Two people, confident in their psychic abilities, could not demonstrate them in the conditions of a correctly set experiment. This is the fifth time that none of the psychics participating in the experiment have passed the preliminary test of the Harry Houdini Award. Anyone who proves that his supernatural abilities cannot be explained by mere chance, the organizers of the award promise a cash prize of 1 million rubles.
On Sunday, psychics for the fifth time tried to demonstrate their abilities in a controlled experiment at the Harry Houdini Awards. This time there were two subjects: the Samara psychic Dmitry Marynda and the medium and tarologist Eva Ju. The third applicant, Natalya Navalikhina, who was going to demonstrate the gift of clairvoyance, refused to participate in the experiment.
Tarot reader Eva Ju. Right - Sergey Kortikov, co-host of the event
Participants in a practical test of supernatural abilities needed to find a hidden object. According to the regulations agreed with the participants, Dmitry Marynda had to find a gold ring hidden in one of 10 glasses. Eva Joo tried to feel in which of the 10 boxes was the photograph of Vanga, the famous Bulgarian soothsayer. Each participant had to successfully find their subject in five of the seven attempts they gave. After completing this test, the participants had to move on to a repeat experiment. His passage would mean an opportunity to earn a million rubles for demonstrating supernatural abilities. Three mistakes meant that the participants had no chance to win. In this case, the experiment had to stop.
People believe in miracles
A member of the expert council, laureate of the Enlightener prize, candidate of biological sciences and blogger Alexander Panchin and illusionist Nikolai Fomushin conducted a “magic” educational program for a full audience. Alexander Panchin talked about how people deceive themselves, perhaps out of a desire to see a miracle. So, Panchin shared a historical anecdote from the life of British writer Arthur Conan Doyle and illusionist and skeptic Harry Houdini. Houdini once showed Conan Doyle a trick: without touching the slate board, he printed on it with cork balls the text of the writer's note, the content of which he allegedly did not know. The ball moved along the board as if by itself. Despite the fact that Houdini confessed to Conan Doyle that it was all about sleight of hand and deception, the writer continued to believe that he was a real magician and wizard.
The illusionist Nikolai Fomushin clearly shows the audience: to amaze the audience with "miracles" you don't need to be a psychic
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Panchin also talked about apophenia, a phenomenon that also makes some believe in miracles. This is the tendency to see patterns in a series of random events, coherent speech in sound noise, or, for example, concrete images in abstract divorces and lines.
“I try to choose what is interesting and fits well with the theme of the event,” Panchin said about how he prepared for the small lectures at the awards. - The goal of the project is not only to test psychics, but also to teach people the scientific method and critical thinking. We would like Russia to have a good, friendly society of people who want to honestly figure out how the world works."
Nikolai Fomushin, honestly admitting that he does not possess any psychic abilities, tickled the public's nerves with a trick with an awl. The essence of the trick is to hit sharply with the palm of your hand on plastic glasses, in one of which an awl, knife or other sharp object stands vertically. It is advisable for the one who shows the focus to hit each of them, except for the one where the awl is. Fomushin managed not to make a hole in his own palm. But he never revealed his secret.
Moment of truth
Marynda was the first to start the test. To exclude the possibility of leakage of information about the location of the object, which is required by a correctly designed experiment, specially designated randomizers rearranged the glasses. They, like no one in the hall, did not know in which glass the desired object was located. Before each attempt, Dmitry had to go through a metal detector test: magnets could help him cheat.
The first two attempts to find a gold ring in glasses, packed in paper bags for reliability, ended in failure, and Dmitry Marynda was noticeably nervous. The third time he was lucky: the gold ring was in the fourth glass, which was chosen by the Samara psychic. However, this was the only success: the next attempt failed, and, according to the established rules, the experiment was completed.
Sergei Kortikov (left) talks to the prize-seeker Dmitry Marynda
The editor-in-chief of the Antropogenesis. Ru portal and the popularizer of science, Alexander Sokolov, who visited the award for the first time, said that he was worried about the first participant in the tests.
“Dmitry won over. At some point there was such a feeling: "What if it works out!" I was a little sick for him, especially since they took me for him: they knew that he was in a green T-shirt, like me, they approached and began to ask if I was a psychic. I, of course, said that I was a psychic, but today I am not ready, because forces do not always visit me. Apparently, the forces did not visit him either today,”jokes Alexander Sokolov.
Eva Joo, who started the second experiment, tried to find a photograph of Vanga in one of the black boxes. She was lucky from the second attempt - however, for the medium and tarot reader, this turned out to be the only success: three "approaches" out of four ended in failure, which means that Joo would not have been able to show a result that surpassed the usual chance.
Mikhail Lidin hides a photo of Vanga in an envelope
Either way, clairvoyants again did not demonstrate any supernatural abilities in the course of a correctly designed experiment. However, psychics are not discouraged. Even before the start of the test, Eva Joo said that abilities in such conditions - among the mass of skeptics - may "not manifest." Dmitry Marynda did not seem to be upset at all and went to talk with experts, organizers and guests of the award.
A critical approach
Expert of the organizing committee of the award, skeptic and video blogger Mikhail Lidin noted that there is still no information about whether someone turned to skepticism thanks to the award. However, some psychics promise to come again.
“But they don’t come,” Lidin notes. - Why? Maybe because they lost faith. Nobody came to us for a second check. Some people try to deliberately repeat the checks themselves. It doesn't work, and they understand that it won't work here either. This is fair. But most come to us first. Although you can check yourself at home - with the help of friends, for example."
The result is approximately the same each time, but still, events like awards do not happen often. In addition, according to Lidin, this is an excellent reason to get together, tell the world about yourself, show what and why fighters against delusions are doing.
“Moreover, every time people from different“camps”gather. We invite not only scientists, not only popularizers of science or skeptics,”Lidin notes. - We invite psychics who appear on television or elsewhere. Of course, not all of them come. Some are afraid of something, even as guests. I have invited several famous comrades. Someone says that they cannot, someone says that they do not support the initiative. In general, we are open to people from different fields.
Everyone can try himself in the role of a psychic (and, obviously, with the same success). In the photo, the video blogger and connoisseur of memes Agniya Ogonyok "vang". Right - the host of the award Ivan Lozovoy
Georgy Sokolov, organizer of the Scientists Against Myths project, also noted that the highlight of the Houdini Prize is honesty. “It's honest - there is such a rare quality. The tests are carried out in order to really determine whether the children have psychic abilities,”he said.
There are hundreds of applications received from psychics. The organizers of the award ask applicants to provide evidence of aptitude. Then an experiment is developed and individual regulations are agreed with the participants. When the next comers pass all these stages, the experimental test of supernatural abilities will take place again.
The report was prepared by Elena Smotrova