[aussieindian]

>> But nobody that I know of has complained that Randi was not willing to set up a fair test.

I remember reading about how people who claimed that Randi would not test them.

ref : 1. http://dailygrail.com/features/the-myth-of-james-randis-mill... 2. https://weilerpsiblog.wordpress.com/randis-million-dollar-ch...

I guess its his test, his rules.. pity rational people mischarecterise it as Scientific.

In the words of Chris Carter, author of Parapsychology and the Skeptics:

If Randi were genuinely interested in testing unusual claims, then he would also not insist upon odds of at least one million to one against chance for the results. Anyone familiar with scientific studies will be aware that experimental results against chance of say, 800,000 to one would be considered extraordinary; but results this high would be, according to Randi, a “failure.”

[mrob]

Different disciplines accept different probabilities of Type I error. 8000000 to one against would not be considered worth reporting in particle physics. Any confirmed supernatural phenomenon would be a change in our understanding of the universe more dramatic than any particle physical discovery, so really it should be held to even stricter standards. Randi is being generous.

[seren]

To be fair most people who claims to have psychic power also claim that, even if not perfect, have a statically significant success rate.

I mean if you really had a psychic power that worked 1 in 800,000 trials, a single life wouldn't be long enough to discover it. By comparison, we only live about 30,000 days. I would not hire a water diviner finding water with such low success rate.

[aussieindian]

I think you have it the wrong way around..

Anyway, the only way a tester can prove their point is by running the tests at their own expense and they need a fair number of them.. but Randi restricts them to just a few and set the rules on who, how its done and who witnesses it..

Which means even on successful tests, he and his skeptic friends will assume that they were tricked and then use fraud to mess with the results.. They are judge and jury, no witnesses. Randi is self-confessed fraudster and has been caught red handed as well.

This was an extract from a Randi Volunteer who saw the light :)

I realize that there is almost no interest in holding Randi and the MDC to the standards that they claim for themselves. I’ve always been in a ridiculed minority when I make these suggestions. It is clear that the Challenge is not about allowing people to demonstrate their claims, but rather about providing examples for our ridicule – partly for education, partly for group-bonding (my guesses). I am in the process of moving on from the idea of trying to persuade anyone to care to that of trying to get the JREF and Randi to be more upfront about this instead, in order to thwart criticism. I fully realize that this will be a futile effort as well. I also continue to tell people to quit smoking. (…)