JREF Million Dollar Challenge

The idea of applying for the JREF MDC came up in another thread.

It was announced in 2015 that it had closed down the application process, and under the "About" section on the JREF website it states it has been terminated. The website also describes what the money is now being used for. It does seem to leave open the possibility for testing high impact targets (i.e. "established psychics"), with the goal presumably of showing that they are deluded or fraudulent. But as a test for non-psychics and people who aren't already famous, it is no longer accessible.

https://web.randi.org/home/jref-status

There are other challenges out there, though. Perhaps a list can be made.

Linda

As I understand from a few people who tried, the requirements were managed so as to make it almost impossible to satisfy the test. SEe, or instance, https://www.dailygrail.com/2008/02/the-m...challenge/

As I understand from a few people who tried, the requirements were managed so as to make it almost impossible to satisfy the test. SEe, or instance, https://www.dailygrail.com/2008/02/the-m...challenge/

I'm certain you know the MDC isn't the only test offered.

As I understand from a few people who tried, the requirements were managed so as to make it almost impossible to satisfy the test. SEe, or instance, https://www.dailygrail.com/2008/02/the-m...challenge/

That article significantly misses the point.

They weren't impossible if the person making the claim could actually do what they claimed. The problem was more that individuals tended to grossly overestimate their abilities when changing from informal at home testing to a controlled situation (for those people who weren't using trickery). The people making claims were claiming large to very large effects. Yes, parapsychology research does not find these large effects, but this wasn't about claims made by parapsychologists, but about the claims made by talented individuals. It is fairly easy to satisfy the conditions of the challenge if you are dealing with a large effect. 

I think in the early days of the challenge - long before it was a million dollars - it was more about exposing trickery. Then it seemed to be more of an emphasis on demonstrating to individuals how to put controls in place, and how their talents disappeared under those conditions. I don't have a problem with either of those perspectives, from an educational standpoint. But it was never about a search to find truly talented individuals, and nobody should be disappointed, or hold it against Randi, that it failed to do so.

I think the process did deteriorate in the later years as Randi's interest waned, though. And there are legitimate criticisms which can be levied against Randi.

Linda

I can only imagine the procession of hayseeds, fruitloops and crackpots they had to sift through 

I can only imagine the procession of hayseeds, fruitloops and crackpots they had to sift through 

I used to go on the JREF forum a little back in the day, I remember one guy who was in there going "No, you don't understand guys, I'M GOD, I created the universe!" and he wasn't joking, not in the slightest. I've unfortunately had to deal with  many, many people like that in my quest to create legitimate methods that get real results in this area and to be honest it was so bad I eventually just dropped off the internet because of it. Choosing instead to hermit myself away and work on my stuff, figuring there was no point talking about it until I had something to show for it because I'd jut be considered one of them since they're the only ones ever talking about this stuff. Those types of people deserve nothing but ridicule and mockery for being so willfully retarded, emotional, and pathetic.

I agree with Linda, the test was never about low level stuff, it was about people who'd claim to be able to levitate or teleport and such. Stuff that you didn't need to verify with statistics. I personally think that psychic abilities only matter when they're large and on the spot. If you say you're a psychic, I expect you to be able to read my thoughts back to me like a fucking news ticker, if you can't, you're not psychic, period. Likewise with telekinesis, as much as I appreciate the work people like Sean Mckenna are trying to do, being able to make a 4 gram piece of tinfoil twitch on a near frictionless pinhead in a sealed container isn't impressive and isn't worth spending years training for let alone calling Telekinesis.

Although these sorts of things are good starting points and shouldn't be thrown out, they aren't worth anything until they've reached a more practical level and should be treated as such. They're at best proofs of concept.

To me it's kinda like calling yourself a martial artists after your first 3 lessons. Personally I only think you're a martial artist after getting your black belt. Likewise I think the standards for thinking of yourself as a psychic or telekinetic should be equally as high, like if you can move around 20kg objects in all 3 dimensions at will, then yeah, you're a telekinetic, anything less than that, or less reliable than that, no. Keep training and come back later. That's why I, for example, am not bothering submitting any of my stuff as evidence yet. It's nowhere near a respectable level and I know it.

If more people took these things more seriously and eradicated all traces of spirituality, philosophy, religion and any other form of the same emotionally childish garbage from the process and just focused on getting results we might actually have high level demonstrations of telekinesis and psychic abilities already. I do think that's coming, but much slower than it otherwise could've.

But the good news is I've noticed a growing trend towards that mentality with more and more people of various ages starting to do their own training from a far more results based and scientific mindset. It's slow but I do think it will yield results in time. I think people are getting tired of the cosmic parent bullshit finally, I mean statistically speaking individualism and atheism is going up in many countries and both religion and spiritualism are going down. It's no surprise that societies are slowly improving as a result. I've certainly noticed the shift, to me the best indicator of that shift is the cartoon series Rick and Morty, a series that would never have existed 10-15 years ago with a main character like Rick Sanchez. A character who, in almost any other story, would be the villain because of how he thinks. Whereas now his selfishness, ambition and individualism is celebrated, sometimes to an unhealthy degree, by the fans. People who are likely fed up with the moral absolutism being thrown at them from every direction because the very idea of moral absolutism has been debunked for so many centuries now.

I think that trend will continue.

I can only imagine the procession of hayseeds, fruitloops and crackpots they had to sift through 

Why does this post make me hungry?

Linda

Why does this post make me hungry?

Linda

I forgot nutjobs and meatheads.

In 1947, the SPR tried to run a test with a cash prize (of £250) for anyone medium demonstrating psychic phenomena. They got very little interest and those few that did enter failed to meet the required standards. In the JSPR, they list some of the reasons given by prominent mediums for not entering:

Mrs Estelle Roberts (clairvoyante and direct voice medium) wrote : "I am not interested in your offer of a prize for any demonstration of what I believe to be a religious belief."

Mr Ronald Strong (direct voice and materialisation) and Mr Charles Basham (materialisation) both appeared to agree to investigation, but although frequently prompted, neither was ever able to fix a date.
Mr Ronald Cockersell (direct voice and materialisation) said he was not interested in convincing S.P.R. investigators. Genuine phenomena could not be guaranteed like "a hen laying an egg".
Arnold Clare (direct voice) said he had periods when he could get no phenomena, and we had asked him at such a time.
Hunter Selkirk and Alec Harris (materialisation) did not reply to our letters.
Leslie Flint (direct voice) had to think it over, but never came to a decision.
Mrs Helen Duncan (materialisation) was very definite in her refusal, saying that she would not sit at the S.P.R., "for a million".
Arthur Phillips (materialisation) was considering the offer when he was exposed by other investigators, who captured a false beard. 

Journal of Society for Psychical Research Jan 1948, pp153-154

In 1947, the SPR tried to run a test with a cash prize (of £250) for anyone medium demonstrating psychic phenomena. They got very little interest and those few that did enter failed to meet the required standards. In the JSPR, they list some of the reasons given by prominent mediums for not entering:

Mrs Estelle Roberts (clairvoyante and direct voice medium) wrote : "I am not interested in your offer of a prize for any demonstration of what I believe to be a religious belief."

Mr Ronald Strong (direct voice and materialisation) and Mr Charles Basham (materialisation) both appeared to agree to investigation, but although frequently prompted, neither was ever able to fix a date.
Mr Ronald Cockersell (direct voice and materialisation) said he was not interested in convincing S.P.R. investigators. Genuine phenomena could not be guaranteed like "a hen laying an egg".
Arnold Clare (direct voice) said he had periods when he could get no phenomena, and we had asked him at such a time.
Hunter Selkirk and Alec Harris (materialisation) did not reply to our letters.
Leslie Flint (direct voice) had to think it over, but never came to a decision.
Mrs Helen Duncan (materialisation) was very definite in her refusal, saying that she would not sit at the S.P.R., "for a million".
Arthur Phillips (materialisation) was considering the offer when he was exposed by other investigators, who captured a false beard. 

Journal of Society for Psychical Research Jan 1948, pp153-154

Could this be a generalization that holds true today? All claim proficiency except when it's not in their best interest.