How do evolutionists explain the paranormal?

[Gman]

Just curious how do the evolutionists or naturalism (without the spiritual) explain the paranormal or people with psychic abilities... Coincidence? Lucky guess?

[David Blacklock]

Hi Gman - Most of the psychics use some form of "cold reading." From Wiki - "Cold reading is a series of techniques used by mentalists, fortune tellers, psychics, and mediums to determine details about another person in order to convince them that the reader knows much more about a subject than he or she actually does. Even without prior knowledge of a person, a practiced cold reader can still quickly obtain a great deal of information about the subject by carefully analyzing the person's body language, clothing or fashion, hairstyle, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race or ethnicity, level of education, manner of speech, place of origin, etc. Cold readers commonly employ high probability guesses about the subject, quickly picking up on signals from their subjects as to whether their guesses are in the right direction or not, and then emphasizing and reinforcing any chance connections the subjects acknowledge while quickly moving on from missed guesses. There's more - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_reading

MY guess is that most evolutionists, being scientifically oriented, have a much lower rate of belief in psychic ability. When psychic ability is tested by the usual scientific methods (a situation they rarely let themselves be subjected to) they fail to measure up.

DB

[Gman]

MY guess is that most evolutionists, being scientifically oriented, have a much lower rate of belief in psychic ability. When psychic ability is tested by the usual scientific methods (a situation they rarely let themselves be subjected to) they fail to measure up.

DB

Yes, I've heard of the cold readings before.... I really don't think they have much of an explanation for it (the paranormal). I have witnessed things by psychics that I believe in no way could have been explained via a cold reading or naturally... Not to say that psychics or their abilities are all true, but sometimes I think it is a little bit more than coincidental or a lucky guess.. If anything it's unexplainable hinging in the supernatural....

[Anonymiss]

I think the question should be "How do atheists explain the paranormal?".

[B. W.]

I think the question should be "How do atheists explain the paranormal?".

I used to say -- it is all in the head of an over active imagination…

or ball lightening - drugs - yada-yadi-ya...
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[cslewislover]

There is this really awsome booklet (written and produced by RBC) called, Do You Believe in Magic? You can read it online here: http://www.rbc.org/bible-study/discover ... x?id=48050

[EASports]

The James Randi Education Foundation (JREF), has offered a $1,000,000 dollar prize for anyone who is able to provide evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, occult, etc. type powers or events. The prize has been offered for several decades. The applicants are asked to design the tests, and all testing procedures must be mutually agreed upon.

So far, no one has made it past the preliminary tests. If there really are paranormal things going on, well then whoever has the proof obviously doesn't want $1,000,000!

"The paranormal" must be proven to exist before it needs to be explained. Otherwise it's like asking "How can you explain frosty the snowman?".

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

[ˈeɪθiɪst]

Evolutionists don't try to explain everything. Evolutionists study clues like pieces of a rather huge jig-saw puzzle. Gradually peices fit together in logical sequences and begin to build a story of the beginnings of life on our Earth to the extremely complex life that is dying around us every day. So how would one presume to study the paranormal from an evolutionists point of view? Well, we'd gather the facts as a basis to begin the peicing together of the puzzle. There are not many facts to deal with, I'm afraid. Many experiments have tried to put unfounded conclusions upon the table. These little bits of leaps of faith may seem wonderful yet without solid evidence of what is actually happening are valuless a scientific material. As a layman evolutionist I would certainly allow the scientists that are researching the possibilities of the paranormal to supply me with facts and then I would try to see if these facts fit into the huge evolutioary puzzle.

If you want facts about the paranormal, then I suggest you relate your questions to scientists delving into the paranormal.

[Gman]

The James Randi Education Foundation (JREF), has offered a $1,000,000 dollar prize for anyone who is able to provide evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, occult, etc. type powers or events. The prize has been offered for several decades. The applicants are asked to design the tests, and all testing procedures must be mutually agreed upon.

So far, no one has made it past the preliminary tests. If there really are paranormal things going on, well then whoever has the proof obviously doesn't want $1,000,000!

"The paranormal" must be proven to exist before it needs to be explained. Otherwise it's like asking "How can you explain frosty the snowman?".

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

$1,000,000 dollar prize? That is pretty weak... You can actually make 1.35 million if you think you have the answer to the origin of life problem..

"Do you think you have the answer to the origin of life problem? Well, if you do, enter your answer and win over one million dollars (paid over 20 years), offered through the The Origin-of-Life Foundation, Inc.® Your task is quite trivial. Just claim the "The Origin-of-Life Prize"® by "proposing a highly plausible mechanism for the spontaneous rise of genetic instructions in nature sufficient to give rise to life."

Here are the instructions to claim the winning prize:

"To win, the explanation must correspond to empirical biochemical and thermodynamic reality, and be published in a well-respected, peer-reviewed science journal(s)."

http://www.godandscience.org/evolution/prize.html

[Gman]

Evolutionists don't try to explain everything.

Not according to these scientists... As they state in bold letters...

EVOLUTION IS A FACT -- IT IS ONE OF THE MOST WELL-ESTABLISHED AND WELL-DOCUMENTED FACTS IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE. TO DENY AND ATTACK EVOLUTION IS TO DENY AND ATTACK ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL FACTS ABOUT ALL OF NATURE AND REALITY AND ONE OF THE MOST CRUCIAL FOUNDATION STONES OF ALL OF MODERN SCIENCE. Evolution is just as well-established as the fact that the earth goes around the sun -- a scientifically-demonstrated truth.

"The paranormal" must be proven to exist before it needs to be explained. Otherwise it's like asking "How can you explain frosty the snowman?".

Sounds like Darwinian evolution....

[EASports]

Sounds like Darwinian evolution....

Really? That's the response? A stab at evolution?

Has paranormal activity ever been proven, i.e. demonstrated consistently in a controlled and objective experiment? I think not, and unlike god, paranormal phenomena IS something that should be able to be consistently and easily proven.

[Byblos]

Sounds like Darwinian evolution....

Really? That's the response? A stab at evolution?

Has paranormal activity ever been proven, i.e. demonstrated consistently in a controlled and objective experiment? I think not, and unlike god, paranormal phenomena IS something that should be able to be consistently and easily proven.

This is so laughable it's not even funny (or is that like an oxymoron?). Objective experiment? Pray tell how you've proven inter-special transitions via an objective experiment. Please don't give me theories and the like. What I am looking for are the exact chemical/biological pathways by which you can demonstrate one species has become 2 distinct ones. Now don't go misunderstanding me, I'm not saying that hasn't happened. I'm just a little (ok, a lot) skeptical as to the proof.

[Gman]

Really? That's the response? A stab at evolution?

Has paranormal activity ever been proven, i.e. demonstrated consistently in a controlled and objective experiment? I think not, and unlike god, paranormal phenomena IS something that should be able to be consistently and easily proven.

You seemed surprised by this? As Byblos states... Where is your evidence? Can you replicate macroevolution in a lab? Can you replicate life from non-life?

[EASports]

Maybe I missed something. When did this turn into a discussion about evolution? I was under the impression that paranormal phenomena was the topic at hand, or can nothing be discussed here without degenerating into an assault on evolution?

[Gman]

Maybe I missed something. When did this turn into a discussion about evolution? I was under the impression that paranormal phenomena was the topic at hand, or can nothing be discussed here without degenerating into an assault on evolution?

Assault? Don't look at me. You stated that the paranormal was like explaining frosty the snowman. Well, as a Christian I happen to believe in supernatural phenomena and the paranormal as true or possibilities. So if you call my beliefs a fairly tale such as frosty the snowman, then don't be surprised if I call into question your beliefs...