(2023-09-19, 01:13 AM)Valmar Wrote: These prize challenges are completely and utterly worthless.
These challenges are so often designed with really bad presumptions about what "proof" should look like, and even if a psychic actually provides evidence, it's still pointless, because it cannot count as scientific evidence, because these prize challenges are not designed with any kind of scientific rigour. They're completely up to the whims of these skeptic groups.
Why would anyone consider signing up for something weighed so heavily against them?
Using presumed bias as an excuse to avoid these challenges smacks of intellectual cowardice. If a phenomenon is genuine, it should withstand scrutiny. Hiding behind criticisms of the tests, without actually engaging with them, is an easy way out of having one's beliefs challenged.
This mode of selective skepticism is a slippery slope. By dismissing rigorous tests and only adhering to evidence that aligns with one's preconceived beliefs, one essentially opens the door to believing in any and every fanciful tale. It becomes less about seeking the truth and more about confirming biases. When we cherry-pick what to believe based on comfort rather than evidence, we're no different than those who blindly accept myths and fairy tales that merely reinforce their existing worldview. True intellectual honesty demands a willingness to challenge and scrutinize our own beliefs just as rigorously as we would others'.