# Psychics fail scientific test. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 31, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448 "2012-10-31T16:07:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/161 "2012-11-06T04:38:03Z")
> [@Latro](#): > > Why would you end it with “who knows.”? > > Several of us have looked it up and there is no “monkey” in _any_ of the King Quest series manuals. “Who knows” means “since the texts of the documents in question can’t be searched electronically and I’m not about to read through every manual, I’m unprepared to state categorically that the word ‘monkey’ does not show up somewhere.” You’re welcome to a different level of assuredness, of course, although I suspect we share a similar evaluation of the likelihood that the poster in question has psychic powers. (But who knows, ahem.) ---
**Author:** ![Bubbles12X2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9de053/32.png) [@Bubbles12X2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bubbles12X2)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/162 "2013-03-10T10:56:22Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > Here’s the thing about psychic ability … some people really do have it, but not a single one of them is hawking it for $5 with a fake crystal ball. They’re just quietly living their lives and being amazed that sometimes they just “know” things or “see” things that couldn’t have otherwise been known or seen, which are too accurate, or too detailed, or happen too frequently, to be chalked up to coincidence. But they can’t call it up on a whim and they don’t go around predicting things. That’s just not how it “works,” so no scientific test is going to either prove or disprove its existence. Um, yes. I thought this would be so obvious. Totally agree with you Shayna. Narrowmindedness is not a good ignorance fighting weapon. I know how psychic I can be and I fail online tests all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Bubbles12X2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9de053/32.png) [@Bubbles12X2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bubbles12X2)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/163 "2013-03-10T11:00:54Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > People who believe in psychic ability (the psychics, their followers) are not going to be talked out of it by any scientific study, no matter how rigorous. Many people are just naturally credulous, and no amount of research can counter human nature. > > I’m just sorry they’re continuing to waste valuable research dollars on this bullshit. Psychic stuff happens to me all the time. But you are saying because it has never happened to you it must be bullshit…? Go here and open your mind a lil. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qw_O9Qiwqew/hqdefault.jpg ""Science and the taboo of psi" with Dean Radin") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw_O9Qiwqew) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/164 "2013-03-10T11:08:49Z")
> [@Bubbles12X2](#): > > Psychic stuff happens to me all the time. Nonsense. You might believe that, but that just puts you in the company of others who have believed the same thing and been wrong. There’s no reason to believe that you at last are the one person who has actual “psychic stuff”. > [@Bubbles12X2](#): > > But you are saying because it has never happened to you it must be bullshit…? No; the fact that there’s no scientific basis for “psychic powers” and claims of such powers keep being proven false again and again is what makes it “BS”. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/165 "2013-03-10T11:13:34Z")
> [@Bubbles12X2](#): > > Psychic stuff happens to me all the time. But you are saying because it has never happened to you it must be bullshit…? Is there any psychic or paranormal phenomena you do not believe in? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/166 "2013-03-10T13:05:30Z")
[quote=“Bubbles12X2, post:163, topic:639448”] Psychic stuff happens to me all the time. But you are saying because it has never happened to you it must be bullshit…? Go here and open your mind a lil. [/QUOTE] Care to summarize the extremely long video? ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/167 "2013-03-10T13:12:48Z")
Prepare to be amazed! The Fifth word in post 170 will be unicorn. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/168 "2013-03-10T13:13:20Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Care to summarize the extremely long video? [QUOTE=abstract] Do telepathy, clairvoyance and other “psi” abilities exist? The majority of the general population believes that they do, and yet fewer than one percent of mainstream academic institutions have any faculty known for their interest in these frequently reported experiences. Why is a topic of enduring and widespread interest met with such resounding silence in academia? The answer is not due to a lack of scientific evidence, or even to a lack of scientific interest, but rather involves a taboo. I will discuss the nature of this taboo, some of the empirical evidence and critical responses, and speculate on the implications. [/QUOTE] I’m not wasting my time either. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/169 "2013-03-10T14:18:27Z")
Why would anybody having psychic powers advertise them? Or submit to testing? If I were psychic, I’d be making billions$$ in the stock/futures markets, and getting rich in real estate. I sure as hell would not let anyone in on my abilities.😃 ---
**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 10, 2013, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/170 "2013-03-10T14:24:19Z")
> [@Bubbles12X2](#): > > Um, yes. I thought this would be so obvious. Totally agree with you Shayna. Narrowmindedness is not a good ignorance fighting weapon. I know how psychic I can be and I fail online tests all the time. Will you take James Randi’s [Million Dollar Challenge](http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html)? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/171 "2013-03-10T14:35:56Z")
“Randis” is Sanskrit for “unicorn”! ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/172 "2013-03-10T14:52:20Z")
You just need to use the simple substitution code and you will see that it is, in FACT, a form of unicorn. Just visit my website and pay $20 for access to the code and be AMAZED!! ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/173 "2013-03-10T15:05:55Z")
Wait! The fifth word in the phrase “post 170 will be unicorn” was indeed “Unicorn!” Answer that one, nay-sayers! ---
**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 10, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/174 "2013-03-10T15:40:29Z")
> [@Bubbles12X2](#): > > Psychic stuff happens to me all the time. My intuition tells me it has never happened to you. And you can’t prove me wrong. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/175 "2013-03-10T20:33:43Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I looked at a couple of manuals for preceding and following titles in King’s Quest. Ctrl+F found no monkeys but in IV’s defense, many pages had boxes labeled Copyrighted Information so it’s possible there was something about a monkey. (But not probable. The page was about runes in a cave on a cliff.) Hi **Inner Stickler.** A fair post you made there. I just downloaded a couple of King’s Quest manuals from [www.sierrahelp.com](http://www.sierrahelp.com) (the site won’t accept some hot links…). On page 33 of the manual for King’s Quest VI (not V) there is an illustration and an empty block labeled “This page contains Copyright Protection material.” And according to [this link here](http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/Guidebook_to_the_Land_of_the_Green_Isles): the symbol for the letter V on that page “represents foolishness, the monkey, the color yellow, and ivory.” A fuzzy diagram of the code is on the Sierra site (third illustration down), here: [http://www.sierragamers.com/aspx/m/634055](http://www.sierragamers.com/aspx/m/634055) So, Shayna’s story is not completely destroyed by the facts, but it does show how memory can warp small facts. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/176 "2013-03-10T21:45:18Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Will you take James Randi’s [Million Dollar Challenge](http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html)? I wish to submit a challenge: I can predict with 100% certainty the outcome of any Million Dollar Challenge attempt. I’ll accept without qualification any terms desired by representatives of the Foundation, on their timetable, and I’m willing to repeat the testing scenario(s) they devise as often as necessary. Where do I sign up? ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/177 "2013-03-16T05:01:21Z")
I’d be interested in any implicit point the OP intended to make, whether or not addressing psychics personally. I once read that _Pravda_ claimed that nothing existed but physical entities and physical processes. How about it? ---
**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 16, 2013, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/178 "2013-03-16T05:12:29Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > I’d be interested in any implicit point the OP intended to make, whether or not addressing psychics personally. I once read that _Pravda_ claimed that nothing existed but physical entities and physical processes. How about it? Please tell me you did not just pull the “Commie!” card. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/179 "2013-03-16T05:42:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Please tell me you did not just pull the “Commie!” card. Probably not - Pravda online is the source of wonderfully odd and wacky articles - typically you go there for UFO and cryptid reports 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448/180 "2013-03-16T06:14:11Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Please tell me you did not just pull the “Commie!” card. I did not just pull the “Commie” card. So there. 🙂 [QUOTE=aruvqan; 16102982] Probably not - Pravda online is the source of wonderfully odd and wacky articles - typically you go there for UFO and cryptid reports 😛 [/QUOTE] Now that _was_ from the Cold War era _Pravda._ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychics-fail-scientific-test/639448.md?page=10)