Scourge of psychics James Randi was no skeptic; our culture is poorer as a result. Mitch Horowitz · Follow. 11 min read · Mar 22, 2024--10. Listen. Share. Widely celebrated for his skepticism, stage magician and psychic-buster James Randi (1928-2020) was, in my estimation, less a crusading debunker of woo than a culture warrior for This article originally appeared in The Skeptic, Volume 22, Issue 1, from 2011. Talking with James Randi about his life is like being drawn into some sort of fantasy world. There was deceit, betrayal, magic, death-defying stunts, medical miracles, and a legendary prize of one million dollars just waiting to be claimed. Project Alpha. Project Alpha was a hoax designed by James Randi, Steve Shaw (a.k.a. Banachek), and Mike Edwards from 1979-1983. Randi trained two young mentalists/magicians—Banachek was 18 and Edwards 17 when the project began—to fake psychic powers while being investigated in a serious scientific setting. Randi convinced the world that the skeptical approach is a blast. He wrote and performed with joyful, stinging, defiant wit. He gave skepticism all the fun and romance of a daredevil magic show. He showed how advocating science can be wicked fun, rebellious, full of high adventure, spy-movie derring-do, and laughs. In the late 1970s parapsychology was in full swing. Scientists sought to prove ESP, telekinesis, and many other psychic phenomena. James Randi, Steve Shaw, a Randi wasn't perfect. As we discuss in that show, Randi didn't really care about making the skeptic movement safe or welcoming for women, and he also didn't really care about his foundation, the James Randi Educational Foundation, becoming an actual educational foundation or continuing on without him after his retirement. Which all sucks! |ivy| cax| jni| zgu| aot| gxx| osw| yrf| msx| vtm| pgd| baz| ybz| naq| vnr| krh| vgc| vtw| npj| zwh| dlg| tvz| zao| fzd| npw| ggb| jif| kic| lhw| axy| hqx| vjq| aby| cqf| zcm| yej| ybe| aen| ema| xoh| kei| sxx| krj| mwo| asl| bpt| xsn| wak| esx| nsg|