Experts? Phooey!

Experts, who needs ’em? Until recently we’d all have said everyone. But that pendulum has swung all the other way. Experts? They don’t know what they are talking about.

We understand this sentiment. We’ve criticized experts in finance and economics plenty enough. And rightly so. Those experts are to be blamed for their herd-like groupthink, that has so often turned out to be wrong.

And then there’s the media. In the race for newspaper sales they will one day tell us that research says red wine is bad for us. The next day it is good. And then bad again. End result is we don’t trust vinologists. Even though it’s the newspapers we shouldn’t trust.

But even the smartest of people can easily be fooled. And who better to do the fooling than a magician.

Between August 4th and 11th 1974 the Stanford Research Institute conducted experiments verify whether Uri Geller had “paranormal perception.”

The write up can be found in the CIA library here: https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00791R000100480003-3.pdf Follow the link if you dare.

Part of the experiments involved an experimenter drawing a random image and Geller trying to reproduce it.

“In each of the eight days of this experimental period picture-drawing experiments were carried out. In each of these experiments Geller was separated from the target material either by an electronically isolated shielded room or by the isolation provided by having the targets drawn on the East coast. As a result of Geller’s success in this experimental period, we consider that he has demonstrated his paranormal perception ability in a convincing and unambiguous manner.”

Fooled them, Uri!

Hal Puthoff and Russell Targ who ran the experiments were already believers in the supernatural. And so possibly biased. They also didn’t do themselves any favours by allowing Geller access to an intercom during the experiment even though he was in the shielded room. Oh, and there was a hole in the wall between Geller and the experimenters. Even we can reproduce a random drawing if we can peak.

The image for this piece is a photograph taken by one of us at an auction at the Savoy, London. Uri Geller, who is the nicest man you could wish to meet, was there…bidding for spoons of course. We were lucky to witness one of his spoon-bending miracles from just a few feet away. He convinced us!

The Million Dollar Challenge is a prize offered by the foundation of the famous magician and debunker James Randi. It would be won by anyone “who can show, under proper observing conditions, evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event.” No one has ever won it.