hate to be a pessimist, but drac does have a point about this. Back in the day, when scientists were studying psi powers with some intensity, they were tricked by some decent sleight of hand tricks.
Because they didn't check for or eliminate various variables and ways which the test subject could influence the results through trickery. They were allowed access to the materials which they were supposed to be manipulating through psi--allowed to handle them prior to the experiment. This gave them the oppertunity to apply the various gimmiks magicians use to cause phenominal results.
For example, i can make small, light objects levitate and spin around me--they look like they are flying through the air on their own, directed by me and my mind--when in fact, what you can't see, is the very fine spiderweb-thin black thread i've attached to the object using a bit of magician's wax--the thread runs up and over my head, or around the nosebrim of my glasses, with the other end attached to one of my fingers with another bit of wax. As i move my hand, the object moves. Move my body, and i can make it seem to spin around me.
Also to be factored in was the fact that the scientists were already believers--they weren't setting out to prove the existance of psi, but to see what it's limitations were--they entered in the experiment with a great deal of preconceived notions, and desired very much to have phenominal results--which they got, through poor experimental processes and allowing for too many variables.
I don't have the articles i've read on the subject in front of me, but as i recall, Uri Geller was a big part of fooling the scientists. Also as i recall, after the magicians were exposed/confessed to their trickery, the experiments were re-done--and much to the dismay of the scientists, they didn't get any results near to what they were getting before.
Another famous experiment revolves around the symbol cards--the Zener cards. In the original experiment, the results that were comming up indicated a high amount of psychic ability in those being tested. What the experimenters didn't realize until it was pointed out to them was that the test subjects could see what cards they were holding--the cardstock they used for the original cards was too thin, and the symbols could be seen through the cards easily.
There were also various other methods of cheating at the test, such as card counting. And some debate over wether the original statistical curve of hit vs miss, probability of chance that the scientists accepted is truly accurate or not.
So while i am a big believer in the existance of psionic energy (i'd be a fool not to, with what i've experienced), i am still skeptical about it's use creating dramatic and phenominal results often, given the little background i do have and the bits and pieces i've gathered over the years concerning stage magic.
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