Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions
James Randi is internationally known as a magician and escape artist. But for the past thirty-five years of his professional life, he has also been active as an investigator of the paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims that have impressed the thinking of the public for a generation: ESP,...
show more
James Randi is internationally known as a magician and escape artist. But for the past thirty-five years of his professional life, he has also been active as an investigator of the paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims that have impressed the thinking of the public for a generation: ESP, psychokinesis, psychic detectives, levitation, psychic surgery, UFOs, dowsing, astrology, and many others. Those of us unable to discriminate between geniune scientific research and the pseudoscientific nonsense that has resulted in fantastic theories and fancies have long needed James Randi and Flim-Flam!In this book, Randi explores and exposes what he believes to be the outrageous deception that has been promoted widely in the media. Unafraid to call researchers to account for their failures and impostures, Randi tells us that we have been badly served by scientists who have failed to follow the procedures required by their training and traditions. Here he shows us how what he views as sloppy research has been followed by rationalizations of evident failures, and we see these errors and misrepresentations clearly pointed out. Mr. Randi provides us with a compelling and convincing document that will certainly startle and enlighten all who read it.
show less
Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780879751982 (0879751983)
ASIN: 0879751983
Publish date: 1982-01-01
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Pages no: 342
Edition language: English
I liked this from an overall perspective. I was already familiar with many of the topics that Randi covered in this book so there weren't as many "gotcha" moments as I was expecting. It was still a fun exploration of the ridiculous, though, since I hadn't heard about actual testing of psychics and...
Well-paced, interesting topic, with an enjoyable bitchy tone, on occasions. Well-written and enjoyable.
James Randi has spent the last few decades exposing psychic frauds and faith-healing con-artists who use the tricks of stage magicians to fool people into believing they have special powers. In Flim-Flam Randi uses several case studies to show the techniques used by both profession scammers and the...
Unfortunately dated, James Randi’s study of fakers and hoaxsters is nonetheless a passionate, well-thought-out expose. Though Randi is wordy at times and I felt myself growing bored in the middle, I nonetheless found his methods and careful study of each “phenomenon” he investigated to be useful and...