Read: 20 October, 2011I don't consider myself to be a Skeptic. I run with a lot of people in the skeptic community, and I do think of myself and generally skeptical, but I'm not a big-S Skeptic. I knew of James Randi, of course, but I was never terribly familiar with him or his work. So when the Centre for Inquiry managed to book him for a pan-Canada tour, I figured that I ought to read up on him a little bit before he hit Ottawa.
Because I was reading Flim-Flam around the same time that I saw Randi speak live, the parallels between the two were made quite evident. In both cases, there's an ostensible thesis, although the experience is much more of a series of vignettes from Randi's professional life.
The tone throughout the book is light and conversational, like Randi's telling an acquaintance about the work he does. He covers a number of psychics and supernatural phenomena, explaining the tricks. He personally exposed most of them, although some, such as the Cottingley fairies, are merely explained.
I found Flim-Flam to be an interesting read - enough so to inspire me to want to learn more about conjuring and mentalism. And while it was written in the early '80s, it really isn't at all dated. Recommended for anyone with an interest in the paranormal, or with skepticism in general.
[caption id="attachment_1215" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Your humble narrator meets the aptly-named Amazing Randi."]
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It's telling that an 80's book about woo is still relevant
ReplyDeleteno matter how much science advances
there will always be people who cling to magical thinking and never critically consider the value of what they are paying for.
homeopathy, talking to the dead, all flim flam woo
I agree completely. Not only that it's still relevant in the general principles discussed, but that the actual, specific examples are still believed by many when the matter ought to have been considered settled a generation ago.
ReplyDelete[...] Shermer book exists? I think it’s a lot of fun. In researching this review I found another review on the thing which states, in part, that this stuff is surprisingly undated. I, um, can’t [...]
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