JREF Challenge to be Discontinued

[Spetznatz]

The JREF challenge will finish in two years' time. (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=102667)

Odd what some Woos are saying about this:

Here: (http://forum.mind-energy.net/skeptiko-podcast/267-jref-challenge-come-end.html)

Like this is some sort of victory.

Also, reading around some of the blog posts (http://www.mind-energy.net/archives/163-About-the-James-Randi-Million-dollar-challenge.html) attaching to this story...I'll just pull out a quote from the above linked post:

"One of the things going against the challenge is that it’s hard to apply and to get to the part where you actually have to prove something. In the review of the FAQ Prescott shows various parts of the challenge that demonstrate the nature of the prize offer, where some claims are not even considered because they are being pre-decided as being false claims. "

So, er, there are real psychics out there, it's just that the JREF won't even let them take the test...bad, bad JREF, naughty Educational Foundation.

I weep sometimes, I really do.

[Julia]

Did it ever really serve a useful purpose? There was never much chance of a big-name woo such as Sylvia Browne taking the challenge and many of those who did apply were too absurd to be taken seriously. And of course, many woos are convinced that the prize money doesn't exist anyway. When the JREF is reduced to testing Rosemary Hunter, a woman who thought she had the ability to make people pee, I think it makes sense to call it a day and use the money for other purposes - not that a million dollars goes far these days!

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

Did the psychics see this coming?

I thought not.

[Cuddles]

Did it ever really serve a useful purpose? There was never much chance of a big-name woo such as Sylvia Browne taking the challenge and many of those who did apply were too absurd to be taken seriously. And of course, many woos are convinced that the prize money doesn't exist anyway. When the JREF is reduced to testing Rosemary Hunter, a woman who thought she had the ability to make people pee, I think it makes sense to call it a day and use the money for other purposes - not that a million dollars goes far these days!

The point of the challenge isn't (or wasn't) just for people to fail so we could point at them and say that they don't have magic powers, it's also so that we can point at people who refuse to take it in the first place. If someone spends every day claiming to predict the future or cure cancer, or whatever, if they then refuse to even try to win a million dollars for doing exactly what they do anyway, it looks rather suspicious, even to believers.

I think the most powerful part of the challenge was never the actual tests, it was just throwing it out there and watching who scurries for cover. Everyone knows Sylvia Browne will never take a test because she knows very well that she is a fraud, and her refusal to take it is yet another piece of evidence that can convince people of this.

The trouble with many paranormal claims is that it puts the burden of proof squarely where it belongs. Believers love to argue about who needs to prove what, and what exactly constitutes evidence, but there is no arguing with a million dollars just for doing exactly what you claim to be able to do. And to all the fence-sitters and less than hardcore believers who may not be convinced by arguments against the paranormal, the excuses for not taking the challenge are so hopelessly poor that it's almost impossible to take them seriously.
"I don't need the money." - So why do you charge for your services? Or why not just give it to charity?
"The money doesn't exist." - So why not prove Randi is a fraud?
"The tests aren't fair." - You design the test yourself.
"If it were possible to win, someone would have by now." - Exactly...

I think it's a shame, because the challenge was the only thing that really set the JREF apart from other skeptical groups. Without it, I think the JREF will become just another relatively small and unknown group among many, or possibly disappear entirely. In fact, one person on the JREF forum pointed out that a non-profit organisation has to get rid of its assets before it disbands, and this could be the prelude to Randi's retirement and the complete disappearance of the JREF.

[Mulder]

Perhaps UKS could have a whip round for a replacement challenge. The '£200 Psychic Challenge' anyone?

[Julia]

I can just about spare a fiver...:'(

[seren]

If someone spends every day claiming to predict the future or cure cancer, or whatever, if they then refuse to even try to win a million dollars for doing exactly what they do anyway, it looks rather suspicious, even to believers.

I think every conceivable angle has been covered over at the JREF forums, but I agree with those there who said, but it doesn't make a difference. People here have used the "you could make a million" line- I have myself. It just gets ignored or explained away. As for believers, well they will rationalise it somehow. As an argument it's never been very effective, so we don't lose much in losing it, apart from a quick get-out.

I think maybe the I-can-make-you-pee woman was really a tipping point. Was the point of the challenge to humiliate ordinary, but deluded, folk? People who maybe really need some money and will try anything?

Having said that, I am now, like you (I'm paraphrasing a JREF post here), not sure what the JREF does. Or will do.

[SimonC]

I have very mixed-feelings about the ending of the Million Dollar Challenge. Initially I felt that the jref were going in the right direction when they announced the revisions to the challenge - that they were going after the big names. The problem is, of course, that if the big names won't play ball, then there's little that the jref can do to force them - their followers will accept any rationale for refusal to take the test, and "*insert star psychic's name here* refuses to take Million Dollar Challenge" isn't enough of a headline to secure ongoing media coverage. It pretty soon becomes a non-story.

Like most skeptics, I've also used the challenge in debates with believers, but sometimes felt that it was becoming a bit of a lazy cliche to introduce it. On the other hand, it's always set the jref apart ( along, of course, with the presence of Randi himself ), and made them more than just another fringe, skeptical group.

I came across the Rosemary Hunter videos online yesterday. In a way, they don't make for comfortable viewing, I think. Clearly this woman can be seen as an easy target, and hardly represents what philosophical skepticism opposes. On the other hand, the jref can't refuse to accept this kind of challenge without being seen as unfair, or scared of losing their money. I think that Jeff Wagg handled the episode with all possible dignity but, inevitably, it all came across as rather pathetic ( in the true sense of the word ).

I hope that jref do have plans for what they will do once the challenge ends. Perhaps it's close to outliving its purpose, and is simply cannot practically be aimed at both the 'star psychics', and genuinely deluded 'believers'. I'll watch developments with interest.

Nevertheless, there are still a couple of years of the challenge left and I just hope that Randi uses that time to go all-out, no-holds-barred for the big guns! The fact that the metaphorical clock is now ticking might actually serve to reinvigorate media interest in the challenge.

[chillzero]

I wouldn't have found the JREF if it weren't for the challenge, as I was sent there by someone challenging me on my own claims of psychic ability. The forums there have helped me turn my life in a whole new direction, so I am very sorry to see it go.