and world peace would be achieved in the year 2000. Obviously, nobody mentions those, but are quick to show that she correctly "predicted" (i.e. guessed) that Kennedy would die in office (after having previously predicted that Nixon would win the 1960 election, not Kennedy). Basically, even the broken clock is right twice a day.

Kudos for actually bring up the actual term for the concept.

Confirmation bias is basically when people only look for the suggestions that lead to something, when clearly other suggestions could lead to different things. Bogus basic explanation? Yeah.

For example, everyone has used it in mathematics.

Given the rule -- X + 1 = N -- and being asked to define it, how would you state the definition of that rule?

Most people would say -- A number plus 1 equals a number 1 numerals place above the original number, or something to that extent.

When defining that, they only thought of things that CONFIRMED their hypothesis and therefore when naming the definition used CONFIRMATION BIAS to which the definition was biased to their hypothesis.

What if X was infinity? Infinity + 1 = Infinity. There is no numerals place addition to infinity.

They did not think of such things that would diprove their hypothesis, but instead relying on proof that didn't consider the whole medium of possible numbers.

To a point, you could say the court system goes under a system of Confirmation Bias, in which they make a confirmation under the proof given to them that makes them believe that _____ person killed _____ woman. Evidently, there was possibly some more evidence that _____ didn't kill _____ woman, meaning Confirmation Bias was involved.

Psychics are wrong lots of times. They're only ever right by using vague answers to which many different possibilities could apply.

Also, to the person who said their mom broke their leg in a car accident; What if the trajectory of the vehicles slightly changed? Your mother could have been in a permanent vegatative state. Would the psychic have been so miraculous then? Yes, your mother did indeed break her leg, but more importantly she's in a vegetative state. The psychic 'managed' to 'predict' that your mother would have something happen to her leg, but she didn't predict the most awful thing, permanent paralysis and being in the limbo between life and death.

The only thing sadder than people buying into John Edward's loads of crap is seeing people believe that lady on Montel saying that she's a psychic. She's the worst of the bunch.