77. Mark Ireland Seeks Proof of Psychic Medium Communication (Podcast)

[NinjaKitty7]

Originally Posted by CKava

Because I am interested in listening to what the other side says. When I first heard about Alex's podcast I was actually very intrigued and was looking forward to good natured but heated debates chaired by an impartial presenter. Then when I listened to Skeptiko I quickly learned that it was nothing like that.

As for why I am here:

1. Because these kind of topics interest me. Hence why I listen to the show.
2. Because despite mounting evidence to the contrary I am still hopeful that there are believers who can present good arguments and engage in useful debate.
3. Because I think that if you are going to criticise something you should be willing to make your perspective known to the people you are criticising.


Herein lies the problem.

Kitty calls skeptics "childish", "pathetic", "militant atheist", "a bit lonely", "self serving" and "people who get their kicks from giving themselves mental high fives while sitting in front of the computer". In the same post where she is complaining that skeptics on the site are not civil. Have a bit of self awareness for flip sake!

My experience here is that skeptics points get consistently ignored why believers in almost every single thread trot out the reasons that they think skeptics are mean and socially inept. Your post kitty is indicative of this kind of thing. It's insulting and argumentative and it's wrapped up in layers of 'I'm above all that because I'm an open minded person who doesn't discuss things on internet forums". If you think internet discussions are a waste or that they require you to have an unfulfilling life I respectfully would ask why you are here? Is it just to tell everyone else who don't agree with your ideology how 'pathetic' they are?

Ironic, isn't it?

[fabkebab]

Loved this post!! Well done!! I hadnt thought of it that way before!

I thought this podcast was not anywhere near as bad as the female NDE person last week, because the guy being interviewed was clearly someone on his own personal quest.

The NDE doctor sounded like she was trying to milk some market niche for personal gain, which I found sort repulsive.

Anyway, keep it up Alex, dont be discouraged by your detractors - (although perhaps do listen to them!) - I think Open Mind has opened my own mind a bit on this one

Originally Posted by Open Mind

Have you also complained to the 'Skeptics Guide to the Universe' about the lack of challenging questions asked of prominent skeptics?

Hmm .... can you imagine the following interview from the SGU?

Welcome Ray Hyman to the program .... in a prior interview with Michael Shermer you say as a young magician you never believed in psychic mediumship yet by college days were charging money for palmistry which you believed ..... any chance if the CIA were to offer to pay you money to discredit psi research, would you find the offer tempting?

Ray back in 1985 you wrote for CSIcop funds . 'belief in paranormal phenonena is growing and the dangers are real ... the Defense Department is spending millions of dollars on 'psychic arms' ... please help in this battle against the irrational. Your contribution in any amount, will help ... however you were also a member of the 'psychic entertainers' club which encourages members to present magic as psychic phenomena (according to magician George Hansen) .....do you believe in encouraging fake psi claims while just opposing scientific research claims?

Ray, lets move on to the late 1980s, you sat on the board of the National Research Council that was reviewing evidence for psi phenomena, why did the board ask the leading expert on statistical analysis, Robert Rosenthal, to 'suppress' his analysis favourable to the existence of psi and the report was excluded by the board without any scientific reason?

Or how about ...

Hi James Randi, welcome to the SGU ..... can you tell listeners why in some interviews you have counted failed applications as actual tests which gives the impression you have tested far more people than you actually have done so over the years? Do you sometimes make up information just to discredit claims or was it false memory when you claimed you had tested dogs for the prize challenge but hadn't?

Or how about ....

Guest on SGU today is Ben Radford of CSIcop ...... CSIcop present themselves to media as experts on paranormal yet haven't conducted any proper long term scientific experiment on psi in their 30 year existence. No attempted replications of any parapsycholgical lab claim either. Instead CSIcop have decided to fund sleptical groups and skeptical magazines around the world ..... Ben, can you tell us what is scientific about imagining counter explanations and presenting these like facts?

The point being .... . you aren't going to hear the above rude questioning from political skeptics either.

"I ask you, which is the greater threat to science and mankind, accepting a claim that can have no possible benefit, or rejecting a claim that can have great benefit?" -Dr. Edmund Storms

[alextsakiris]

Originally Posted by fabkebab

The NDE doctor sounded like she was trying to milk some market niche for personal gain, which I found sort repulsive.

Must say I think you read her all wrong... first off, she's a Doctor, Dr... like seeing patients... teaching at med school. Her tone may have put you off, but don't think she's out seeking fame and fortune by selling her little book... it just doesn't work that way.

Second, she's been through a very serious brush with death during her last accident. She's still in recovery.

Third, she has a ton of very valuable experience (many, many patients) to back up what she's talking about.

Message versus messenger.

[fabkebab]

Originally Posted by alextsakiris

Must say I think you read her all wrong... first off, she's a Doctor, Dr... like seeing patients... teaching at med school. Her tone may have put you off, but don't think she's out seeking fame and fortune by selling her little book... it just doesn't work that way.

Second, she's been through a very serious brush with death during her last accident. She's still in recovery.

Third, she has a ton of very valuable experience (many, many patients) to back up what she's talking about.

Message versus messenger.

I am glad she isnt as she appeared in the podcast - I found myself disbelieving a lot of what she said, because she sounded insincere (like her multiple NDE experiences) - I am someone who desperately wants to believe in the phenomena in spite of no killer experience of my own - but it seemed hard to believe in her.

I should also add that her being a doctor didnt sway me at all - In fact I sort of got the impression that her injuries were stopping her being a doctor, and that she was trying to work on a second career as an author/speaker

Anyway its all my own opinion - I think I said something similar about the detective psychic and how she vanished at the point where the skeptic started asking her questions