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Debunking PseudoSkeptical
Arguments of Paranormal Debunkers
By Winston
Wu
Praises and Reviews
“Winston
Wu has now
written an essay that brilliantly and decisively rebuts the general
skeptical
arguments against the paranormal. This is among the best
essays
ever
written on this subject, and deserves extensive study. The essay
carefully
moves through the entire skeptical lexicon of arguments, rebutting each
in
turn."
-
Whitley Strieber, Author and
Radio Host of
UnknownCountry.com
“Your treatise "debunking pseudoskeptical arguments of paranormal debunkers" is the best refutation of pseudoskeptics' arguments, tactics and fallacies to reject the evidence for paranormal phenomena. I've recommended your article to every person that I know.”
“I'm Jürgen and I write you from Germany. Let me tell that your article about debunkers/pseudoskeptics of PSI is the best handbook to debate with them. I used to debate pseudoskeptics as a pastime, using the arguments and tactics of your article.”
“Your article "debunking pseudoskeptical arguments of paranormal debunkers" is a must read to any person who seeks to understand the nature of pseudoskepticism… Your article was the first on-line resource to expose the fallacies, motivation, agenda and dishonesty of pseudoskeptics.”
Table
of Contents
-
How
this book
came to be written
PseudoSkeptics
vs. True Skeptics: Behaviors and Tactics
- True Skeptics / Open-Minded Skeptics
- PseudoSkeptics / Closed-Minded Skeptics
Scientism - The Religion of Pseudoskeptics?
Section I: General Arguments Against Paranormal Claims
Argument # 1: It is irrational to believe anything that hasn’t been proven.
Argument
# 2:
Extraordinary claims require
extraordinary
evidence.
- Extraordinary evidence for 4 phenomenon
Argument
# 3:
The Occam’s Razor
rule.
Argument
# 4:
The Invisible Pink Unicorn /
Santa Claus
gambit.
Argument
# 5:
The “anecdotal
evidence is
invalid” argument.
-
Factors
measuring
degree of reliability in anecdotal evidence
- The Ebay feedback challenge that a pseudoskeptic failed and was caught lying red-handed
Argument
# 6:
The memory malleability
argument to dismiss
anecdotal evidence.
Argument
# 7:
Automatic dismissal of
paranormal claims as
due to mistake, lying or hallucination.
Argument
# 8:
There is no evidence for any
paranormal or
psychic phenomena.
Argument
# 9:
Science is the only reliable
method.
Argument
# 10: Paranormal
phenomena aren’t possible
because
they contradict known laws of science.
Argument
#
11:
Unexplainable does not mean
inexplicable.
Argument
#
12:
Skeptics don’t have
beliefs. They
make assessments based on evidence.
Argument
#
13: Skepticism
is
not cynicism.
It is a
method of rational inquiry.
Argument
#
14:
Believers in the paranormal
are
thinking in primitive, irrational and childish ways.
Argument
#
15:
Skeptics are defending
science and
reason from a rising tide of irrationality.
Section
II:
Arguments Against Specific
Paranormal
Claims
Argument
# 16: Psychics
and mediums use cold reading tricks
and general guesses, not psychic powers.
Argument
#
18:
No psychic phenomena has been
demonstrated under controlled conditions.
Argument
#
20:
Miracles are impossible and
defy everything we know about science.
Argument # 21: The Skeptical explanation for answered prayers - Selective memory and coincidence.
- My own theory on how and why prayer works
Argument
#
22:
The Skeptical explanation for
precognitive dreams - Selective memory and coincidence.
Argument
#
23:
The Dying Brain Hypothesis
for Near
Death Experiences.
Argument
#
25:
Spiritual experiences only
exist in
your mind, not in external reality.
Argument
#
26:
Paranormal beliefs
are childish
fantasies for dealing with a cold uncaring world.
Argument
#
27:
There is no evidence to
support the
existence of UFO’s or Aliens.
Argument
#
28: Evolution
is
sufficient to explain the origin of life, so God is not needed.
Argument
#
30:
The James Randi Million
Dollar
Challenge
argument.
Links,
Blogs and
Books on PseudoSkepticism
and Paranormal Research
Appendix A: My Presentation Outline – Skepticism vs. Psi
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