Why are there no real fortune tellers?

American James Randi is a famous combatant of pseudoscience and fake paranormal phenomena. He himself once worked as a professional magician, so he knows all the tricks through and through. Randi has promised a huge sum of money (currently $1 million) to the first person who can demonstrate a real paranormal ability. For example, a fortune teller who predicts everything correctly — or therefore not even everything, but simply more than you happen to guess correctly — and that without any tricks.

By tricks I mean in this case: informants who collect data about people in the audience, sharp psychological observation of how the interlocutor reacts to what you say, vague predictions that are open to all kinds of interpretation and therefore cannot help but in one way or another. come true… these are the typical deceptions with which fortune tellers impress their onlookers.

To rule out such cheating, Randi stipulates that the test must be done in controlled conditions to which both parties agree. In this way, Randi can demand circumstances in which no cheating is possible, and the soothsayer cannot attribute any failure afterwards to the circumstances (which he has agreed to). And if the soothsayer doesn’t agree to circumstances where he can’t cheat, well…

The challenge has been going on for decades and has been widely publicized, but so far it has not been won by any soothsayer or other possessor of psychic abilities. That in itself is not firm proof that those qualities do not exist: maybe people with such gifts are simply not interested in money? But it is precisely the most famous “paranormal” figures, who earn a lot by appearing on TV and therefore clearly after money, do not dare to be exposed to the challenge out of fear. So the fact that Randi’s million isn’t out yet seems to me to be a very strong indication that psychic powers don’t exist — along much the same line of reasoning as yours.

Now your question was actually why there are no real fortune tellers or fortune tellers. It is not so easy to answer that. You could also ask why a human cannot walk through a closed door: that’s just how physics works in our universe. Time runs in one direction because the laws of causation dictate a strict sequence: first you have to open the door, only then can you get through. Based on your knowledge of those laws, you usually have an idea of ​​what’s going to happen — for example, you’re pretty sure the door will open when you release the bolt — but you can’t directly “see” what hasn’t happened yet. is.

Hopefully this answer is of some use to you. Feel free to ask another question if you want to know more.

Robrecht Vandemeulebroecke