# Does the Buffet Challenge debunk psychic powers once and for all? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 21, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244 "2014-03-21T20:14:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/101 "2014-03-24T12:53:17Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > WTF? > Just explain why it’s against your god’s will to take a million from those who can afford it, but o.k. to take it from the poor and/or ignorant. Free will has created the system we have in this world where some people, (I call them younger souls) are exploited by other people (older souls). Your request for an explanation is a subset of free will. Without God’s love people will take advantage of other people, and the spiritually youngest (most trusting, least able) will get hit the hardest time and time again, as a 4 yr old can eaisally be taken advantage of by a 12 yr old. In this system we are all spiritual children and our ages are fixed for our lifetime here (or advance very slowly). By taking away this, as you propose, you take away free will, which God will not do. But in this world system is diminishing returns, and eventually failure. The solution is finding out that the path is not in taking advantage of others but helping them, this is the path of Love, which leads to the prosperity of God. God wants us to come to the conclusion that robbing the poor, or being poor and trusting wordly powers, is not a good idea, God does not want to just blink that into us. We are God’s children who are to learn God’s ways because of who we are intrinsically. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/102 "2014-03-24T14:14:51Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Free will has created the system we have in this world where some people, (I call them younger souls) are exploited by other people (older souls). Your request for an explanation is a subset of free will. Without God’s love people will take advantage of other people, and the spiritually youngest (most trusting, least able) will get hit the hardest time and time again, as a 4 yr old can eaisally be taken advantage of by a 12 yr old. In this system we are all spiritual children and our ages are fixed for our lifetime here (or advance very slowly). > > By taking away this, as you propose, you take away free will, which God will not do. But in this world system is diminishing returns, and eventually failure. > > The solution is finding out that the path is not in taking advantage of others but helping them, this is the path of Love, which leads to the prosperity of God. > > God wants us to come to the conclusion that robbing the poor, or being poor and trusting wordly powers, is not a good idea, God does not want to just blink that into us. We are God’s children who are to learn God’s ways because of who we are intrinsically. Non-responsive jibber-jabber. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/103 "2014-03-24T14:26:23Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Free will has created the system we have in this world where some people, (I call them younger souls) are exploited by other people (older souls). Your request for an explanation is a subset of free will. Without God’s love people will take advantage of other people, and the spiritually youngest (most trusting, least able) will get hit the hardest time and time again, as a 4 yr old can eaisally be taken advantage of by a 12 yr old. In this system we are all spiritual children and our ages are fixed for our lifetime here (or advance very slowly). > > By taking away this, as you propose, you take away free will, which God will not do. But in this world system is diminishing returns, and eventually failure. > > The solution is finding out that the path is not in taking advantage of others but helping them, this is the path of Love, which leads to the prosperity of God. > > God wants us to come to the conclusion that robbing the poor, or being poor and trusting wordly powers, is not a good idea, God does not want to just blink that into us. We are God’s children who are to learn God’s ways because of who we are intrinsically. If I had a dollar for every person who new what god wants. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/104 "2014-03-24T18:48:36Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Non-responsive jibber-jabber. What would be a **Czarcasm** acceptable answer? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/105 "2014-03-24T18:49:55Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > If I had a dollar for every person who new what god wants. And if I had a dollar for every person who says god doesn’t exist 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/106 "2014-03-24T19:03:19Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > What would be a **Czarcasm** acceptable answer? :dubious: A responsive answer to _anybody_ would directly address the question being asked, instead of being full of off-topic woo bullshit. You are not my priest, rabbi, guru or psychiatrist, my spiritual journey is none of your business, and repeating asking if I am sleeping well at night is downright offensive. If you make a claim in Great Debates that you know people that have psychic abilities I am fully within my rights to ask you to provide valid sites. An acceptable answer from you would either be a proper cite, “no”, or no answer at all. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/107 "2014-03-24T19:09:56Z")
Right after the NCAA championship game I’m going to fire up my time machine. Buffett and Quicken Loans are about to owe me a billion dollars. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/108 "2014-03-24T19:14:12Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Right after the NCAA championship game I’m going to fire up my time machine. > > Buffett and Quicken Loans are about to owe me a billion dollars. 😃 And with that billion dollars you could finance the research and development of a time machine-Win/win! ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/109 "2014-03-24T19:27:31Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > A responsive answer to _anybody_ would directly address the question being asked, instead of being full of off-topic woo bullshit. You are not my priest, rabbi, guru or psychiatrist, my spiritual journey is none of your business, and repeating asking if I am sleeping well at night is downright offensive. If you make a claim in Great Debates that you know people that have psychic abilities I am fully within my rights to ask you to provide valid sites. An acceptable answer from you would either be a proper cite, “no”, or no answer at all. I will do that I will give you, via PM, the web page with contact info of a person who has those powers IF you can demonstrate you have the ability to use that info for the betterment of women/mankind by fighting ignorance. I just want to make sure before I do that that I understand your methods because I would not want you to make a mistake, that could cause harm to her if you are in error as it is her profession. If I understand you correctly you wish to find by scientific means if such a thing is true of false? If so, I would first ask you to qualify your ability in this to me by providing the accepted scientific method that you will be using to determine God. If you have no ability to determine it there is no reason to place another person in harm. But As for your other point, yes I do care about your well being including how you sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/110 "2014-03-24T19:36:29Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I will do that I will give you, via PM, the web page with contact info of a person who has those powers IF you can demonstrate you have the ability to use that info for the betterment of women/mankind by fighting ignorance. > > I just want to make sure before I do that that I understand your methods because I would not want you to make a mistake, that could cause harm to her if you are in error as it is her profession. If I understand you correctly you wish to find by scientific means if such a thing is true of false? If so, I would first ask you to qualify your ability in this to me by providing the accepted scientific method that you will be using to determine God. > > If you have no ability to determine it there is no reason to place another person in harm. > > But As for your other point, yes I do care about your well being including how you sleep. The parts of this requirement that can be understood are insanely unreasonable. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/111 "2014-03-24T19:41:18Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I will do that I will give you, via PM, the web page with contact info of a person who has those powers IF you can demonstrate you have the ability to use that info for the betterment of women/mankind by fighting ignorance. If she already has a webpage with contact info, why would you think it necessary to shield her from people visiting said webpage? Is it a secret webpage that only old souls know about? ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/112 "2014-03-24T19:44:34Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > 2^63, which is 9.22\*10^18. If you entered 20 times a second, every second since the big bang, you would just about make it. > > Unfortunately, they allowed only one entry per contestant. Can someone do one more math for me, please… I need to snark somebody. How many entries would I need to make per second if the universe is only 6,000 years old? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/113 "2014-03-24T19:46:25Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The parts of this requirement that can be understood are insanely unreasonable. Or insanely reasonable 😉 OK but it is fair to ask what method you would be using to make your determination. If you do not have a method that you can state and stand behind then the request you made is nothing but muddying the waters. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/114 "2014-03-24T19:52:13Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > If she already has a webpage with contact info, why would you think it necessary to shield her from people visiting said webpage? Is it a secret webpage that only old souls know about? Actually maybe, though in this case I am a very young soul (but then again she found me), we don’t understand how we find things in life, if certain things are blocked till the time is right. Czarcasm is free to search and may find her that is all well and good. Also I must point out that she is the one that talks to the dead, which I don’t see as helpful, so reluctant to recommend her. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/115 "2014-03-24T19:52:42Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Or insanely reasonable 😉 > > OK but it is fair to ask what method you would be using to make your determination. If you do not have a method that you can state and stand behind then the request you made is nothing but muddying the waters. The _only_ determination being made here is whether you can back up one of your fantastic claims with a proper cite. The one and only onus here is on _you_, so quit stalling with your secret websites and offensive psychoanalysis. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/116 "2014-03-24T20:02:42Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The _only_ determination being made here is whether you can back up one of your fantastic claims with a proper cite. The one and only onus here is on _you_, so quit stalling with your secret websites and offensive psychoanalysis. The problem is that you have no way to prove authenticity, so I can present anything real or not, you can not determine one from the other, see the problem? BTW the way you seem to handle this is to dismiss all. So yes, my contact, and dear friend can be found at [www.talktothedead.com](http://www.talktothedead.com) (not really and I have no idea where that link goes, journey at your own risk). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/117 "2014-03-24T20:09:04Z")
So you either can’t answer, or won’t answer. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/118 "2014-03-24T20:25:49Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Can someone do one more math for me, please… > > I need to snark somebody. How many entries would I need to make per second if the universe is only 6,000 years old? I guess it’d be 2.3 million/second, wuddnit. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/119 "2014-03-24T20:28:02Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > I guess it’d be 2.3 million/second, wuddnit. How many #2 pencils/week would that be? ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244/120 "2014-03-24T20:30:46Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > How many #2 pencils/week would that be? Tell you what, I’ll start crunching numbers and come up with a figure on miles of .7mm lead. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-buffet-challenge-debunk-psychic-powers-once-and-for-all/684244.md?page=7)