JREF Million dollar challenge

[jacob]

What are your thoughts on James Randi's (or actually JREF's) million dollar challenge, where the foundation will give $1M to a demonstrated psi ability.

I've compiled thoughts of some people on this on a blog post:
About the James Randi Million dollar challenge - Parapsychology articles and blog

On this post, the JREF people were very aggressive in the comments. They are basically in mood to say "Put up or shut up" most of the time. But still, this challenge is one of the most used arguments made by Skeptics.

[pacificwhim]

Jacob, the comments by the Randi acolytes are predictable. I do have some theories about why no one has won the JREF Challenge:

1. The entire enterprise is so permeated by contempt, snarkiness and ugliness that many individuals who are serious about their psi practices won't even lower themselves to apply. They don't want to dirty their hands.
2. Though hundreds of well-designed experiments have proved the existence of psi beyond reasonable doubt, it remains an elusive large-scale phenomenon that appears to be largely connected to the subconscious. So I suspect the number of people who can produce at will is very small. I've had many precognitive experiences but I couldn't make one happen right now if you put a gun to my head.
3. There are a hell of a lot of deluded people out there who for one reason or another believe they have some kind of "power." They also tend to have some other psychological issues that make them crave recognition or reward, so the crackpots are the ones who tend to apply.
4. The standards for evidence appear to be far beyond a typical experiment. Instead of meeting the p=.01 standard for statistical significance found in most lab experiments, applicants appear to have to meet a much higher standard, such as the girl who could purportedly identify people's diseases but had to get more than 50% right (when chance was 25%) to win.
5. I suspect (but don't know this) that there have probably been some people who have displayed abilities that would qualify to win the JREF prize, but have been disqualified. I don't believe for a second that it's about revealing truth; it's about promoting Randi and the "cause" of Skepticism and denying that psi exists, regardless of the evidence. So it would not surprise me at all if someone exhibiting real psi ability was rejected because they might threaten the Randi paradigm. This is the same line of thought that compels so-called Skeptics to say things like "There is no evidence that any of this is true, but I would be open to it if there were." There is plenty of evidence that they will not acknowledge, and if they did review it they would invent reasons to poke holes in it.

The JREF Challenge is a brilliant ploy, just by virtue of the fact that we're discussing it when scientists don't give it the time of day. It's a pure pop culture thing, but it gives Skeptics a brainless fallback to say, "Well, if such-and-such is real, why don't they win the million dollars?" And then any reason is an excuse and subject to much derision. It's a self-made straw man. Brilliant.

But why do we keep talking about it? Who cares? Let it die an anonymous death.

[LeoM]

Also all scientific experiments depend on replication this is not a scientific experiment this is a ploy to get someone in there and to destroy them.

[pacificwhim]

No one can plausibly call the Challenge scientific. It's more of a pop culture schoolyard brawl in which the JREF sticks out its chin and says, "Sez you!" That's why I'd like to see the pro-psi research community quit fretting about it. Culturally transforming evidence of psi will come from science, not from some cheapjack stunt.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

But heck, why doesn't someone take the Challenge, demonstrate irrefutable, replicable powers, take the money, and donate it to charity?

Now there would be a way to embarrass the hell out of Randi and take the money, too.

~~ Paul

[Larry Boy]

Does Randi and his colleagues publish their tests in peer-reviewed journals? If not, then there's simply no reason to take them seriously. There's no way to tell whether the tests are valid.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Sure there's a way: take the challenge. If you win, you have a million to give to your favorite charity. If it is rigged, you can expose the JREF as frauds.

Should be a piece of cake with all the replicable psi experiments that everyone's on about.

~~ Paul

[jacob]

Once again, Paul.
The problem is in how the challengers are treated by the foundation.
See a story of a person who tried to take the challenge:
PsiPog.net : Beware Pseudo-Skepticism by Peebrain

And once again read what I quoted in About the James Randi Million dollar challenge - Parapsychology articles and blog

[WhiteTiger]

The entire JREF matter extends well beyond how challengers are treated. One needn't apply or even enquire about application to fall subject to Randi's abuse. A very modest amount of investigation into the conduct of Randi and JREF raises quite serious questions.

For those willing to do some extended reading the following links provide a lot of food for thought, and a perspective that effectively nullifies many of the claims made by both Randi and JREF.

Here is a starting point for an interesting new branch on the Randi debunking tree. For some reason he seems to have his knickers in a knot about stereo cables, of all things, and is fraudulently attempting to throw the weight of his famed million dollar challenge behind his attacks.

This one likewise is another starting point for checking out an instance in which it appears Randi has repeatedly falsified "facts", first in how he represents an alleged challenge, then again in defending himself when called on the fact.

Lastly, a most interesting record of an exchange detailing the evasiveness, rudeness, and factual manipulations of Randi and JREF when politely enquired of about the very existence of the million dollars in a meaningful form.

None of these are new, and it makes me wonder just who is gullible in these things, the public Randi is claiming to be "protecting" or the apparently oblivious bandwagon skeptics who consistently and nonchalantly bandy about the "milion dollar challenge as if it is some definitive counter in any and all paranormal discussions.



Tiger
edited> for typos and to acknowledge that the last link I offered duplicates the peabrain link jacob had already provided. I lost track of that in scrounging up links from old lists

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Originally Posted by Jacob

Once again, Paul.
The problem is in how the challengers are treated by the foundation.
See a story of a person who tried to take the challenge:

Gee, what a surprise, nothing about the ability the guy was actually going to demonstrate. If he wanted to find out about the money, all he had to do was contact the bank and they would fax him proof. I've done that very thing.

I'll just bow out of any discussion about the validity of the Challenge. I've been associated with it for too long not to have an opinion about some of the whackjobs who apply for it.

~~ Paul