- Flim-Flam!
Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions
- Paperback - 342 pages (October
1988) by James Randi, Isaac Asimov (Designer)
- Book Reviews:
Lunatics, Frauds, and Suckers, December 31, 1996
Reviewer: A reader
I saw a TV show about James Randi recently. In one scene, he
visited a college classroom, posing as an expert astrologer.
He had prepared, he told the class, detailed individual horoscopes
based on each student's birthdate and birthplace. The students
read these horoscopes, then rated their accuracy on a scale of
1-5. One student gave his horoscope a 4. Every other horoscope
got a 5. The students were amazed: astrology worked! Randi then
had them look at each other's horoscopes. Cries of outrage filled
the room. All of the horoscopes were exactly the same. They had
nothing whatsoever to do with birthdates, or birthplaces, or
any particular student.
-
- This book is full of such examples. Randi uses them, and
scientific data, and consistently careful analysis of facts,
to show that such ideas as astrology, biorhythms, transcendental
meditation, UFOs, the Bermuda Triangle, ESP, and psychic surgery
are, quite simply, nonsense. In 1964, he offered $10,000 to anyone
who could demonstrate a paranormal power under satisfactory observational
conditions. As of the 1982 publication date, over 650 people
had tried for the reward, none successfully. Some of the attempts
are described in this book. Funny how psychics who have "demonstrated"
the ability to bend metal rods by will power can't do it anymore
when they are no longer allowed to wander out of the room with
the rods during the experiment! A theme throughout the book is
that people who want to believe something will accept the most
absurd rationalizations in order to continue to believe it, in
spite of overwhelming contradictory evidence.
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- At the beginning of his chapter on psychic surgery, Randi
quotes William Cowper: "To follow foolish precedents, and
wink / With both our eyes, is easier than to think." A similar
theme arises in Langdon Gilkey's "Shantung Compound",
about Gilkey's experiences as a prisoner of war (see my review).
Observing "moral" internees rationalize stealing food
from each other, Gilkey concluded that the greatest power of
the human brain is not to reason, but to rationalize doing whatever
the brain's owner wants to do. For other examples of this phenomenon,
read anything by a "Creation Scientist". Unfortunately,
Randi is a professional magician, not a professional writer.
His sentences are not always clear, and he does not always cite
references where they would be appropriate. But his observations
are insightful, and his writing is entertaining. James Randi
is a compassionate man, fighting a good fight.
Cruel To Be Kind, April 23, 2001
Reviewer: goozleberry (see more about me) from Houston, TX United
States
There are two kinds of flim-flam artists, as James Randi points
out to us. Those who actually believe they have powers and those
who are trying to separate us from our money. To the former group,
Randi is unfailingly gentle and instructive. He tries to point
out how their mistaken observations might have occurred. He is
even forgiving to those frauds who later repent and regret their
deeds. To the second group, though he is merciless. It is a pleasure
to imagine these charlatans squirming as they are exposed. If
you are one of those who has believed in UFOs or ESP or faith
healing, this book may be uncomfortable to read, but you really
must do it. It could save you from a lifetime of being a chump.
Teaches the Reader How to Think Scientifically, April 9, 2001
Reviewer: Jan Peczkis (see more about me) from Chicago, IL USA
Randi's book is much more valuable than simply exposing the claims
of so-called psychics as magic tricks. He shows how a properly-controlled
demonstration of paranormal powers would have to be done, and
how none have successfully been done to date. He also warns that
scientists are the easiest people to fool with magic tricks.
Thought-provoking reading!
Won't Get Fooled Again..., October 24, 2000
Reviewer: Patrick Burnett (see more about me) from Atlanta, GA
Come closer, dear reader. I, the amazing psychic Patriki, will
tell you all about yourself. You are a skeptic. You do not believe
in the claims of phony psychics (those unlike the great Patriki),
spoonbenders or UFO researchers. You do not believe in the powers
of the Bermuda Triangle. You are a rational person.
Good for you. James Randi's "Flim Flam!" is a fairly
well-written and well-researched expose of some of this century's
greatest con artists and their self-deceived cousins. Each chapter
focuses on a different case, describing in detail the flim-flammer's
case, then picking it apart claim by claim. And herein lies the
problem. Randi is a methodical, detailed man, well versed in
scientific method. He also seems to like the sound of his own
typewriter, never using a single paragraph when five will do.
I underwent the same phenomenon during each chapter I read. At
first, I was deeply interested. As I continued reading, I kept
flipping to the end of the chapter to see how much more of Randi's
grandstanding I had to put up with. "And then I did this!"
"And then I did that!" Couple this with his penchant
for melodrama and his tendency to address the subjects of his
exposes by name ("Yes, Mr. Geller, it means exactly that!")and
you have a pretty odd book. I understand his desire to be complete,
but if you call your book "Flim Flam!" (with the exclamation
point), one assumes you are writing a book to entertain first
and inform second. Otherwise, you would call your book "An
Investigation into the Validity of Paranormal Claims", so
people would expect a book full of dry scientific lab notes.
In the end, of course, I cannot fault Randi for being thorough,
as it is this quality that allows him to prove his point. And
most of the book is extremely entertaining. It saddens me that
the only people who will read it and get anything from it are
people like you and I, who are already convinced.
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