Imatge de l'autor

James Randi (1928–2020)

Autor/a de Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns and other Delusions

16+ obres 1,844 Membres 22 Ressenyes 5 preferits

Sobre l'autor

Randall James Hamilton Zwinge was born on August 7, 1928 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He began his career in the late 40's as an illusionist and escape artist. He became known as the Amazing Randi and was an international success. In 1986, he received the McArthur "genius" grant. He retired from mostra'n més stage magic at the age of 60 and began a career of investigating claims of the paranormal. He devoted his life to debunking paranormal claims. Preferring to be called a skeptic or an investigator, he aimed to show that "something was not likely." He was considered a father of the modern skeptical movement. He wrote numerous books which included, Houdini, His Life and Art (1976) co-authored with Bert Randolp Sugar; Flim Flam! The Truth About Unicorns, Parapsychology, and Other Delusions (1980); The Faith Healers (1987); and An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural (1995). In 1976, Mr. Randi, along with Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, and others, founded the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. It published the magazine Skeptical Inquirer. James Randi, also known as the Amazing Randi, died at his home in Florida at the age of 92. (Bowker Author Biography) mostra'n menys

Inclou aquests noms: James Randi, James Randi

Crèdit de la imatge: Credit: Steve Jurvetson, 2007

Obres de James Randi

Obres associades

The Outer Edge (1996) — Col·laborador — 46 exemplars
Psychological Subtleties 2 (2007) — Pròleg, algunes edicions36 exemplars

Etiquetat

Coneixement comú

Nom normalitzat
Randi, James
Nom oficial
Randi, James
Altres noms
Randi, the Amazing (stage name)
Zwinge, Randall James Hamilton (birth name)
Data de naixement
1928-08-07
Data de defunció
2020-10-20
Gènere
male
Nacionalitat
Canada (birth)
USA (naturalized 1987)
País (per posar en el mapa)
USA
Lloc de naixement
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Lloc de defunció
Plantation, Florida, USA
Llocs de residència
Rumson, New Jersey, USA
Plantation, Florida, USA
Professions
stage magician
fraud investigator
Relacions
Alvarez, José (husband)
Organitzacions
CSI: Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (formerly CSICOP)
Society of American Magicians
International Brotherhood of Magicians
The Magic Circle
James Randi Educational Foundation
Premis i honors
MacArthur Fellowship (1986)
Joseph A. Burton Forum Award (1989)
Richard Dawkins Award (2003)
Philip J. Klass Award (2007)
Heinz Oberhummer Award (2016)
Biografia breu
James Randi has an international reputation as a magician and escape artist, but today he is best known as the world's most tireless investigator and demystifier of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.  Randi has pursued "psychic" spoonbenders, exposed the dirty tricks of faith healers, investigated homeopathic water "with a memory," and generally been a thorn in the sides of those who try to pull the wool over the public's eyes in the name of the supernatural.  In 1993, the PBS-TV "NOVA" series broadcast a one-hour special dealing with Randi's life work, particularly with his investigations of Uri Geller and various occult and healing claims being made by scientists in Russia.
In 1996, the James Randi Education Foundation was established to further Randi's work. Randi's long-standing challenge to psychics now stands as a $1,000,000 prize administered by the Foundation. It remains unclaimed.

Membres

Ressenyes

Un mago de renombre internacional y ganador de la codiciada Beca MacArthur, James Randi es un devoto investigador de afirmaciones paranormales, ocultas y sobrenaturales. Aquí lee el libro que ayudó a exponer docenas de engaños escandalosos ampliamente promovidos por los medios. En su enfoque sin restricciones de la verdad, Randi critica la investigación descuidada, los errores por descuido y las tergiversaciones dondequiera que ocurran. ¡Aquellos que no pueden distinguir la ciencia real de las tonterías de la pseudociencia tendrán mucho que reflexionar después de escuchar FlimFlam!… (més)
 
Marcat
Natt90 | Hi ha 8 ressenyes més | Nov 16, 2022 |
The faith healers described in this book deserve the Randi treatment -- it's clear that the contempt he holds for all of them was well-earned. Does tend to get a little redundant after a few hundred pages, but the sections on investigation are fascinating.
 
Marcat
picklefactory | Hi ha 1 ressenya més | Jan 16, 2018 |
If Martin Gardner is the Godfather of skepticism, James Randi is the crude, but effective enforcer. He prefers to debunk by empirical means (as opposed to Gardner's thorough intellectual dismantling) and Randi hides no disdain, calling the "psychics" and other frauds charlatans and more while explaining how he handled the would be para-whatevers. And, he has yet to be proven wrong. Who best to out a trickster than a professional magician?
 
Marcat
Razinha | Hi ha 8 ressenyes més | May 23, 2017 |
Magician and skeptic extraordinaire James "the Amazing" Randi examines and debunks all kinds of way-out-there stuff, from people who claim they can levitate by means of meditation, to "psychic surgery," to the Bermuda Triangle. He also details a number of experiments he conducted to test whether people with claimed paranormal powers could demonstrate them under controlled conditions. (Spoiler alert: They couldn't.)

Parts of this book, mostly chapters that focus closely on one particular topic, are in-depth, fascinating, and entertaining to read. (Although I suspect that whether one finds the tone of humor-laced curmudgeonliness Randi takes throughout charming or irritating is likely to depend upon one's predisposition.) Other parts are rather disjointed, choose odd details to focus on, and display, perhaps, more passion than polish in the writing. It's also kind of dated, as it was first published in the 80s and features a number of subjects that were big topics then, but have been replaced with new pseudoscientific fads since. (When was the last time you heard anybody talking about biorhythms?)

Still, uneven or not, I deeply appreciate the fact that this book, and other books like it, exist, and that Randi is and has been out there doing the things he does. His book about Uri Geller, in which he devastatingly exposed all the famous spoonbender's tricks, was a real eye-opener for me as a youngster. I started reading it as someone who'd always simply accepted psychic claims (as well as any number of other dubious phenomena) at face value, and finished it as a more mature and significantly less gullible thinker. I say we need more books that can do that sort of thing. Many, many more.
… (més)
2 vota
Marcat
bragan | Hi ha 8 ressenyes més | Jul 16, 2014 |

Llistes

Premis

Potser també t'agrada

Autors associats

Arthur C. Clarke Introduction
Carl Sagan Foreword
Uri GELLER Associated Name
Isaac Asimov Introduction
Travis Dick Cover designer
Leon JAROFF Foreword

Estadístiques

Obres
16
També de
3
Membres
1,844
Popularitat
#13,957
Valoració
3.9
Ressenyes
22
ISBN
37
Llengües
6
Preferit
5
Pedres de toc
11

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