The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible - Arthur C. Clarke
A group of mystics who call themselves “psychics” claim truly otherworldly abilities, such as being able to transcend time, the past and the future, or being able to break through the wall that separates the dead from the living. Despite their popularity, these claims are met with much controversy. Are psychic people truly supernatural? Or are there truly natural explanations for their so-called powers?
It certainly supports the psychics that so many people believe in their abilities. Recent research has suggested that more than a third of Americans believes in psi phenomena. Psychics have moved their booming business online, making use of new technologies to spread their talents and awareness of their abilities. Opportunities for psychic employment abound. TV shows and movies about supernatural topics are as popular as ever. Doesn’t this mean that psychics are real?
Not necessarily, say some skeptics. Knowledge is not democratic: something doesn’t have to be true even if a lot of people believe in it. Skeptics argue that psychics use psychological and demographic techniques to convince their marks of their supernatural powers while also robbing them blind. They use techniques such as “cold reading” in which they say generalities and have the mark fill in the details. Most importantly, marks are so willing to believe in these powers that they forget all the times the psychic was wrong and only remember the few (random) times they were right. Through this, the psychic appears more powerful than they really are.
The controversy still continues to this day. Regardless of new studies or new alleged psychic readings, the interpretative flexibility of the data ensures that both sides will claim to have the ‘facts’ on their side. For our purpose, we must make a decision to believe or not believe before we seek out psychic services. We need to consider all the data and decide on our own ideas.
Related posts: