Advertisement

Why are psychics ever surprised?

Discover how psychic fraud claims have surfaced with the SEC's lawsuit against Sean David Morton, spotlighting scams in mysticism.

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

Every time a psychic gets surprised by something, the world gets a little smarter. I hope. If that's true, then our collective IQ went up a solid 8 points when the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a suit against "America's Prophet" Sean David Morton on claims he's a big ol' phony. If only he had spelled it "profit" instead, then he wouldn't have been falsely advertising. And given that he made a cool $6 million off of gullible dupes, that moniker would certainly fit better. Now, of course this doesn't mean all psychics are knowing frauds any more than a scientist who perpetrates knowing fraud indicts all other scientists. However, science has given us spaceflight, agriculture, computers, medicine, telescopes, and a deeper and quantitative understanding of the Universe from the quantum level out to its observable edge. Psychics have given us, well... y'know... um... oh! They make it easier for non-critical people to carry their now much-lighter wallets around. Right. Well, to paraphrase Philip J. Fry: psychics 0, regular science a billion. Tip o' the crystal ball to Dale Martin.

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe
Advertisement

1 Free Article