Alexandre has posted this (from Jim's own website) at The Magic Cafe:
"I am asking those who read this site to remember I am an entertainer, artist & researcher. Please do not get carried away when viewing and interacting with my work. It is to be an entertaining, surreal diversion. I am not a psychic nor a medium. I am a Paranormalist. You are in control of what you believe and do with your life. Just as I am. Have fun and enjoy yourselves ... Jim."
In this statement Jim clearly states he is not a psychic or a medium.
Yet, contrast the statement against the what Jim intends to do (from Jim's email published in UPDATE #4, see below):
"Since I have not scheduled a time to interact with Ray, it will be several days to get the superfluous information you are asking for".
AND
"This will be the only time I request information of this nature from Raymond Hill (editor: he's deceased remember!) on your behalf and am only doing it this time as a public display of good faith".
"This will be the only time I request information of this nature from Raymond Hill (editor: he's deceased remember!) on your behalf and am only doing it this time as a public display of good faith".
So which is it Jim, Are you claiming to GENUINELY be in contact with Raymond Hill or not? This is the claim we want to test, not the performance of a trick.
Ben Harris
Hi Ben,
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting exercise, but I fear it suffers from the same problem encountered by Dr. Rhine when he faced the mortality question.
In his case, a colleague encountered a medium who was able to tell the colleague facts about his departed spouse that only the colleague could have known. Dozens of facts, as it turned out.
Proof of spirit contact? Not quite. Here's the problem: spirit contact cannot be proven until the alternatives are eliminated.
One alternative in this case -- aside from obvious trickery -- was the possibility that the medium could have been demonstrating telepathic ability and was reading the sitter's mind. This is what led Rhine into the laboratory to conduct decades of research in telepathy.
So let's say that Jim Callahan could tell you, ostensibly through the help of "Raymond," what color chip you've placed in the box. If you know the color yourself, what does that prove? Only that he might be telepathic. And if you don't know the color? Then he might be clairvoyant. But neither proves spirit contact.
To make the test even less conclusive, this is a one-time exercise consisting of a single one-in-three guess. Success or failure in such circumstances can't even provide conclusive evidence of a subject's ability in telepathy or clairvoyance. The body of data is simply too small, so any success or failure can be dismissed as a fluke.
And who is all this being directed at? Jim Callahan: a performer who, like many psychic entertainers, plays in an ambiguous space in order to make the world a little less black-and-white for us all. And to the best of my knowledge, he does so ethically -- he's not preying on the bereaved, nor performing the Gypsy Switch to swindle the allegedly cursed populace out of its savings. He's an entertainer.
So, let me see if I've got this straight:
Inconclusive test conditions.
Unthreatening test subject.
Why all the fuss?
Sincerely,
Neil Tobin
(Clap, clap, clap)
ReplyDeleteBen,
To me it seems like you are doing this as only a marketing tool to get your name out there. You have placed ads at the Genii forum and on the Magic Cafe, why else would you do that if it wasn't just for marketing for yourself? This is about the saddest way I've seen somebody try to promote themselves online. Honestly, it makes my respect for you go down, which is a shame.
Jim isn't doing anything unethical or wrong. He has his own beliefs as do the rest of us, why do you have to "challenge" him about it? LIke Neil said, he's creating a gray area which is entertaining and is as valid an entertainment medium as, say, close-up magic.
I don't care whether Jim is able to divine the contents or not, I just wish you would stop trying to market yourself and degrade Jim, because It's not working. At the moment, you seem like more of a sham than Jim.
Sincerely,
Evan
Hi Evan,
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is starting to look the way you suggest. The banners will be coming down as the case looks like it's closed. Jim has not supplied the information required to go through with the challenge he was quite happy to accept. The banners were placed to draw attention to the CHALLENGE, not to me, to the challenge.
I'm not picking on Jim, he made a claim, I called him on it, and as gentlemen we were going to put it to the test. Please read the full Magic Cafe Thread to understand the complete picture.
However, it has NOT panned out that way.
Cheers
Ben
Will take a few more days to get an answer from Raymond Hill or the entity who was Raymond Hill.(Hoping for video also).
ReplyDeleteIt just is not an easy deal on short notice.
And as stated I see no reason why you need to know these things of Raymond Hill when I am the one to taking the Challenge.
But I will ask.
After you get the answer you will prove you have the cash right?
After all I hope you are not wasting our time and if you are I doubt many would not find that to be unethical.
In fact i am looking forward to you being on the radio show because I am sure it will generate great publicity for me.
Thanks again,
Jim
PS.This reply has been post to the MagicTalk site link here http://magictalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=987.105