Would one still participate? Why on earth would they? What would be the point?
Because before attempting to deceive others, they may well have gone to great lengths to deceive themselves. Or, at least, they know that there is no such thing as bad publicity.
People whinge on about scientists being no different to these mountebanks and snake-oil vendors and triumphantly point to cases where science "got it wrong". But this misses the point. The scientific method does not preclude the possibility of being wrong. The scientific method sets up hypotheses and will abandon them if they are proven to be unsound. The conclusions follow the evidence.
By contrast, psychics, homeopaths, tarot readers, crystal healers, ley line hunters and their ilk decide the conclusion first, then twist the evidence to fit it. Some of the individuals involved may just be deluding themselves, whereas others may be driven by a narcissistic desire to portray themselves as a "healer" or a "spiritual person" or somesuch cobblers. Others still will be approaching the whole thing much more cynically.
Derren Brown debunks this stuff left, right and centre. He can do what mediums and psychics do and he explains in his books how he does it - and there's no dead relatives, angels, earth energies or spirit guides standing behind it. Every time this stuff is subjected to any form of testing, it fails - or, at least, produces results no different to what one might expect by chance. Yet people persist in hoping that "
there might be something to it." Great. Carlisle United
might win the FA Cup next year. It's theoretically possible if squinted at in the right light and taken entirely out of context, but let's face it - it isn't going to happen.
Check out Tim Minchin's short, but inspired song "
If you open your mind too much, your brain will fall out".
Regards,
Peter
