(2018-09-30, 06:35 PM)Chris Wrote: I'm sure Randi is a tricky customer, and there were other unfair aspects of the prize than the huge odds against chance required for success.
But I find it very difficult to believe that the other aspects have thwarted any claimants who would otherwise have won the prize. The Daily Grail article puts the combined odds of the preliminary test and the test proper at 10,000,000 to 1. Does anyone really believe there are people who could produce a demonstration like than, except in the context of a lengthy experimental study?
YouTube clearly demonstrates there are people whom claim extraordinary ability that do not rely upon statistical analcyst. Are you familiar the man Basava Premanand? He started the Indian Skeptics. As you may be aware India is a rather mystical society overall. He and his fellow skeptics have roamed India investigating people who claim extraordinary abilities. Though it's been years since I took a look at what they are up to except today they were never able to find one extraordinary individual as far as I've heard.