People that sit on the both side what do you think about the propnet and skeptic?

[Laird]

I would have preferred somebody to tape such miracolous events

For all I know, they were taped. Photographs at least seem to have been taken - see Smithy's post immediately above the first one to which I linked.

Now, one of the most important questions: were the materials provided by the researchers?

That seems almost certain to be the case given the description, but I don't know for sure.

Edit: also, who is the author of the book?

John Gerald Taylor, a physicist.

Can we trust him?

I don't know enough about him to know.

You state this confidently and assertively. On what basis do you believe it to be true?

Here's something that might give you pause to reconsider. On Skeptiko a few years back, Smithy quoted from the book, Superminds. I haven't read this book nor tried to confirm this information and whether or not it has been published in a peer-reviewed journal, but in any case, here's what Smithy quoted from that book:


There's more from the book quoted by Smithy in this post, though the quoted material doesn't deal with laboratory experiments per se.

You had stated before that:


If what I've quoted turned out to be true, would you accept that belief in the power of (at least some) humans to bend metal via psychokinesis is logical and rational?

Have you realized bending metal via will power is actually not about bending metal, but [is] bending reality according to ones wishes?

Why only metal cutlery?

I've found out that this john taylor later became a skeptic when, under stricter conditions, all these feats magically vanished and neither the kids nor geller managed to do the bending.

Parapsychology seems to work like a religion sometimes. Accept stuff as true, even when it doesn't work.

[Laird]

Why only metal cutlery?

Why don't you read what I quoted and realise why your question makes no sense?

[Laird]

I've found out that this john taylor later became a skeptic when, under stricter conditions, all these feats magically vanished and neither the kids nor geller managed to do the bending.

Oh? And where did you find that out?

Oh? And where did you find that out?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_G._Taylor

just wikipedia. He found out he was tricked, and again, the same stuff the mini Gellers did has been made by Randi too.

"In his book Science and the Supernatural (1980) Taylor concluded that all the paranormal phenomena he investigated turned out to have a naturalistic scientific explanation or did not occur under careful controlled conditions.[2] He wrote that many of the results could be explained by fraud, credulity, fantasy and sensory cues. The book received a positive review in the New Scientist, which concluded "he will not make any converts among believers in the paranormal, but at the same time, he probably will not alienate many of them either".[2]"

For all. Here in the States there is a show hosted by the worldwide know magicians Penn & Teller who together have been performing for 45 years. The show first aired I believe in Merry ol' England. The premise is magicians from around the world try to fool Penn & Teller whom are the judges. Though it does not happen often even they with their combined knowledge do get fooled. This means if they can be fooled than what chance does the average schmuck on the street have of not being fooled? Here's a recent example of a trick by a returning magician. Though he did not fool them this time I'm almost certain he will fool you. Note. It's a remarkable bit of close up magic.
Start the vid at 2:08 https://youtu.be/vS6IuIhFu_w

P.S. I believe he would have fooled both if they had not done some recent research... just listen to them at the end of this segment to see what I mean.

[Laird]

just wikipedia.

Not a reliable source when it comes to these sort of subjects, but it does seem that he changed his views. It would be interesting to know exactly what he concluded about the experiments he writes of in Superminds and whether/why he thinks they were flawed.

For all. Here in the States there is a show hosted by the worldwide know magicians Penn & Teller who together have been performing for 45 years. The show first aired I believe in Merry ol' England. The premise is magicians from around the world try to fool Penn & Teller whom are the judges. Though it does not happen often even they with their combined knowledge do get fooled. This means if they can be fooled than what chance does the average schmuck on the street have of not being fooled? Here's a recent example of a trick by a returning magician. Though he did not fool them this time I'm almost certain he will fool you. Note. It's a remarkable bit of close up magic.
Start the vid at 2:08 https://youtu.be/vS6IuIhFu_w

P.S. I believe he would have fooled both if they had not done some recent research... just listen to them at the end of this segment to see what I mean.

Yes, I'm almost sure it's the same that Kulagina was doing. Tricks, very elaborate ones, but still tricks. Take her to seriously controlled conditions like Taylor did in his following experiments and watch them fail. It's always been like this with macro PK in decades, and I don't think it will ever change.

Let's switch to undetectable, impossible to refute due to how statistics work micro PK. It can't be really proven or disproven, that is why researchers are so fond of it.

Not a reliable source when it comes to these sort of subjects, but it does seem that he changed his views. It would be interesting to know exactly what he concluded about the experiments he writes of in Superminds and whether/why he thinks they were flawed.

He got tricked, his subjects failed to replicate what they did under seriousl controlled condition. You don't need more to change your mind if you are rational, and aren't already a believer with ideas set in stone.