Dean Radin's spoon

(Continued from another thread, where it was perhaps a bit off-topic.)

Dean Radin attended a spoon-bending party, and was surprised when a spoon became soft in his hands and he was able to bend it. His conclusion was:
"I have no easy explanation for this phenomenon, but I cannot deny my own experience. This bend was not due to a conjuring trick or to enhanced strength that can potentially arise in certain dissociated states."
http://www.deanradin.com/spoon.htm

There's some further discussion of the spoon on his blog:
http://deanradin.blogspot.com/2006/06/do...spoon.html

I'll just emphasise that my reason for starting this thread was purely out of consideration for the original poster on the other one, because I doubt that person intended to start an extended discussion of metal bending.

And evidently it can't repeated often enough that sceptics are able to post everywhere on this site. Of course, if people want to carry on posting on the other thread, that's up to them. But I'm not going to, because I think it's off-topic there.

On this topic, I think it's interesting that not only Michael Shermer but also Joe Nickell was able to bend cutlery at a "workshop," though not one of Jack Houck's. Nickell attributes the effect to the unconscious exertion of force by the participants:
https://skepticalinquirer.org/2013/07/mi...over_metal

If that is the explanation, it seem rather remarkable if the participants can do something unconsciously that is beyond their strength when they try to do it consciously.

I'll just emphasise that my reason for starting this thread was purely out of consideration for the original poster on the other one, because I doubt that person intended to start an extended discussion of metal bending.

And evidently it can't repeated often enough that sceptics are able to post everywhere on this site. Of course, if people want to carry on posting on the other thread, that's up to them. But I'm not going to, because I think it's off-topic there.

On this topic, I think it's interesting that not only Michael Shermer but also Joe Nickell was able to bend cutlery at a "workshop," though not one of Jack Houck's. Nickell attributes the effect to the unconscious exertion of force by the participants:
https://skepticalinquirer.org/2013/07/mi...over_metal

If that is the explanation, it seem rather remarkable if the participants can do something unconsciously that is beyond their strength when they try to do it consciously.

There is no need to think you did something unconsciously when the spoon can easily be a prop.

Can you use the other thread Raf999... and copy over any of Chris's replies...

Skeptics are not allowed to post in this forum...

Sorry, I didn't knew about it. Let's keep it to the other thread.

Skeptics are not allowed to post in this forum...

Please can a moderator confirm that sceptics are allowed to post here?

There is no need to think you did something unconsciously when the spoon can easily be a prop.

Raf999

As a matter of courtesy, it would be nice if you could note people's responses to the suggestions you make, rather than simply ignoring them and posting the same thing again.

Regarding the question of whether Radin's spoon was a "prop," I've already given details of the maker's name and design. Here is the photograph of the maker's name from his website:

http://www.deanradin.com/spoon.htm

I don't believe that's a prop. If you want to suggest it's a prop, you need a better argument, not just an assertion.

As for the suggestion that it was a "magician's spoon" made of gallium, I've already quoted what Radin said in a comment on his blog:
"People have previously asked if it might have been a trick spoon. I don't think so. If it were setup to become soft after reaching skin temperature, then it would immediately fall apart or bend or melt when stuck in boiling water. It doesn't."
http://deanradin.blogspot.com/2006/06/do...spoon.html

And of course, the point of posting a link to Joe Nickell's comments was that he didn't suggest at all that there was anything pre-prepared about the cutlery he bent (at an event not organised by the same person who organised the parties Michael Shermer and Dean Radin attended). Nor did Michael Shermer suggest that about the spoon he bent. Both of them suggested unconscious force was the explanation.

That's what I am saying would be remarkable, if true.

Please can you try to engage with the evidence people are discussing, rather than spouting one-liners that sound as though they come straight out of the pseudo-sceptics' handbook?

[Laird]

Please can a moderator confirm that sceptics are allowed to post here?

Skeptics are allowed to post everywhere, as stated in the rules: "Said skeptics are allowed to participate on all the forums and sub-forums."

Skeptics are not, however, allowed to post in Extended Consciousness Phenomena (ECP) forums where the intent is solely to debunk an entire phenomenon. The rules give the example of NDEs but in this case it would be spoon-bending.

However, skeptics may post critical comments in ECP forums "to discuss a specific case or article".

Since this thread refers to a specific case (Dean Radin's spoon), it would be OK for skeptics to post comments critical of that case, but not if that extended into "So, you see, the whole phenomenon of spoon-bending can be debunked as fraud".

Since that seems likely to happen, perhaps you might like us to move this thread to SvP, Chris?