Do you think Alex could score an interview with Uri Geller?

bishop

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It would seem he has enough clout with the podcast and his past guests that he could do it. Then maybe he could spring some of the hard hitting questions on him point blank. Like "Yes or no, is what you do real?". Considering Geller has proven his abilities beyond the shadow of a doubt to scientists with real credentials he would seem an important person in the scheme of things. Is Geller the only person left alive with abilities that manifest themselves with such levels of magnitude?
 
Agreed. And I think Alex is the one with the balls to do it. Put Geller on the spot, get some answers.

Whether or not you agree that Geller demonstrated actual abilities doesn't matter. What's important is that Alex does. This is why it must certainly be important for him to interview someone like that. Why would it not be important?
 
What would possibly be in it for Geller? Why should he give a flying fuck what other people think about his life or his abilities?
 
What would possibly be in it for Geller? Why should he give a flying fuck what other people think about his life or his abilities?

Why does this have anything to do with what Geller wants? Alex gets to the bottom of the truth, period. That's what he does. Geller is a polarizing figure and there's no question Alex could use his podcast history to score an interview and then hit him with some questions. Unless you don't think it's important when people are able to demonstrate extreme paranormal abilities? Man, parapsychology is so broken.
 
Yeah, why would I do that? It's Alex's podcast. It's his show, his quest for answers. He believes Uri Geller proved his extreme paranormal abilities under strict protocols (I'm not speaking for him, I know this to be his position). My point is that with people like Geller hanging around who have demonstrated such abilities it's ridiculous that parapsychology is where it is today.

I think Alex focuses too much on atheists/materialists. He should try lighting a fire under the collective ass of parapsychology and see what kind of answers he gets.
 
If it took place, it could be 'interesting'. But I get the feeling that at this stage of his life/career, Geller is skilled at handling interviews, and seems to enjoy presenting an ambiguous image. My guess is such an interview would be rather like talking with a politician who manages to say a lot while revealing nothing.

At a much earlier stage in Geller's career such an interview could have been much more productive - but that involves time-travel by Alex, so that's a bit awkward to carry out.
 
In Russel Targ's last book, he apologized for not being more supportive of Geller back when SRI was taking flak for having Geller participate in remote viewing research. Guy Lyon Playfair co-wrote a book with Geller in which each wrote their own take on Geller's claims and abilities.

You might get better answers from taking to the researchers who have worked with Geller. Geller is way past the point where he feels any obligation to talk to skeptics, and he does seems to enjoy promoting ambiguity (as Typoz pointed out).
 
??? WTF? So helping set up an interview changes that somehow? I think he'd appreciate you doing that.
Well of course I'm happy to help. Are you being dramatic?
My point is that an invitation coming directly from Alex would mean more than an email from some nobody like me. Isn't that obvious? He's the one with the clout. To be honest, I'm hoping that Alex takes more of an interest in pushing parapsychology and starts asking some harder questions instead of hand holding. He's beat a corpse of a horse with Atheism and frankly, it's boring.
 
How is interviewing Geller supposed to push parapsychology? He isn't a researcher and hasn't been a research participant for a long time. It isn't the job of a research subject to talk to the press about research. Targ and Puthoff are the ones who should be contacted.
Talk to the press? Geller has been "talking to the press" for decades, and publicly vocalizing his results with Targ and Puthoff for his entire career. Look at his site. He makes sure the results of that test are front and center. He's exactly the person to talk to.
 
Well of course I'm happy to help. Are you being dramatic?
My point is that an invitation coming directly from Alex would mean more than an email from some nobody like me. Isn't that obvious? He's the one with the clout. To be honest, I'm hoping that Alex takes more of an interest in pushing parapsychology and starts asking some harder questions instead of hand holding. He's beat a corpse of a horse with Atheism and frankly, it's boring.
[Trumpets} Ho there! Da-ra-matic you say? Why sir, there is no such aim.

lol. Anyway, as for "meaning more" I'd say it depends but you're probably correct. I agree you with you that the discourse with nay-sayers has become boring. But to be fair he's also interviewed a good many practitioners and open-minded researchers.
 
How is interviewing Geller supposed to push parapsychology? He isn't a researcher and hasn't been a research participant for a long time. It isn't the job of a research subject to talk to the press about research. Targ and Puthoff are the ones who should be contacted.
True but TBH It's no one's "job." And I don't think of Skeptiko as the press. Also I think talking to adepts and practitioners is often more valid and informative than talking to researchers. That said, I think an interview with Targ would also be very interesting. The other guy too, though I hear he likes to put off such things.
 
True but TBH It's no one's "job." And I don't think of Skeptiko as the press. Also I think talking to adepts and practitioners is often more valid and informative than talking to researchers. That said, I think an interview with Targ would also be very interesting. The other guy too, though I hear he likes to put off such things.
It's great to talk to experiencers about their experiences. But if you want them to "prove" something (as bishop seems to want), then you need to look at the science, and look to the scientists. That doesn't suggest that an adept can't also be a scientist and do research, but as far as I know, Geller has always left the research up to others. He certainly hasn't worked with researchers to help develop protocols and practices to help others better understand psi the way Joe McMoneagle and Ingo Swann have. Geller really hasn't contributed all that much to the scientific understanding of psi, and he wasn't a very important part of the work done at SRI on remote viewing.
 
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It's great to talk to experiencers about their experiences. But if you want them to "prove" something (as bishop seems to want), then you need to look at the science, and look to the scientists.

I disagree. IMO that sort of thinking is part of the problem. There is little that science proves anyway.

Your comments about Gellar I'd guess are accurate. And I'm not surprised. Adepts and/or practitioners who want to be lab rats are the ones I find surprising. Believe me, many (I'd think most) people who have mega-developed psi abilities have no interest in that merry-go-round.
 
Adepts and/or practitioners who want to be lab rats are the ones I find surprising. Believe me, many (I'd think most) people who have mega-developed psi abilities have no interest in that merry-go-round.

This is 100% the problem. The lack of people able to demonstrate clear abilities is in bleak contrast to the ubiquitous claims of the parapsychology community to "know" people that have them and can easily demonstrate them. If you listen carefully claims of extreme abilities, who has them and how they work, are tossed about with reckless abandon.

This clip for example of Sheldrake claiming he has a friend with a super ability. Is he being hyperbolic? Or do words matter? Can people really become better at the staring effect with practice? Everyone knows a ton of people with amazing abilities, right? Well where are they all? Why aren't parapsychologists working constructively with these people to shatter the paradigm?

Do you agree that if Geller's abilities are real as demonstrated at SRI then it's important? That paraposychologists should be working harder to demonstrate these abilities clearly? What's not to like about that?
 
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