“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.” -Christopher Hitchens
In 1964, the paranormal world was rocked by the reverberating statement of Toronto-born magician and skeptic, James Randi, to "put your money where your mouth is". He essentially called upon anyone with psi abilities or beliefs to prove them - for one million dollars!
And this is the story about how no one could…
The James Randi Educational Foundation
This foundation's fundamental principle was to promote critical thinking and scrutiny of supernatural claims. Randi, and various investment partners, wanted to discourage the circulation of pseudoscientific, fraud, and misinformation. Now that's something we can get behind.
The deal jumped over time from $1000, to $10,000, to $100,000, and finally to US$1,000,000 with the help of Rick Adams in 1996. The challenge ran until 2015 and in that time, no one was successful. Over 1000 people attempted to prove their abilities, products, or findings.
The Testing
Though James Randi didn't hold a degree in research/science, he was sure to be extremely thorough and diligent with his criteria and process, using the scientific methodology, bias elimination, and both blind and unblind control groups.
Applicants would collaborate with him to create a compatible environment in which to demonstrate their ability/findings within scientifically controlled parameters. They agreed upon every stage of development, ensuring they went into the challenge with the confidence they would be successful. All criteria and rules were agreed upon by both parties prior to testing, including what would constitute a "successful outcome" and confirming that conditions were conducive to the applicant's needs.
Testing was framed in a way that would produce straightforward results that would either prove success or failure, with no grey area. He left no room or possibilities for excuses, with the consent of the participants, yet they all found themselves unable to perform, despite passing the unblind pre-tests.
Eligibility
Originally, to sift out those with mental illness and the generally absurd, submission acceptance was limited to those who:
Provided academic backing to their claims (press clippings, letters of vouching, etc)
Had existing media files
Could test their claims within a testing environment through experimental procedure
Could negotiate a compatible testing agreement that fit reasonable scientific parameters.
After a while, it became obvious that these higher-profile eligibles were quickly chickening out (likely knowing they would fail and ruin their acclaimed reputations and careers). The contest almost ended because of the lack of participation from credible applicants with elaborate backing.
Famous applicants who backed out included Sylvia Browne, Rosemary Altea, and Leigh-Catherine Salway. Could their hesitation to prove their abilities have been because they were frauds?
Instead of ending the challenge altogether, they decided to widen the eligibility criteria, allowing those without academic profiles to apply with video auditions instead.
Failed Abilities
People came from far and wide to prove themselves. From those who believed they possessed psychic abilities, to those who believed the environment had metaphysical properties, to those with supernatural inventions - the applications flowed in and the testing continued both privately and on public broadcasting.
Abilities such as:
Dowsing
Scrying
Remote viewing
Mediumship
Balance/performance bracelets
Super secure Ethernet cables (??)
And psychokinesis
were tested, amongst others. None prevailed. Results needed to show success beyond probable chance and they failed consistently to do so.
Randi designed tests that exposed trickery and made it impossible to forge an ability. He himself was a talented magician, quickly able to predict possible avenues of manipulation and prevent them.
Other Challenge
Since the Randi challenge ended/closed in 2015 (and during its running), many other skeptical organizations, in many global countries, have offered the same incentive. For example, the SKEPP Sisyphus Prize in Belgium offers $1,000,000 in Euros, and the Skeptics of Quebec offer $10,000 in Canadian currency for proof. There are dozens like this around the world waiting for substantial, verifiable proof of the paranormal.
So what do we think about it all?
While these incentives are incredibly compelling and certainly do suggest that paranormal phenomena don't exist, we also understand that the world isn't black and white. Many things we consider to be scientific today, were once considered paranormal by those who couldn't perceptualize them.
We also acknowledge that there's a good chance that certain limitations can't be placed on sovereign beings, like 'ghosts' for example. If consciousness does persist beyond corporeal existence, the soul is likely to have will power, personality, and unpredictable actions - like people do. They're likely to be stubborn and possibly existing within parameters (like varied laws of science/space/time) that may not be conducive to showing up in a lab on command and manifesting within our space/time parameters. Sometimes you can't compare apples to oranges in a world that's relative and a reality that's subjective. We wouldn't even know how to begin to measure something like a "soul"...yet. It's not to say it doesn't exist.
When it comes to those who make a career upon their promised abilities, we have no problem putting them to the test and exposing the liars who prey on the most vulnerable. If someone performs for money on a daily basis, they should be able to pass a credibility test. Scammers are abundant in this field and we appreciate the scrutiny.
Whether those who failed the test were delusional, dishonest, or just failed by some underdeveloped experimental system, we're not at liberty to judge. We can only present these incentives as interesting blind spots within the paranormal community and hope that one day we can get a taste of those sweet sweet Benjamins while changing the course of science as we know it.
Quantum physics and the world at large is vastly unknown, so we reserve the right to be skeptical of both other skeptics and paranormal theorists alike. Every investigation, we are essentially challenging and testing ourselves and our environment - enticing it to prove and reveal its mysteries. We do so using the most diligent scientific methodology and procedures possible, attempting to capture repeatable and verifiable evidence. When we do, you'll be the second to know (the prize runners will be the first)!
Follow our attempts to prove and disprove the paranormal here!
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