# I'm a skeptic about psychic phenomena, but how do you explain this? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 11, 2004, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-skeptic-about-psychic-phenomena-but-how-do-you-explain-this/268662 "2004-10-11T16:35:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-skeptic-about-psychic-phenomena-but-how-do-you-explain-this/268662/21 "2004-10-12T13:43:54Z")
> [@Rusalka](#): > > Interesting theory. I kinda like this answer. šŸ˜ƒ But unfortunately it doesnā€™t fit in with the facts given in the news report. We are not told that the woman went to one particular place to find the missing girl. She could have gone to hundreds prior to that. She may have intended to visit hundreds more that day. Hundreds of other people had already visited _thousands_ of other locations. Why should we isolate the one person and the one place and call it remarkable, subtly hinted at, or even psychic?. This situation came to a fortunate conclusion simply through a lot of hard graft, effort and a bit of sheer blind chance. It was not the result of any remarkable insight, paranormal or otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-skeptic-about-psychic-phenomena-but-how-do-you-explain-this/268662/22 "2004-10-12T14:53:15Z")
I work with the girlā€™s uncle. He says the whole family considers it a miracle. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-skeptic-about-psychic-phenomena-but-how-do-you-explain-this/268662/23 "2004-10-12T15:04:12Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > I work with the girlā€™s uncle. He says the whole family considers it a miracle. Iā€™m very happy for them. But if sheā€™d been found too late, would they consider it a punishment from God? ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-skeptic-about-psychic-phenomena-but-how-do-you-explain-this/268662/24 "2004-10-12T15:50:06Z")
> [@Rusalka](#): > > [Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=4&u=/ap/20041011/ap_on_re_us/found_alive) > > Just curious what people think about this. Please donā€™t let your personal agendas (religious or non-religious) get too much in the way of a rational opinion. > > Iā€™m a skeptic, but Iā€™m always open to new data. > [@Mary Poppins](#): > > First I would like to make one thing **absolutely** clear. > > I never explain anything. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-skeptic-about-psychic-phenomena-but-how-do-you-explain-this/268662/25 "2004-10-12T15:53:57Z")
Can she follow it up? Cause, see, thereā€™s lots of missing kids in the US right now. Thereā€™s a picture of one very pretty girl on the window of our cafe as we speak. If she canā€™t follow it up consistently, under proper observation, then itā€™s empty words. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-skeptic-about-psychic-phenomena-but-how-do-you-explain-this/268662/26 "2004-10-12T15:57:44Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > I was reading an article a few weeks ago (I think it was in The Economst) about the statistics of very large numbers. It turns out that million to one chances come true roughly 29 times a month in the USA. I remember some comedian saying that when someone says ā€œYouā€™re one in a million,ā€ what theyā€™re really saying is that there are 5000 people exactly like you in China alone. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-skeptic-about-psychic-phenomena-but-how-do-you-explain-this/268662/27 "2004-10-12T16:21:43Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Iā€™m very happy for them. But if sheā€™d been found too late, would they consider it a punishment from God? I think miracles are generally only the one way, since Jesus wuvs you and hugs lambs and all that. Unless youā€™re gay, of a heathen faith, John Kerry, or on the opposing side during a football game, in which case god is indeed out to get you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-skeptic-about-psychic-phenomena-but-how-do-you-explain-this/268662.md?page=1)