Is There Really A Psychic?
What if you have the ability to read someone's mind or see their future? Without using any divination tool such as tarots or crystal balls? That would be really wonderful, right? If you can do this, then you are psychic.
The term "psychic" comes from the Greek word psychikos which means "of the soul, mental." In popular culture, it is used to refer to the ability to perceive things that are not sensed by traditional senses of sight, sense, hearing, touch, and taste. This is done through an ability called extra-sensory perception. A psychic can sense or can even use psychic forces.
Since psychic ability borders on the paranormal, parapsychologists try to study psychic phenomena. This is done by administering special tests to subjects. These tests include random number generators to test for psychokinesis or the Ganzfeld experiment to check on extra-sensory perception.
The most difficult part of studying extra sensory psychic abilities is proving it. In fact, a lot of skeptics doubt about it. That's because there is virtually no scientific evidence that these abilities-and psychic phenomena-even exist. They believe that these are just intentional trickery and self delusion.
James Randi, a well-known debunker, even offered one million dollars as a prize to a person who can show any paranormal or supernatural ability in controlled circumstances. No one has yet passed even the preliminary requirement.
History, pop culture, and fiction feature individuals who have psychic abilities and powers. For example, Oracle of Apollo at Delphi claimed that he was given the power of prediction from the god Apollo himself. The diviner Nostradamus, a French apothecary, was believed to be able to predict the future. In fact, his predictions are very famous worldwide.
The nineteenth century held a common idea that psychics are among us. In fact, there were a number of people who were thought to be psychic. This includes the famous Scottish spiritualist Daniel Dunglass Home. Even at the present time, many people still believe about psychic phenomena. In fact, a 2005 Gallup poll reported that forty-one percent of Americans believe that there are people who have extra-sensory perception, despite the lack of evidence.
Many fictional characters are endowed with psychic powers. Johnny Smith, the protagonist of Stephen King's The Dead Zone, has psychic powers that enable him to foresee the future. X-Men's Jean Grey and Professor Charles Xavier are also psychics who can read other people's minds.
Are you psychic? You may never know . . .
