This is another topic high on my irksome list and a concept that many believers have a hard time grasping. My friend tells me she has a cousin who has psychic powers. I say there is no such thing as psychic powers. She says, "prove there isn't!" Well it doesn't work that way. The onus of producing evidence lies with the person making the claim. Simple.
My favorite rebuttal and staple argument in the skeptical community is the unicorn. I tell my friend that I have an invisible pink unicorn living in my backyard. She says "I don't believe you." So I say, "prove there isn't an invisible pink unicorn living in my backyard, as a matter of fact, prove there is no such thing as invisible pink unicorns." She can't. You can't prove a negative. It's up to me to provide evidence for my claim. I heard a good example from James Randi of not being able to prove a negative. Now my friend tells me that reindeer can fly. She knows it's true because her best friend's cousin's sister once saw a reindeer flying. She challenges me to prove that reindeer can't fly. Okay. So we take every reindeer in the world to the top of a tall building and push them over the edge one by one. We end up with a giant pile of dead reindeer on the pavement below. So have we proven that reindeer can't fly? No. It just means that every one of the reindeer we pushed off the edge perhaps didn't feel like flying at that moment. Maybe they just aren't that bright. Or perhaps we missed some. Now wouldn't it have been easier if my friend would have just shown me one flying reindeer?
That is why the job of skeptic is a tough one. When challenged to prove it's not true we have to concede that we can't. We can point to the lack of concrete evidence or mention that no one has actually demonstrated any psychic ability in properly conducted tests or studies. Skeptics aren't out to "disprove" anything anyways. We seek evidence. If that evidence happens to support something paranormal then we adjust our mindset accordingly. We may say "there is no such thing as psychic powers" with a great deal of certainty but that sentence is always followed by "but I'm willing to be shown otherwise." I have yet to hear a believer say that. And they call skeptics close-minded! James Randi is willing to be shown otherwise and has a million dollars for anyone who can. It hasn't happened yet.
My favorite rebuttal and staple argument in the skeptical community is the unicorn. I tell my friend that I have an invisible pink unicorn living in my backyard. She says "I don't believe you." So I say, "prove there isn't an invisible pink unicorn living in my backyard, as a matter of fact, prove there is no such thing as invisible pink unicorns." She can't. You can't prove a negative. It's up to me to provide evidence for my claim. I heard a good example from James Randi of not being able to prove a negative. Now my friend tells me that reindeer can fly. She knows it's true because her best friend's cousin's sister once saw a reindeer flying. She challenges me to prove that reindeer can't fly. Okay. So we take every reindeer in the world to the top of a tall building and push them over the edge one by one. We end up with a giant pile of dead reindeer on the pavement below. So have we proven that reindeer can't fly? No. It just means that every one of the reindeer we pushed off the edge perhaps didn't feel like flying at that moment. Maybe they just aren't that bright. Or perhaps we missed some. Now wouldn't it have been easier if my friend would have just shown me one flying reindeer?
That is why the job of skeptic is a tough one. When challenged to prove it's not true we have to concede that we can't. We can point to the lack of concrete evidence or mention that no one has actually demonstrated any psychic ability in properly conducted tests or studies. Skeptics aren't out to "disprove" anything anyways. We seek evidence. If that evidence happens to support something paranormal then we adjust our mindset accordingly. We may say "there is no such thing as psychic powers" with a great deal of certainty but that sentence is always followed by "but I'm willing to be shown otherwise." I have yet to hear a believer say that. And they call skeptics close-minded! James Randi is willing to be shown otherwise and has a million dollars for anyone who can. It hasn't happened yet.
Comments
- George Bernard Shaw