Sceptics wanted

[venta]

Having just read chrestomancy and leathellin's comments about horoscopes, I am reminded about an experiment I wanted to try.

Tarot cards. I have in the past had several very accurate tarot card readings done for me - however, they have been done by someone who knows me pretty well, and could quite probably have given me good advice without the use of 72 bits of coloured cardboard.

While in New Orleans[*], an acquaintance of kauket's, whom I'd never before met, did a tarot reading for me. It was pretty accurate, but I'm unconvinced... In general I'm quite happy to believe in the validity of Tarot cards and their ilk. However, I have a little bit of scientist in me which likes to pop up and challenge it. So, I found myself analysing everything that was said, and trying to work out how much could be intelligent guesswork, how much reaction to my reactions, how much was very generalised stuff, etc.

So. I need some people who don't believe in tarot cards to do tarot card readings for me. Basically, I want to see just how well people can bullshit.

Anyone offering to do this will be cooked for/bought drinks/both in return. Must provide own tarot cards, though, unless we can find someone willing to lend a set. I should mention that I have no idea what any of the tarot cards signify, so bluffing convincingly is far more important than getting that kind of thing right.

For obvious reasons, the less well the volunteer knows me, the better. Any offers?

[*]apologies to lathany (and anyone else who cares) for the failure in appearance of further holiday exploits. Life's been getting in the way.

Comments

[jiggery-pokery.livejournal.com]

Mmmn. I have a feeling that you explicitly stating that you want to perform this experiment may make it harder for you to take the results seriously - you won't know that someone isn't giving you a reading solely for the purpose of attempting this experiment. It's Schrodinger's Tarot.

As a thought-experiment, I counter-propose a "Faking It" arrangement. You might attend four tarot readers, three of which believe in tarot cards and perform readings, the fourth of which does not believe in tarot cards but still performs a reading. Your goal is to work out if there is one of the four who betrays the fact that they don't believe the cards.

I'm not convinced that that's ideal either - it's more about testing the skills of the readers than anything else. Perhaps it might be more appropriate if you do not know in advance how many readers do or do not believe what they're saying, other than that there will be several readers and it is definitely possible that some or all will believe it and it is definitely possible that some or all will not.

Are you ever still in touch with Andi Lucas? He'd quite probably be interested. I don't know whether he's a true believer or a member of the Bullshit Party. I can put you back in touch with him if you like.

er...

[venta.livejournal.com]

you won't know that someone isn't giving you a reading solely for the purpose of attempting this experiment.

I don't understand. I'm asking people to do readings solely for experimental purposes. I want to contrast their comments with 'real' comments...

It's Schrodinger's Tarot.

It is ?

Re: er...

[jiggery-pokery.livejournal.com]

I respecrfully suggest that anyone would find it difficult to react exactly how they have done in tarot readings that they have had done in the past when they knew there was a chance that the reader might not believe in what they were saying.

If this isn't a factor that concerns you, I'll shut up :-)