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Nessie not a winner?

kittynh

Penultimate Amazing
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I'm reading the ever delightful book, "The Great Orm of Loch Ness" by F.W.Holiday.

He claims that Nessie is nothing more than a "monstrous aquatic slug". That's why there are never any bones found, and for the most part they are in bottom of the lake, doing whatever giant water slugs do. Obvoiusly searches for Nessie will be fruitless until researchers develop a giant salt shaker.

But, my question is, let's say Nessie is a giant sea slug. Does a giant slug qualify for the million dollar prize? A giant slug would be rare, but quite natural. Would a picture of a giant slug, or video of a giant slug count? I would think not, as there is nothing supernatural about a giant slug. Unless it's from Mars.
 
The Challenge is a "paranormal" challenge. There's nothing paranormal about a giant slug...

...well, unless the slug was telekinetic, or could dowse, or flew here on a UFO from another world, etc.
 
Does this apply to aliens?

Because even if a giant slug from outer space comes to Earth, that's natural. It would be like saying Columbus was paranormal when he came to the New World. Some natives might have thought Europeans were "gods" when they first met them, but they soon learned they were all too human.

So, someone that can REALLY walk through walls, or a ghost that goes to the White House for dinner and gives a talk to the UN, that's paranormal. But, a slug from space, it's just a tourist.
 
kittynh said:
Does this apply to aliens?

Because even if a giant slug from outer space comes to Earth, that's natural. It would be like saying Columbus was paranormal when he came to the New World. Some natives might have thought Europeans were "gods" when they first met them, but they soon learned they were all too human.

So, someone that can REALLY walk through walls, or a ghost that goes to the White House for dinner and gives a talk to the UN, that's paranormal. But, a slug from space, it's just a tourist.
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Bah! Got me on a technicality.

Unless of course it drove the spaceship via telekinesis.. Yeah.. that's the ticket. It flew here with my wife, Morgan Fairchild...
 
As I understand it, the Million Dollar Challenge is for anything which the claimant is able to physically do or produce in direct opposition to mainstream science. So, dowsing, telekinesis, etc. count as "paranormal things that people can do," and Penta water, homeopathy, etc. count as "things people can produce which go significantly against mainstream science." So, since mainstream science agrees that most people have the ability to take pictures, giving Randi a picture of a giant slug (even one from outer space) wouldn't qualify for the challenge.

However, if you could get the giant slug from outer space to tell you how his spaceship worked, you could build your own, and this could count as "something you produced which goes against mainstream science." Then you could win the Challenge.
 
rwald said:
As I understand it, the Million Dollar Challenge is for anything which the claimant is able to physically do or produce in direct opposition to mainstream science. So, dowsing, telekinesis, etc. count as "paranormal things that people can do," and Penta water, homeopathy, etc. count as "things people can produce which go significantly against mainstream science." So, since mainstream science agrees that most people have the ability to take pictures, giving Randi a picture of a giant slug (even one from outer space) wouldn't qualify for the challenge.

However, if you could get the giant slug from outer space to tell you how his spaceship worked, you could build your own, and this could count as "something you produced which goes against mainstream science." Then you could win the Challenge.
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Just get the giant slug from outer space to converse with Randi. Subject doesn't matter. After the slug utters the third consecutive coherent sentence, you may safely extend your hand in Mr Randi's direction so he may safely lay the check there.
 
Seriously, would producing an alien qualify you for the million? How does having some friends from out of town show that you have paranormal abilities? At what point have you demonstrated having "super" powers? I could see if Randi gave the million to the alien, but not to you. After all, the alien has probably developed superluminal travel, which might be worthy of the prize. All you've done is introduced two gentlemen to one another.
 
Lets be realisitc here for a minute.

A million dollars would be chump change to anyone who posessed scientific proof of life after death . Actually a million dollars is petty cash compared to most lottery jackpots that are won weekly by those who avoid the strike of lightining associated with the odds of winning.

The jackpot here is even less likely to be hit . The Million Dollar challenge is a farce. The challenge itself isn't even interesting . It asks for scientific proof of a phenomenon which is pseudoscience at best, to this point in time anyway.

Its simply a million dollars that is held like a carrot for those who are ignorant enough to reach for it through parlor tricks and alleged claims. Meanwhile back at the ranch , it provides fodder for skeptics to pounce on, like a cat on an unsuspecting mouse in the dark. There are two basic types of folks surrounding the Million Dollar farce. The skeptic and the not so bright. I havent figured out which is worse. The skeptic who boarderlines on cynic or the stringent believer who lives in Neverland and will never understand the reality of their life until it ends . :D
 
The goal is not to win the Challenge by chance, as with the lottery. The goal is to actually have a paranormal power that actually works. If you have a pseudoscientific power, than producing proof of said pseudoscience shouldn't be too difficult.

Most skeptics know of Randi, and know that his Challenge is something to be respected. If any psychic won the challenge, they would win not just the million dollars, but also the respect of Randi, and by extension the respect of much of the skeptical community. That is what would make it worthwhile.
 
The goal is not to win the Challenge by chance, as with the lottery. The goal is to actually have a paranormal power that actually works. If you have a pseudoscientific power, than producing proof of said pseudoscience shouldn't be too difficult
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My point is: the chances of cashing in on the Million Dollar challenge are even less than winning the lottery due to its scientific nature.


Pseudo : being apparently rather than actually as stated : SHAM
 
SpectorDetector said:


My point is: the chances of cashing in on the Million Dollar challenge are even less than winning the lottery due to its scientific nature.


Pseudo : being apparently rather than actually as stated : SHAM
Click to expand...


You make some valid points, but that doesn't make the challenge a farce.

Though it is a bit of a paradox, and ultimately un-winnable.. (... except in the greater - than-lottery- odds sense, of someone getting ' lucky '.. )

If the mechanics of ' telepathy ' or some such, is ever actually harnessed, it will be worth far more ( as said earlier ) than JREF's million.. However, the skill will no longer be ' PARA - " and therefore not a candidate for the challenge...


The million does make a nice nest egg to generate funding for the JREF, and there it will probably stay..
 
The thing is, if you can get Randi to agree that telepathy is "paranormal," than it won't matter if someone finds the scientific basis for it. By the time the scientific basis is found, you'll already have won Randi's money. Check this thread for more on that theme.
 
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