Scarcity and lack is a myth

[Xmac]

And still the $1 million Randi Prize has gone unclaimed since 1964. You'd think someone would have managed it by now.

This is an excerpt from an article called The Myth Of The Million Dollar Challenge. As I said, a dukes up/fingers crossed kind of openness:

Researchers Step Up to the Plate

As a consequence, you might well say "no wonder no serious researcher has applied for the Challenge." Interestingly, this is not the case. Dr Dick Bierman, who has a PhD in physics, informed me that he did in fact approach James Randi about the Million Dollar Challenge in late 1998. Bierman reported a success in replicating the presentiment experiments of Dr Dean Radin (where human reactions seem to occur marginally before an event occurs), and was subsequently asked by Stanley Klein of the University of California why, if his results for psi effects were positive and replicable, he didn't respond to Randi's challenge. Bierman replied that he would rather invest his time in good scientific research, rather than convincing skeptics in a one-off test. However, after further discussion, he decided that he may be able to combine the two:

After some exchange of ideas I was brought into contact with Randi. Randi sounded sincerely interested and I worked out a proposal for an interesting experiment that would last about a year. Experimental effects in this type of research are small and require a lot of measurements to reach the required statistical significance (I think Randi wanted a p-value of 0.000001).

Note that he didn't insist on showing the effect on stage. Rather I proposed to do a kind of precognition (actually presentiment) experiment on-line over Internet where he or some other independent skeptic could generate the targets once the responses were communicated over the Internet (all this would be done automatically on a computer under his control within a second). This would prevent cheating from the experimenter's side but we still had to work out how to prevent cheating from the Randi-side.

At that point Randi mentioned that before proceeding he had to submit this preliminary proposal to his scientific board or committee. And basically that was the end of it. I have no idea where the process was obstructed but I must confess that I was glad that I could devote myself purely to science rather than having to deal with the skeptics and the associated media hypes.

[mattj]

As I said, a dukes up/fingers crossed kind of openness:

The phrase I would use is that extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence. Would you like to see my invisible, floating dragon... it's in my garage.

[bae]

The process for applying for the Randi Prize is well documented, and should come as no surprise to the applicant, and hundreds have gone through the process...

[Xmac]

It's not a viable option for them to make that money available because they'd have to give up a small fortune and a big fortune: the big fortune being their identity and if they're like most people they're more attached to that than the money.

[bae]

It's not a viable option for them to make that money available because they'd have to give up a small fortune and a big fortune: the big fortune being their identity and if they're like most people they're more attached to that than the money.

Such lies. I've met Randi personally. I've contributed cash to the prize money. You are attributing poor motivations and dishonesty where there is none.

[catherine]

This whole discussion kind of bothers me, because it represents the tenor of conversation on almost every spirituality discussion board I've ever seen. I stopped posting on Belief.net because of it. The irony just kind of blows my mind.

We all have beliefs, some can be backed with hard evidence, others can be backed with evidence that may be inexplicable but may still be real, and other beliefs have no evidence at all. We are not on these boards to hit each other over the head with our beliefs (with underlying condescension), but to share experiences in our spiritual lives in much the same way we share our simple life experiences.

I personally believe in the blind men and elephant parable--we in our lives are only privy to touching the toenail of the elephant and I find it hard to presume we know "reality" because of our limited experience. But beyond that, I have no clue--although I am open to certain experiences, such as ability to transmit thought--mainly because of my own personal experience with a couple of people in my life.

Getting to the scarcity and lack story, as others have said, it's not an argument about who has what--it's a statement about the approach to it. Anne Frank wrote beautifully about the beauty of the sky that she could see only through a small skylight in her annex prison.

Last weekend, the waiter took a few minutes to get to our restaurant table. My DH went to the manager to complain. This week he went to the ER and spent a long time waiting for someone to attend to him. He wound up ripping off his monitors, etc. and threatening to walk out rather than staying as recommended. Then he said to me, "Why does this stuff always happen to ME?" I really wanted to tell him that "this stuff" happens to everyone, but other people might be able to enjoy the restaurant even if the waiter is 15 minutes late, and even if you spend a day hanging around in the ER. But I didn't bother saying that--he wouldn't get it. He thinks people like that are mindless sheep, but he's the one living with the anger and hostility.

[mattj]

The empirical folks among us do get frustrated from time to time. I am personally ready to change my ideas in the face of evidence. It's those who continue to puff up delusional beliefs about the world we live in that get under my skin sometimes. And, I like to argue about this stuff... sometimes.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Last weekend, the waiter took a few minutes to get to our restaurant table. My DH went to the manager to complain. This week he went to the ER and spent a long time waiting for someone to attend to him. He wound up ripping off his monitors, etc. and threatening to walk out rather than staying as recommended. Then he said to me, "Why does this stuff always happen to ME?" I really wanted to tell him that "this stuff" happens to everyone, but other people might be able to enjoy the restaurant even if the waiter is 15 minutes late, and even if you spend a day hanging around in the ER. But I didn't bother saying that--he wouldn't get it. He thinks people like that are mindless sheep, but he's the one living with the anger and hostility.

You DH is what I would call 'a type'. The "why does it always happen to me" type I guess. It is probably one of the games talked about by Eric Berne.

But the fact that some people will complain about a waiter being late and see it as a personal offense can coexist in the same universe with the fact that some people really do have extraordinary sequences of real tragedies through little fault of their own.

Getting to the scarcity and lack story, as others have said, it's not an argument about who has what--it's a statement about the approach to it. Anne Frank wrote beautifully about the beauty of the sky that she could see only through a small skylight in her annex prison.

You can look at what you have as scarcity or abundance (yea look at it is as abundance, you american, it would only take 5 planets for everyone to live this way ). And that's the present. But the present isn't always what vexes: it's the future that vexes. The unknown. And how is one to deal with that unknown, expecting scarcity or abundance?

[Xmac]

Such lies. I've met Randi personally. I've contributed cash to the prize money. You are attributing poor motivations and dishonesty where there is none.

Just because you've met him doesn't mean you know him or his motivations. I will however concede that you're right, I don't know his motivations; I don't even know his actions.

My experience, however, is that his alleged actions (or inactions as the case my be) are consistent with other cynics. Incidentally, I don't consider it a crime or dishonest to be attached to one's identity/beliefs. I frequently am.

[bae]

Randi isn't a cynic. But welcome to your own reality. This little button here will adjust mine. Ta ta.