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Friday 10 June 2011

"Psychic" Ability: A Heinous and immoral lie.


If you have glanced at a newspaper this week you may have come across the story involving a police hunt for a mass grave after a tip off from a "Psychic". You can read full details HERE.

It's important to point out at this stage that no bodies have been recovered, surprisingly. But what if they had recovered bodies?
Would this be a conclusive way of validating this individuals mystical powers beyond doubt? Surely this would be a monumental, historic chapter in the story of both Supernatural powers, and law enforcement.
Could we then see Psychics brought in on an official capacity, deputised to assist the police?

The answer, simply is no. For two reasons:


  1. All Psychics are Liars, with one exception (see no. 2).
  2. The Psychics who are not lying, are delusional or mentally ill, or both.
I will attempt to expand on these points with as much bias, mockery and ill-will as is warranted. In this case, a lot.

One of many things that concerns me about this story, is that (some) respectable news organisations are casually referring to this individual as a Psychic with no sense of irony, as if it is accepted as a genuine, proven ability. Not "alleged Psychic" or "lying attention seeking moron" or "suspect".

Many articles on this story, at best, only question whether this person is a "genuine" psychic and not a fraud. Of course, Frauds would give a bad name to genuine Psychics who can suspend the laws of nature, to gleam such gems as "aunt betty wants you to be happy" or "You're a very passionate person".

It is stunning to consider the amount of people, especially adults, who are unable or unwilling to question such extraordinary claims as Psychic ability, and furthermore are willing to hand over money to be lied to. Is this sheer ignorance? Or is lack of information to blame?
There is an OVERWHELMING amount of Evidence, both empirically and logically to debunk psychic abilities as a myth.


Only one conclusion can be drawn from this evidence, or lack thereof:


  • THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PSYCHIC
In the interest of being fair, I will also list the evidence in favour of psychic ability.
  • NIL
See this fascinating discussion between Derren Brown and Richard Dawkins, outlining the techniques employed in order to give the impression of a "Psychic Reading"

The award for most morally bereft "Psychic" goes to that of the Psychic Medium. Looking someone in the eye and telling them you know details concerning their dead child/lover/sibling, and furthermore claiming to be able to convey their wishes, feelings and thoughts is nothing short of disgusting.

See an example on youtube of this ridiculous practice HERE.

This is where some people like to argue it may be justified in regards to helping someone come to terms with a loss, enabling them so find closure and move on. After all, if it helps them get over a loss, or gives them some sort of closure, what's the problem?

This of course, may have some merit, but it does not make the "Psychics" declaration of supernatural powers any more truthful. The truth is all we should be interested in here. Lies can comfort, that much is beyond doubt, but it does not validate the claims of Psychic ability, nor make their claims Truth. It is still ethically wrong.


For example, consider a bereaved mother, helped to come to terms with the loss of an infant after communicating with her dead child via a psychic medium. The mother will no doubt be informed her child is not only in a good place, but happy (strangely they're rarely told they're burning in hell for all eternity, that responsibility is left to the Catholic Church).

What would be the psychological impact of then, at a later date, the psychic being exposed as a fraud? How would the mother come to terms with, in essence the loss of her child for a second time? There has to be more honest and ethical ways of dealing and helping with grief.

In conclusion, if someone decides to engage in conversation with you, regarding "truths" they have obtained from a Psychic reading, kindly explain to them they would be just as well served spending their money on magic beans, or Unicorn adoption.

And if you are unfortunate enough to be in a discussion with a self proclaimed Psychic, resist the urge to administer a slap and calmly inform them they are a terrible human being. If this provokes a shocked/hurt reaction, further point out they should have known it was coming.
Then slap them.

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