Psychics. Are they real? Is it possible that one can know something, or sense something, that they could not otherwise using their normal five senses? Or is it all based on the belief in mysticism and a few parlor tricks?
What exactly does it mean to be a psychic? It is believed that a psychic individual can sense things (such as events in the past, present, or future) that they had no involvement in, nor could they have otherwise known about, or sensed using their normal five senses. It is believed that certain individuals possess what is called extra-sensory perception (ESP, as it is commonly called).
Can these powers really exist? Many claim to possess such powers, and even many more believe very strongly in its existence. The question is, has there been any concrete scientific evidence to suggest that there might be some kind of extra sense in some individuals? So far the answer to this question is no. James Randi, a former magician, turned paranormal skeptic, has been studying this for many years. Randi has said in interviews over the years that he wishes that he could be proven wrong, that science could be proven wrong, but it has not yet happened. In fact, his education foundation has for many years allocated one million dollars as a prize for any person who can prove under controlled circumstances that paranormal activity exists. No one has been able to claim the prize as of yet.
I am sure you have heard about psychic detectives before. You have probably heard how some police departments use psychic consultants on a regular basis to help solve crimes, and to locate victims, often with much success. The truth of the matter is that these claims are greatly exaggerated. In fact, no psychics have ever officially been given credit for helping to solve a crime by the F.B.I. or other law enforcement agency.
You can find a brief overview of psychic detectives here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychic_detective -or-
http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/police-psychics.html
Many of these so-called psychics are actually more like private detectives. They may receive inside information that helps them with their miraculous answers to the unanswered questions to the crimes. USA Network actually has a television show mocking this very idea, called Psych. It’s a comedy about an aspiring detective who solves crimes using his excellent observational skills, and then purports to be psychic in order to aid police in their investigations.
Despite the lack of scientific evidence, it is not that hard to find individuals who swear to the belief in psychic abilities. Why do people believe in something so strongly despite lack of evidence, or rather strong evidence against something? I think it comes out of a search for answers to the unexplained, or the unbelievable. If you recall, after 9/11 a 16th century “prophet” called Nostradamus came into popular culture. People looked to the parallels between his vague writings of his supposed prophecies for answers as to why 9/11 happened. This is probably why shows like Millennium were, and still are, very popular. It plays on the hope that there is more to humans than meets the eye. It allows us to believe that we too might possess some kind of extraordinary gift, and gives individuals a chance to fantasize about it.
This is of course a very basic summary of psychics. There is so much more information than I could fit into such a small blog post. But to answer the question, do psychics exist? Scientifically speaking, probably not.
For more information, you can start by looking at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychic
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