Randi's Challenge (To Sundeep)

[Guest guest]

Dear Sundeep,

 

Someone referred me to this site earlier. I remember taking a look at it. I

wasn't happy with the terms. They keep every right with them and expect you to

give up the right of suing them for anything even before the test. They expect

you to bear all expenses for yourself and also for their people (to cover the

preliminary check-up and the final test). So, taking part in this challenge

will mean shelling out some money and assuming that they will be fair (if they

aren't, you can't sue them for the losses incurred by you!). They can just be

unfair and dismiss you arbitrarily. I don't like the one-sided terms.

 

Moreover, this challenge is for "showing, under proper observing conditions,

evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event". I am not

happy to put astrology, as I practice it, in this category. Philosophically, it

is wrong to me.

 

In any case, your mail does give a nice template for the actual claim to be made

for a "supernatural power", should I ever decide to take this test. I will keep

it in mind. Who knows how I'll feel ten months from now? Though I am not

inclined right now, I haven't fully ruled it out. If I am in a position to

afford the [variable] expenses, I may just take the challenge. But, one thing

is for sure - the terms are too one-sided and too convenient to Mr. Randi.

 

May Jupiter's light shine on us,

Narasimha

 

> Gauging by PVR's spirited reply to Siva's post, I am thinking it > really is

time for "The Ultimate Test" but not exactly as outlined > at

http://www.srath.com/test.htm. The test itself is somewhat poorly > designed as

I shall elaborate. Please read fully:> > My first dabblings at astrology were

due to Rick Houck's book "The > Astrology of Death". At that time, I also

happened to look at James > Randi's One Million Dollar Challenge, which

currently stands at 1.1 > million dollars and is still unclaimed: >

http://www.randi.org/research/index.html> > In a personal communication with

Rick Houck, being suitably impressed > with his predictive powers, I suggested

that he try his luck at > claiming Randi's prize money.> > Rick Houck then

replied that he had once actually issued an open > challenge to the NIH

(National Institute of Health), but it was never > taken. He later passed away

in early 2001. I personally felt that > that challenge was very well designed

and it now seems to me that the > format of that challenge would help

restructure Sanjay Rath's "The > Ultimate Test" into a more realistic and

acceptable challenge, and at > the same time, work toward claiming James

Randi's 1.1 million, which > is still very much up for grabs. Useful for SJC,

wouldnt you agree? > Anyway, here is Rick Houck's approach:> > 1) Have a

non-astrological disinterested party (not BAVA etc, which > are astrological

and famous astrologers are bound to have connections > leading to much

controversy) pick out the birth times of people in > PAIRs from reliable

hospital and county records. In each pair, the > people should have

approximately the same birth time. Dates of > marriage, birth of children etc

should also be extractable from > records.> > 2) In each pair, the

non-astrological party should pick out the time > of death of ONE of the two

people and write it on the outside of an > envelope. Put inside the envelope

the birthdata (and for > rectification purposes marriage, children birth time,

siblings) of > both the people.> > 3) Prepare 20, or 30, or 40 or 50 such

envelopes (depending on the > degree of certainty required).> > Give these

envelopes to each of the contestants. For each envelope, > each contestant

simply has to predict which one of the two people in > the envelope died at the

time written on the outside of the envelope. > > I believe getting 80% or more

right would be sufficient to offset the > possibility of chance occurrence.

That would easily claim the 1.1 > million dollar prize, and also among the

contestants, the one with > more answers correct is the winner.> > The key to

this test is that the selection criterion and judgement > criterion are totally

simple and objective and do not require an > astrologically knowledgeable body.

This goes to both toward proving > the efficacy of astrology AND establishing

who really knows his/her > stuff.