Skeptics such as James Randi suggest that his reputation as a prophet is largely manufactured by modern-day supporters who fit his words to events that have either already occurred or are so imminent as to be inevitable, a process sometimes known as " retroactive clairvoyance " ( postdiction ).

Derrida utilized, like Heidegger, references to Greek philosophical notions associated with the Skeptics and the Presocratics, such as Epoché and Aporia to articulate his notion of implicit circularity between premises and conclusions, origins and manifestations, but-in a manner analogous in certain respects to Gilles Deleuze-presented a radical re-reading of canonical philosophical figures such as Plato, Aristotle and Descartes as themselves being informed by such " destabilizing " notions.

Skeptics such as Antony Flew have cited the lack of such a theory as their reason for rejecting the evidence for psi.

Skeptics such as Paul Edwards have analyzed many of these accounts, and called them anecdotal.

Skeptics and debunkers have questioned the interpretation of sea serpent sightings, suggesting that reports of serpents are misidentifications of things such as cetaceans ( whales and dolphins ), sea snakes, eels, basking sharks, baleen whales, oarfish, large pinnipeds, seaweed, driftwood, flocks of birds, and giant squid.

" Skeptical Inquirer has carried such articles as reports on the success rate of past years ' tabloid " psychic predictions " and coverage of the Australian Skeptics ' " Bent Spoon Awards " ( winners are notified by telepathy and must pick up their trophies by paranormal means ).

Skeptics such as James Randi have become famous for debunking claims related to some of these.

Skeptics generally consider beliefs in the extraterrestrial hypothesis ( ETH ) and psychic powers as misguided, since no empirical evidence exists supporting such phenomena.

Some skeptics, such as the members of The Skeptics ' Guide to the Universe podcast, oppose certain cults and new religious movements because of their concern about what they consider false miracles performed or endorsed by the leadership of the group.

Skeptics assert that rather than perfect goodness, it would be only the appearance of perfect goodness, reinforced by persuasion technology and probably brute force of violent technological escalation, which would cause people to accept such rulers or rules authored by them.

Skeptics such as Robert T. Carroll, Claus Larsen, and others have questioned the methodology of the Global Consciousness Project, particularly how the data are selected and interpreted, saying the data anomalies reported by the project are the result of " pattern matching " and selection bias which ultimately fail to support a belief in psi or global consciousness.

Skeptics reason that the only benefit to eyesight gained from such techniques is itself imagined, and point out that familiar objects, including letters on an eye chart, can be recognized even when they appear less than clear.

Skeptics, such as Michael Barkun and Chip Berlet, have observed that right-wing populist conspiracy theories about a New World Order have now not only been embraced by many seekers of stigmatized knowledge but have seeped into popular culture, thereby inaugurating an unrivaled period of people actively preparing for apocalyptic millenarian scenarios in the United States of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Skeptics argue that the current gambit of contemporary conspiracy theorists who use The Protocols is to claim that they " really " come from some group other than the Jews such as fallen angels or alien invaders.

Skeptics point to other factors such as the wide use of tobacco — Wayne and Moorehead in particular were heavy smokers.

Skeptics discount paranormal sources for the lights, attributing them to mistaken sightings of ordinary nighttime lights, such as distant vehicle lights, ranch lights, or astronomical objects.

Every issue of the magazine opens with a description of The Skeptics Society and its mission statement, which is to explore subjects such as creationism, pyramid power, Bigfoot, pseudohistorical claims ( as in the examples of Holocaust denial and extreme Afrocentrism ), the use or misuse of theory and statistics, conspiracy theories, urban myths, witch-hunts, mass hysterias, genius and intelligence, and cultural influences on science, as well as controversies involving protosciences at the leading edge of established science, and even fads like cryonics and low-carb diets.

Skeptics have argued that many of Kulagina's feats could easily be performed by one practiced in sleight of hand, through means such as cleverly concealed or disguised threads, small pieces of magnetic metal, or mirrors.

Skeptics of the ban have suggested that the airlines support the ban because they do not want passengers to have an alternative to the in-flight phone service such as GTE's Airfone.

Skeptics of claims involving ghosts and near-death experiences, such as Mobb and Watt ( 2011 ) have found evidence from MRI studies that experience of other-worldly substances may be due to neurotransmitter levels in the brain.

Skeptics may deny the more startling phenomena of dreams as things they have never personally observed, but failure to wonder at their basic mystery is outright avoidance of routine evidence.

Skeptics say that if clairvoyance were a reality it would have become abundantly clear.

Skeptics claim that there is a lack of a viable theory of the mechanism behind ESP, and that there are historical cases in which flaws have been discovered in the experimental design of parapsychological studies.

Skeptics have claimed that he did so by hypnosis, which, in one study, actually has proven to relieve symptoms because it lowers stress levels and therefore diminishes the symptomatology of haemophilia.

Skeptics dismissed the photos as frauds ; seeing that the bird is in roughly the same position in both photos, they suggested they may have been of a mounted specimen.

Skeptics have judged the film a hoax with a man in an ape suit, but theorists contend the film depicts a cryptid, a creature unknown to science.

Skeptics have also contended that people's desire to believe in paranormal phenomena causes them to discount strong evidence that it does not exist.

Skeptics question its scientific value while proponents contend the practice can lead to higher levels of consciousness and have a positive influence on society.

Research reviews of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique show results ranging from inconclusive to clinically significant .< ref > Skeptics have called TM or its associated theories and technologies a pseudoscience.

Skeptics have pointed to this discrepancy between the two revealed sets of Enochian texts as an indication that Enochian is not a consistent language.

Skeptics argue they are cases of postdiction ( prophecy after the events have already occurred ).

Skeptics have claimed that Lin's decision to flee to the Soviet Union was illogical, on the grounds that the United States or Taiwan would have been safer destinations.

Skeptics have decried kleptomania as an invalid psychiatric concept exploited in legal defenses of wealthy lady shoplifters.

Skeptics have ridiculed the story presented by Benjamin Creme, or have taken issue with the possibility that his predictions might have come true.

The Skeptics were to have a larger impact on Western reasoning than the Cynics ; but this would not occur until after its having been reified during the middle years of the Roman Empire when it passed into the mainstream of Western thought.

Skeptics claim that many of the allegedly hominin-like features seen in the Ardipithecus material are found elsewhere among living and fossil primates, and that claims about its hominin status and locomotor habits are not adequately supported by the available evidence.

Skeptics suggest that the bodies of children found in Carthaginian and Phoenician cemeteries were merely the cremated remains of children that died naturally.

In his book Restricting Handguns: The Liberal Skeptics Speak Out, civil rights attorney and gun scholar Don Kates found racial overtones in the focus on the Saturday Night Special (" niggertown Saturday night special ").

Skeptics argue that no scientific evidence has been found to support them.

Skeptics and some supporters believe that dowsing apparatus has no power of its own but merely amplifies slight movements of the hands caused by a phenomenon known as the ideomotor effect: people's subconscious minds may influence their bodies without their consciously deciding to take action.

Michael Shermer, founder of The Skeptics Society, draws a parallel between scientism and traditional religious movements, pointing to the cult of personality that develops around some scientists in the public eye.

In some ways he functioned in the manner of the popular marketplace philosophers of his day ( Cynics, Skeptics, and some Stoics ).

Skeptics point to her 1966 marriage and some media reports as evidence that she was born before 1951.

Skeptics point out that it is worth to think carefully before using it, as it will add little value in some cases.

Skeptics have stated some of these attempts are examples of confirmation bias.