- Paperback: 357 pages
- Publisher: Prometheus Books (31 Dec 1994)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0879751983
- ISBN-13: 978-0879751982
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 104,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions
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Product Description
Product Description
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 rationalisations 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.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
69 of 69 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Flim Flam, as the subtitle says, is about other delusions, and how James Randi investigates and exposes the tricks, frauds and fakery in the field of Psychic "Research". This field is really the wrestling arena for the con-artists who live by hype - either by fooling scientists, or in collusion with the pseudoscientists who live by money conned from good Samaritans, us - the tax payers and consumers and scientists of the normal. The Bermuda Triangle, Biorhythm, photos of fairies, ghosts and kirlia, levitation, pyramid power, Mayan visitors from outer space, tele-what-nots, TM and Z-rays are some of the "other delusions" exposed in this book. We know that these are bunk. But how do we convince our friends that they are? Give them this book. Show them how any of those so called psychic phenomena cannot stand the test of any skeptic with scientific approach which does not preclude the possibility of fraud or delusion or both. James Randi is the hit man of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) and in this book you get an idea of how hard it is pull those punches.
Besides hundreds of names of people, places and institutions associated with these frauds, details from correspondence, this book has photos and diagrams of the hoax-rooms where the paranormal fakers did hoodwink and unnerve the rationality of the respectable scientists. The charts that were designed to fool the custodians of money - to be wasted through the propagation of pseudoscience of para-psychology and pollute the minds of the future generations of Americans with pure non-sense, the money that has been lost by genuine scientific and medical research - such charts have also been included in this book.
Issac Asimov in his introduction to this book rightly says, "Folly and Fakery has never before been dangerous as it is now" and that we therefore more than ever be grateful to Randi who deserves our admiration for his courage, diligence, perseverance, and the k! een senses needed for exposing these "rascals and knaves".
Dr. Russell Targ and Dr. Harold Puthoff are the Laurel and Hardy of Psi as a chapter title appropriately describes them. Reading this chapter it becomes at once obvious that if two scientists decide to cheat other men of science, tons and tons of our money can go down the drain. The directors of monies have to come up with an explanation for the misdirected research when the skeptics expose them. Because an apology would mean personal disaster, half-truths, rationalization, lies, damned lies, and, to back them up, statistical charts, and so on and on, until the consumer and tax-payer believes that there must be some truth somewhere beyond his common-sense beliefs. The fact that the Stanford Research Institute has been humiliated by these clowns, is only the tip of the iceberg of harm done by hype.
The flood of betting, lotto, and related software in the market is but the natural outcome of the pseudo-science of psi sanctified by misguided scientists who cannot tell the "law" of chances of mathematics from the laws of the physical world and believe that it can somehow determine the outcome of the roll of the dice, and their shortcut to fortune. If one just remembers that the people who sell such wares did not make money by the techniques they sell, but only by perpetuating wishful thought of the gullible, one would not be in that category any longer. Since the year 1964, Randi's Challenge to offer to pay $10,000 to any person who can demonstrate that she has any kind of paranormal power under fraud proof conditions still remains open. In chapter 13 Randi gives the details of this challenge and the conditions. The conditions can be obtained from him by sending a self addressed stamped envelope. To quote Randi "In response to that challenge, over 650 persons have applied as claimant. Only 54 (as of this writing) ever made it past the preliminaries, and none of them ever got a nickel.
32 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a first class book, if you have an interest in the truth behind paranormal claims.
James Randi has been a professional magician of the highest caliber for many years and he uses his expertise to dissect claims by Uri Geller and the like. He is not a scientist and does not pretend to be. His skill is in deceit, which he freely admits. He sees through chicanery and explains how these things are done.
Clever? Yes.
Confrontational? Most certainly.
Entertaining? Absolutely!
Highly recommended for those who prefer to use their minds rather than accepting things a face value.
Warning - if you believe in the paranormal and have a closed mind, you will not like this book!
Go to Randi's website - www.randi.org - to prepare yourself!
James Randi has been a professional magician of the highest caliber for many years and he uses his expertise to dissect claims by Uri Geller and the like. He is not a scientist and does not pretend to be. His skill is in deceit, which he freely admits. He sees through chicanery and explains how these things are done.
Clever? Yes.
Confrontational? Most certainly.
Entertaining? Absolutely!
Highly recommended for those who prefer to use their minds rather than accepting things a face value.
Warning - if you believe in the paranormal and have a closed mind, you will not like this book!
Go to Randi's website - www.randi.org - to prepare yourself!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The situations in this book are jaw-dropping. The fact that some of these people could get away with their scams for so long, along with the exposition of their ingenious (if rotten) methods is amazing.
These are great lessons on why we must to question magical, too-good-to-be-true claims. Teens will be especially engaged by Randi's entertaining writing style. I call this a must-read for critical thinkers.
These are great lessons on why we must to question magical, too-good-to-be-true claims. Teens will be especially engaged by Randi's entertaining writing style. I call this a must-read for critical thinkers.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Bad Ebook Conversion
I would love to be able to give this five stars because despite its age it is an excellent read: intelligent, engaging and entertaining. However the conversion is dreadful. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Fairfax
Randi should know.
A rather old book now,but the cases illustrated clearly show that non of the fantastic rubbish claimed as supernatural etc stands up at all when exposed to solid scientifically... Read more
Published 4 months ago by G. Hodgson
Good despite the writing style
I liked the content of the book but did not like the style in which it was written.
Can't really explain why but the layout of the book and the general tone did not appeal to... Read more
Can't really explain why but the layout of the book and the general tone did not appeal to... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. P. G. Sutton
Heartfelt but not great
The most obvious criticism of this book is that it's thirty years old. Inevitably, this means Randi's targets are less high-profile (and hence less relevant) than they were on... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mark Hurst
Excellent content, but a little long-winded in places
James Randi is well-known as a magician and outspoken sceptic of all things paranormal. His mission to expose paranormal and pseudoscientific frauds and promote critical thinking... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jammy Caketin
Great book, poor electronic conversion
I've been wanting to read this for a while, so thanks to the folk at the JREF for porting it to the Kindle. And, as is the consensus here, it's a very interesting read. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Paul B
A little dated.
This was an excellent account of the scams that were present in the 70's and 80's. For the present day it may be a little dated but nonetheless it is well worth scanning through... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Robbie.
Great book for anyone ever taken in by parapsychology
when I was young I read lots about ghosts and psychics, thought there might be a point to Uri Geller and such naive stuff. Then I read this book. Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2009 by S. Jones
Well, it was hard to believe
I am trying to forget an event that happened to me: I predicted my mother breaking her arm. I read it all through, thinkin I'd find something else to prove myself wrong, but with... Read more
Published on 18 April 1998
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