site banner
PaperclipPerfector  22d ago (text post)   3723 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for May 26, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

3
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Are there comprehensive resources on psychic’s techniques to make their readings appear more accurate (e.g., Barnum statements, background research on the client via the internet, etc)? Anything and everything is appreciated

Background: A friend’s mother went to a psychic and was told things she (supposedly) didn’t know about her dead father (she asked her still-alive mother about it and the info was confirmed). She claims to not have let anything slip and that the things were completely unprompted, but I’m a bit skeptical.

The wiki pages cover the basics:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_reading
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Cold_reading

A search for "cold reading techniques" will bring up less dry sources. This one has a few books recommended at the bottom which you can find on annas-archive.org or libgen:
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/mentalism/articles/how-does-cold-reading-work/

The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading: A Comprehensive Guide to the Most Persuasive Psychological Manipulation Technique in the World
Ian Rowland Limited, 4th Revised edition, 2008

“A comprehensive guide to the most persuasive psychological manipulation technique in the world and its application to psychic readings. Cold reading can loosely be described as 'how to talk to a complete stranger as if you have known them all your life'. This definitive yet easy-to-read guide explains every aspect of cold reading in detail. Although the book focuses on how cold reading is used within the psychic industry, many cold reading principles have applications in other fields such as selling, negotiation, management and therapy. This is a 'must read' book for anyone interested in the psychology of persuasion.”

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats