About this episode
<p><strong>The US spent millions trying to create psychic spies, but this remote viewing pseudoscience never came into focus. Nick Pell explains on Skeptical Sunday!</strong></p><p>Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of <em>The Jordan Harbinger Show</em> where <strong>Jordan</strong> and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by writer and researcher <a href="https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/author/nicholas-pell" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nick Pell</a>!</p><p><strong>Full show notes and resources can be found here: </strong><a href="https://jordanharbinger.com/1304" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>jordanharbinger.com/1304</strong></a></p><p><strong>On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>The U.S. government spent millions over two decades on Project Stargate — a real program aimed at training psychic spies to "see" enemy secrets through meditation</strong> — and the CIA ultimately concluded that no remote viewing report ever provided actionable intelligence.</li><li><strong>Early ESP research by J.B. Rhine at Duke produced seemingly positive results, but none of his studies were ever reliably replicated</strong> — including a Princeton trial of over 25,000 attempts with 132 subjects that found zero evidence of extrasensory perception.</li><li><strong>Project Stargate wasn't a fringe side project — it was a sprawling effort across multiple military and intelligence programs that ran from the Cold War era all the way until 1995</strong>, partly spurred by reports that the Soviets were spending $125 million annually on similar research.</li><li>A<strong>fter Stargate shut down, many of its former participants went commercial — selling remote viewing courses ranging from $79 to nearly $3,000</strong> — proving that even debunked pseudoscience can become a profitable cottage industry.</li><li><strong>The biggest takeaway here is a genuinely useful life skill: knowing even the most basic scientific principles — like demanding replication and questioning methodology — can help you cut through junk science and spot quackery before it costs you time, money, or good judgment.</strong></li><li><strong>Connect with Jordan</strong> on <a href="https://twitter.com/JordanHarbinger" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jordanharbinger" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/THEJORDANHARBINGERSHOW" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a>. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at <a href="mailto:jordan@jordanharbinger.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">jordan@jordanharbinger.com</a> and let him know!</li></ul><p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1344999619?mt=2&ls=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here</strong></a><strong> — even one sentence helps! </strong></p><ul><li><strong>Sign up for </strong><a href="https://jordanharbinger.com/course" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Six-Minute Networking</strong></a><strong> — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at </strong><a href="https://jordanharbinger.com/course" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>jordanharbinger.com/course</strong></a><strong>!</strong></li><li><strong>Subscribe to our once-a-week </strong><a href="https://www.jordanharbinger.com/news/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>Wee Bit Wiser</em></strong></a><strong> newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!</strong></li><li><strong>Do you even Reddit, bro? </strong><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/JordanHarbinger/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Join us at r/JordanHarbinger</strong></a><strong>!</strong></li></ul><p><strong>This Episode Is Brought To You By </strong><a href="https://www.jordanharbinger.com/deals/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Our Fine Sponsors</strong></a><strong>: </strong></p><ul><li><strong>Factor: </strong><a href="https://www.factormeals.com/jordan50off" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>50% off first box: factormeals.com/jordan50off, code JORDAN50OFF</strong></a></li><li><strong>Saily: </strong><a href="https://saily.com/jordanharbinger" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>15% off: saily.com/jordanharbinger, code JORDANHARBINGER</strong></a></li><li><strong>Superpower: </strong><a href="https://superpower.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>$20 off membership: superpower.com, code JORDAN (and tell 'em we sent you)</strong></a></li></ul><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>