James Randi (1928–2020)
Autor/a de Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns and other Delusions
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
Crèdit de la imatge: Credit: Steve Jurvetson, 2007
Obres de James Randi
Obres associades
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
Fraudes paranormales de James Randi
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)
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.
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?
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)
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)
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bragan | Hi ha 8 ressenyes més | Jul 16, 2014 |
bragan | Hi ha 8 ressenyes més | Jul 16, 2014 | Llistes
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