A few things:
In 1972, two scientists from the Stanford Research Institute validated Uri Geller's claims of paranormal powers. As a result, Geller quickly became an international celebrity, using his "psychic abilities" to bend spoons and move objects. In a effort to expose the truth about Geller, Randi went to Johnny Carson. (Carson and Randi knew each other because Randi had been doing magic professionally for many years, and had been on Carson many times). The next time Geller was on, he squirmed and fumbled through a disastrous 22-minute appearance. Try as he might, he was unable to perform a single feat.
Unbeknownst to him, Carson's producers, consulting with Randi, had set up safeguards against cheating!
(Randi also presents information about magician's techniques (such as misdirection) that make it more obvious what Geller was tying to do.)
Make no mistake: Geller is a fake.
Lionheart -- What "false information" does Randi provide? That's a rather strong accusation; I'd like some details to back it up. And your use of the term "disprove" indicates that you don't really understand the scientific method. Geller made claims. The evidence didn't back him up. When Geller was not given the opportunity to pre-bend spoons with his hands (or by pushing them up against a stable surface), his powers magically failed him! Amazing!
What Randi does, for the most part, is expose techniques that make fraud in the paranormal fields possible. He also provides information on such areas as statistics and chemistry that make seemingly miraculous feats less impressive. And he has a $1,000,000 prize available to those willing to take a scientifically-constructed test to demonstrate their claimed abilities or powers.
One of the most important aspects of the test is that the subject and the testers (Randi, BTW, is never directly involved in any way with the test, lest his "negative vibes" affect the results) agree BEFOREHAND on the criteria for success, whether it's a matter of proximity, numbers, what-have-you. Everyone who has ever actually been tested has inevitably failed, and then, after failing, only then do they come up with one or more of the standard baloney excuses why they didn't perform up to the standards that they supposedly *always* hit: the aforementioned negative vibes, they were seeing the future instead of the present, there's some molecules in the testing room that interfered, blah blah blah.
Many of the shamans, mystics and magic men doing their tricks and fooling countless dupes are using old magician's tricks -- they simply aren't admitting that they're tricks. Randi has never claimed that psychic powers don't exist. No scientist can make such a blanket statement. He simply isn't willing to accept such ridiculous and counterfeit "evidence" as sufficient for supporting outrageous claims of paranormal ability.
People who believe they have powers act differently, upon being exposed to informed skepticism (as opposed to "blind skepticism"), than do people who know they are scamming. For example, such "cold readers" as Sylvia Browne and John Edward will never subject themselves to scientific testing... not because the vibes will prevent their powers from working, but because THEY KNOW THEY DON'T HAVE ANY POWERS!
Randi is not a "blind skeptic". He does his research and presents more likely alternatives. Most of the people he ends up investigating are not self-deluded, nor are they legitimately gifted. THEY ARE CON ARTISTS.
A company that makes "human dowsing rods" (gun-like devices that they claim can detect human heartbeats from a great distance and through solid material) (This website has more information on the whole saga: http://www.pitt.edu/~kconover/dkl.htm ) actually got them used (for a little while) at the site of the WTC disaster. These devices have been tested and proven to be not only non-functional, but literally glued together in such a way that the circuitry isn't connected up. The company intentionally defrauds private companies and governments. Lives, in all reality, might have been lost due to the delay caused by the use of these useless gadgets. So Randi is being "blindly skeptic" by pointing this out?
Go to his site -- http://www.randi.org -- and search the archive of his weekly commentary. You will find that his primary targets are such con artists as these; people and companies selling special "de-clustered water", magnetic therapy insoles, homeopathic cures, and other such hoaxes, scams and snake oils.
John Edward, a man who claims to "speak with the dead", is a fraud and a phony -- and worse, he is a ghoul who preys on people's grief, and gives them false hope. Randi is like an anti-Edward; you may not want to hear what he has to say, but he's being honest and helping people to accept reality.
Clavis
P.S. I will end this long tirade with a quote from Randi's website:
'Our universe and our lives are filled with mysterious and magical things yet to be discovered. Randi does not object to faith in these wonders as long as that faith does not insist on being taken as proven. But when blind belief refuses scientific inquiry, he bristles, "We have fought long and hard to escape from medieval superstition. I, for one, do not wish to go back."'
[ 05-10-2001: Message edited by: Clavis ] |
