Editing Edgar Cayce (section)

===Clairvoyance===

Science writers and [[Skepticism|skeptics]] say that Cayce's reported [[psychic]] abilities were faked or non-existent.<ref name="Carroll"/>{{sfn|Gardner|1957|page=[https://archive.org/details/fadsfallaciesint00gard/page/216 216–219]}}{{sfn|Randi|1982|page=195}}{{sfn|Shermer|Gould|2002}}<ref name="Shermer">{{cite journal |url=https://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/11-08-03/#feature |first1=Michael |last1=Shermer|authorlink1=Michael Shermer |title=Skeptical Investigation of Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) |journal=[[Skeptic (American magazine)|Skeptic magazine]] |volume=1 |number=3|publisher=[[Skeptic.com]] |date=August 3, 2011 |access-date=June 2, 2021}}</ref>{{sfn|Nickell|1992|page=159}}<ref name="Dope"/>

Evidence of Cayce's reported clairvoyance was derived from [[newspaper]] articles, [[affidavit]]s, [[anecdote]]s, [[testimonial]]s and books, rather than [[empirical evidence]] which can be independently evaluated. [[Martin Gardner]] wrote that the "verified" claims and descriptions from Cayce's trances can be traced to ideas in books he had been reading by authors such as [[Carl Jung]], [[P. D. Ouspensky]], and [[Helena Blavatsky]]. Gardner concluded that Cayce's trance readings contain "little bits of information gleaned from here and there in the occult literature, spiced with occasional novelties from Cayce's unconscious".{{sfn|Johnson|1998|page=23}}

[[Michael Shermer]] wrote in ''[[Why People Believe Weird Things]]'' (1997), "Uneducated beyond the ninth grade, Cayce acquired his broad knowledge through voracious reading and from this he wove elaborate tales."{{sfn|Shermer|Gould|2002}} According to Shermer, "Cayce was fantasy-prone from his youth, often talking with angels and receiving visions of his dead grandfather." Magician [[James Randi]] said, "Cayce was fond of expressions like 'I feel that' and 'perhaps'—qualifying words used to avoid positive declarations."{{efn-ua|"The matter of Edgar Cayce boils down to a vague mass of garbled data, interpreted by true believers who have a very heavy stake in the acceptance of the claims. Put to the test, Cayce is found to be bereft of powers. His reputation today rests on poor and deceptive reporting of the claims made by him and his followers, and such claims do not stand up to examination."<ref name="Carroll">[[Robert T. Carroll|Carroll, Robert T.]] (December 12, 2010) [http://skepdic.com/cayce.html Edgar Cayce] ''[[The Skeptic's Dictionary]]'' accessed January 7, 2021</ref>{{sfn|Randi|1982|page=195}}{{sfn|Nickell|1992|page=159}}<ref name="Dope">{{cite web|url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1874/whats-the-scoop-on-edgar-cayce-the-sleeping-prophet |title=What's the scoop on Edgar Cayce, the "Sleeping Prophet"?: A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD |author=Straight Dope Staff |date=January 16, 2001 |publisher=[[The Straight Dope]]}}</ref>}} According to investigator [[Joe Nickell]],

{{blockquote|Although Cayce was never subjected to proper testing, ESP pioneer [[Joseph Banks Rhine|Joseph B. Rhine]] of Duke University—who should have been sympathetic to Cayce's claims—was unimpressed. A reading that Cayce gave for Rhine's daughter was notably inaccurate. Frequently, Cayce was even wider off the mark, as when he provided diagnoses of subjects ''who had died'' since the letters requesting the readings were sent.{{sfn|Nickell|1993|page=159}}}}

Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment has also been criticized for promoting [[pseudoscience]].{{sfn|Shermer|Gould|2002}}