If paranormal powers really exist, why has no one claimed the reward?

Question

The Amazing Randi, a renowned stage magician and, oddly enough, professional skeptic, has offered a 1 million dollar prize for anyone who can show any type of paranormal ability under verifiable conditions. The money is there, in escrow, just waiting to be claimed. I admit to being a skeptic, but I also admit that there are alot of phenomena we simply cant explain. But you would think that *one* person would have been able to do this. Are we just deluding ourselves, hoping that there is more than there really is?
http://skepdic.com/randi.html

Answer 1

Yes, these people are really just deluding themselves.
Look at some of the answers: "These powers really exist, but when you test them, that introduces doubt which makes it harder to manifest the powers"

How convenient, you can claim a 'paranormal power' and neatly sidestep attempts to test it.

It would be like saying, I can become invisible, just not when anyone else is around.

Answer 2

I am a skeptic and I know well the Randi prize affai.

To my knowledge, the last news in paranormal affairs is that the observer(s) should ''block'' the paranormal phenomena.

This is a kind of ''circular'' reasoning, that quite surprisingly is supported by the physics Nobel prize Brian Josepson, who won the prize very young for the Josephson Effect and then disappeared from the scientifical community for ''studying'' paranormal phenomena.

The josepson reasonings are based on some weird effects of quantum mechanics that are extremely complex and counterintuitive.

There has been also a hard dispute between Randi and Josepson with no clear conclusion.

Personally I am on the side of Randi.

The fact that there may be some unexplained effects is non sufficient to support that paranormal really exists.

In 1900, the effects of cosmic rays were unexplainable...for many years, then the cosmic rays were detected....mah ?????

Answer 3

To keep it simple, the so called Million Dollar Prize is never meant to be claimed. The criteria to meet the challenge is unreasonable and intentionally so. Its only there to breed more skepticism. Remember, He's a Professional Skeptic. He would be out of a Job and look very stupid to be proved wrong after all of the arguing he has done.

Answer 4

i am not sure why people dont claim the prize and the only logical reason is that as a skeptic he has made it quite hard to prove - if i read his cards or a stranger of his nominated choice and told him he had an animal or what colouring his wife was fair or dark or red head, a recent illness, trouble with an animal, problems with a government building etc would he be surprized or say it was a trick. Because I could tell him those things with my 52 card deck - I could tell him of current and future issues (unlike tarrot which is different) but would that convince him probably not so maybe the rules are harder and the assessment to claim a milion bucks a lot harder then reading the cards to some one.

Answer 5

The money is just an incentive to bring people.
But by challenging this price, you gain more than that. YOu show the world what mind can do. You show all skeptic they were wrong and more important, you change the whole perception of humanity over materialism. You gain a chance of revolutionizing the world and possibly creating new basis for society.

So why a psychic would not see all that underlying the money prize? Why psychic trainer lure people to their cause by promising money return if they are not interested by money.

If there would be people with such power, they would see the possibility of making humanity progress by accepting this challenge no?

Answer 6

Exactly.

Belief in paranormal "powers" is just like any other religion.
It requires faith. Anyone who challenges the faith should be ignored, ridiculed, or destroyed.
It is a system by which the weak can have some belief that strength, happiness and enlightenment can be found without effort, they only need to believe.. and buy books or subscribe to maagzines and radio shows. (Somehow money is always involved, isn't it?)

I'd like to think that somewhere, someone really DOES have some kind of super powers, but are making a hell of a lot more money than a mere $1million (Warren Buffet? Bill Gates?)
;)

Answer 7

First of all, just let me say that PK and ESP has pretty much been proven possible by the Rhine institute. Second, that money doesn't really exist, it's in bonds that expired long ago. Third, even if it did exist, Randi wouldn't allow it to be claimed because he so strongly believes that these things aren't possible.

Answer 8

"S/He grew to become into constantly giving people 'powers' to heal & carry out miracles... " no longer actual: no longer "constantly". there have been narrow classes in background of miracles. The amazing and brazenly supernatural have in no way been the popular journey in maximum cases and for many individuals. verify your historic assertions. "Why, if God used to offer human beings actual info of his existence each and all of the time gained’t he NOW?" i don't comprehend. Ask God. he's God. He does what He needs. Ask Him in a while once you stand in the previous Him! whether, that's that He feels he's finished adequate. case in point the resurrection of Christ from the lifeless. You talk like the religion of thousands and thousands will stand or fall with despite if or no longer somebody comes forth to offer info of the supernatural and win a financial advantages. Has it ever handed off to you that the purpose of existence could no longer be that we grow to be in my view confident via info of the supernatural? Have your ever heard which you are able to't prepare a unfavorable?

Answer 9

I don't know if I believe in paranormal powers, like magicians because their really is no proof that there isn't some way they are pulling our legs BUT I do know some type of spirits or whatever you want to call them are very real because I've seen them with my own eyes every single day when I lived in one of my old houses. I know you can talk to them and they can understand what your saying and they can also talk to you, but I think anyone can talk to a spirit as long as it wants to show its there and wants to talk to you. I was younger then, and I thought it was normal because it was an everyday thing and I didn't understand what was going on. I know it wasn't just my imagination because my brothers and parents saw the same things, and we still talk about it to this day. If I still lived there, and it was still going on, I'd tell that person to come see for them self. Thats really the only way you can prove something like that.

Answer 10

maybe this reward or prize,can never be claim or no one who might prove any paranormal ability will be able to get the money
simply because then it would not be paranormal,it will be perinormal,and,on the other hand there is a contradiction in the
question phrase,at least for me there is no such thing as "paranormal powers"but "paranormal abilities",there is a subtle but enormous difference,now back again ,he earns his
livings contradicting everyone in this field and it can be possible
for everyone involved in this issue to gain,in economical terms, don't you think?only time will tell,and another fact involved this
"reward",what scientifically method is going to be used to conduct this experiment,or the method is one developed by him?
so again there's an incognito regard this,have read articles where
a doubt is established regarding his professionalism