Uri Geller, page 2

I do not want to sound like an advocate of Uri Geller. However, I must answer on his behalf, as the authors is obnoxious, unprofessional, unfair and prejudiced and very self-opinionated. I think it is fair to say, the award does not matter.

This is all very odd. Uri Geller has claimed that he was paid by mining companies to psychically search for minerals, and yet he balks at winning the lottery! Stranger still, he has also refused to take up any of the lucrative challenges to reproduce his 'powers' under conditions that would exclude fraud. In 1988 British businessman Gerald Fleming offered to give Ł250,000 to charity if Geller could perform a spoon-bend under such conditions. Why hasn't he responded?

This is not very odd. Psychically searching for minerals, or remote viewing, and predicting all 6 lottery numbers to be churned out of a random generator, is something very different. It is only odd, because the author is uneducated about the psychic phenomena.

On skeptic challenges: As has been shown in parapsychology, the psychic can be adversely affected by skepticism(goat effect) Challenges, and excessive skepticism, breed subconscious expectations in the psychic, that impede on the psychics ability to shut down their left brain(logic) and enter a higher state of consciousness. This is why professional parapsychologists use free-response ESP tests and experiments for psychics, as results are more likely. One such test is the ganzfeld technique, which has produced very significant results.

Failiure designed experiments: The infamous Randi challenge, the award of $1 million to anyone who can demonstrate paranormal abilities, are experiments designed to fail. This is because they are based on negative experimental and investigative philosophies that are inherently unscientific and unethical - "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" "guilty till proven innocent"

In other words, instead of proving the theory by empirical research, parapsychologists and psychics have to constantly provide proof that they are not cheating. A logical fallacy.

The amount of evidence that satisfies "extraordinary evidence" is directly proportional to how how compatible it is with our current paradigms of science and the world. Skeptics like Randi, and the author, take a subjective probability of 0, thus no amount of empirical data will be sufficient to establish the claim.

Another fallacy, is the demand for a full-proof and fraud-proof conclusive experiment, that would control all for all conceivable errors and experimental frauds. This is an empirical impossibility. All scientific theories are uncertain, and change when new observations are made. The same standards thus should be true for parapsychology too. This is why Randi's challenge has never found any winners, he ousts all the applicants in his preliminary failiure-designed tests.

Hence, why psychics are reluctant to be tested, because they already know they are going to fail. So I am definitely not surprised at URI's rejection of the test. I would do the same.

Well, in my opinion... there were some bendings and some film. Except that it wasn't good enough for them. Scientists want full proof under laboratory conditions. And the answer is very simple: when I'm put under pressure, I can't perform. Even the phenomenon I'm most known for. When I'm on stage, I'm not under pressure and it happens. In other important places, it happens. But in a laboratory where I really want it to happen, it's very hard for me."

This is an illustrated example of my above explanation.

Ridiculous indeed. As are his ostentatious attempts to claim the credit for all manner of newsworthy events. One example was his assertion that Reading Football Club was helped to a Premiership playoff by his psychic intervention.
"I believe so, because [of] the synchronicity that, after 124 years, to almost get to the Premiership... I really started that year helping John Madejski [Chairman of Reading Football Club]. What I do is just sit there and concentrate. So I believe, yes, that I contribute some kind of enthusiasm into the crowds."
They didn't quite make it, though, did they?
"Well, that's life. If you look at the numerology, maybe this year they will, because 125 years is a special number. But nevertheless they did come to the top, and I'm trying my best now to get them somewhere, because I go to every game at home."

A claim that cannot be proven or disproven. However from the tone of the author, it is quite clear, he thinks URI's claim is debunked. Wishfull thinking indeed.

It seems that Geller has a lot of belief systems: psychic phenomena, UFOs, space aliens and numerology are just some of the things which mark him out as being rather credulous. Does he believe that his powers are a gift from God, I wonder?

It makes URI credulous, because he believes in psychic phenomena, UFO's, space aliens and numerology? The author should make a fine distinction between his opinions and facts. We can see that the author is very close-minded, even to the belief in God, which seems implied by his progression from the aforementioned beliefs to God.

First, I hand the spoon to Geller, and gather up my papers. He moves across to a radiator, claiming that the effect "works better near metal". I watch very closely, and the spoon appears to be bending very slightly at the point where the bowl meets the handle. All the time he is joggling it about. He proudly holds up the spoon, which has bent by about 10 degrees. Not much, certainly, but he then turns around to the table behind him, and as I move round to see, the spoon appears to have bent further still. As we walk outside to take some photographs, the bend has almost reached a right angle. He autographs the spoon, and the show is over.
So what really occurred? Although I thought that I had not taken my eyes off the spoon, I realised later that Geller may have had several brief moments when I was distracted. Considering his previous record in these matters, I am sure that I was fooled. His joggling of the spoon may have given me the false impression that it was bending before my eyes, and his constant moving about provided the distraction. As James Randi says, "If Uri Geller bends spoons with divine powers, then he's doing it the hard way".

So the author saw Uri Geller bend the spoon for him, and admits it was bending before his very eyes. Then later, the author concots a theory in his own mind that it could not have possibly happend, and he must have been distracted and then proudly proclaims it as a realization.

A lot of the author prose is unreliable, exaggerated and opinionated. I would have serious doubts of how authentic the authors information is. As that cannot be proven, this piece itself carries little weight, in fact largely insignificant.

I certainly do not agree with URI's attempts at rewinding his tape. Obviously, he felt uneased by what he said about the court case. As the interviewer was some student, I don't think URI cared much for the "contract"

[edit on 6-10-2004 by Indigo_Child]