James Randi

James Randi ( born August 7, 1928 in Toronto, Ontario; Birth Name Randall James Hamilton ferrule ) is a magician and a prominent member of the Skeptics Society.

The opponents of pseudo-sciences was known for his million- dollar challenge ( One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge ) for the proof of paranormal abilities.

Professional career

Since the 1950s, Randi worked as a professional stage magician and escape artist. He stepped 1955-1961 as The Amazing Randi in the U.S. TV show Wonderama on. In the issue of February 2, 1974 the British magician Abracadabra magazine, he called the magical society out with the words: " I know of no calling which depends so much like our on mutual trust and faith." Randi was a close friend of the prominent mentalist Joseph Dunninger.

Randi entered the international spotlight when he denounced the public claims of Uri Geller in the 1970s. Randi accused Geller, to be nothing more than a charlatan who made ​​use of ordinary magic tricks to accomplish his allegedly paranormal feats, and he underscored these accusations in his book The Magic of Uri Geller. Geller responded to Randi's claims with a series of unsuccessful lawsuits.

James Randi has published numerous books in which he dealt with the history of magic or discussed popular misconceptions and claims of the paranormal.

He denounces people as frauds and charlatans who hurt other people with the aid of alleged paranormal abilities and enrich them. With his project Alpha it has reached it that the scientific study of alleged paranormal abilities is now generally regarded as a waste of time and was at universities practically abandoned. Randi's discovery of simple technical tricks that used the televangelist Peter Popoff, to pretend that he receives information from God, caused a strong decline of Popoffs influence and popularity.

Randi was a founding member of CSICOP ( Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal ), now the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI ), because of the against him by Uri Geller strenuous complaints he joined but later from there to the club from possible effects on. protecting

In 1996, Randi James Randi Educational Foundation ( JREF ). This organization promotes the investigation of paranormal claims and tried to test it under controlled test conditions. She has exposed a prize of one million dollars for the successful demonstration of supernatural abilities under scientific test conditions.

Project Alpha

The project Alpha from the years 1982 and 1983 showed Randi, that parapsychologists are relatively easy to deceive in their experiments.

James Smith McDonnell, CEO of McDonnell Douglas and supporters of parapsychology, donated $ 500,000 to the Washington University to start in St. Louis, Missouri, a McDonnell Laboratory for Psychical Research. Head was the physicist Peter Phillips. In this device, people who claimed were to have psychic abilities tested. Two of them, Michael Edwards and Steve Shaw ( Banachek ), seemed particularly talented in fact, to bend solely by mental forces metal to expose photographic film and to be able to move objects ( psychokinesis ). However, these two, a friend of Randi amateur magician, he had introduced specifically in the laboratory without the knowledge of the staff were.

In addition, Randi provided the parapsychologists with tips on how they could prevent tricks, but his instructions were ignored. Even when he launched the information that Edwards and Shaw were introduced by him as a rumor that the measures were not tightened.

Due to the positive-going tests, the parapsychologists were convinced that the two subjects actually possess supernatural powers and they held a proof of paranormal phenomena in his hand. A publication about it was prepared, gave interviews.

The McDonnell Laboratory was closed after Randi had revealed the true identity of Edwards and Shaw.

Awards

Works

  • Flim Flam -! In 1982.
  • The Magic of Uri Geller. In 1982. (Later renamed The Truth About Uri Geller. )
  • The Faith Healers. 1989, ISBN 0-87975-535-0. ( with Carl Sagan )
  • The Mask of Nostradamus: The Prophecies of the World 's Most Famous Seer. 1990, ISBN 0-87975-830-9
  • Conjuring. In 1992.
  • An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural. In 1995.
Mentalism Televangelism Washington University in St. Louis Integrated Authority File
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