James Randi
James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge, August 7,1928), more often known as The Amazing Randi is a stage magician, skeptic, and opponent of pseudoscience (including homeopathy). He is perhaps most famous for the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, in which the James Randi Educational Foundation will award a prize of one million US dollars to anyone who is able to show evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event under test conditions agreed to by both parties.
His interest in debunking the paranormal started when he was in his early teens. He was present at the show of a magician who asked for someone in the audience to help him with his performance. Randi of course wanted to do that, having started with magic tricks himself. When the young Randi raised his hand, the magician said 'Ah, young man, you're a magician yourself aren't you?', much to Randi's amazement. After the show, Randi approached the man and asked how he knew this. The man told Randi he didn't. It was simply part of his routine and whenever he turned out to be right, he'd credit his 'magical powers' and whenever he was wrong, he'd turn it into a standard quip he had.
Professional career
Randi has worked as a professional stage magician and escapologist since the 1950s (he appeared as "The Amazing Randi" on a TV show entitled Wonderama in 1955). In the 2 February 1974 issue of "Abracadabra" (a British conjuring magazine) Randi defined the magic community saying, "I know of no calling which depends so much upon mutual trust and faith as does ours." Randi entered the international spotlight in the 1970s as he challenged the public claims of Uri Geller. Randi accused Geller of being nothing more than a charlatan who uses standard "magic" tricks to accomplish his paranormal feats, and he attempted to back up his claims in the book CSICOP, the Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. The senior fellows of CSICOP, fearing possible legal and financial repurcussions for Randi's statements, instructed Randi to refrain from publishing remarks on Geller. Randi was unwilling to so restrain himself and resigned from CSICOP.
Randi has gone on to write several books attacking popular beliefs and claims regarding the paranormal. He has also been instrumental in exposing frauds and charlatans who exploit this field for their own personal gain. His Project Alpha demonstrated the shortcomings of many paranormal research projects at the university level. Randi's expose of faith healer Peter Popoff resulted in a sharp decline in Popoff's influence and popularity.
In 1996, Randi established the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). This organization supports research into paranormal claims and attempts to test them in controlled experimental conditions, offering the US$1 million prize to anyone who can demonstrate a supernatural ability under agreed-upon scientific testing criteria. No one has passed a preliminary test, which is set up and agreed upon between both Randi and the applicant. Randi updates the JREF's website with written commentary on Fridays.
Randi contributes a regular column, titled "'Twas Brillig", to The Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine. Asteroid 3163 Randi was named after him.
The $1 million challenge
In the conditions and rules governing his US$1 million challenge, Randi has plainly stated that both parties (himself and the party accepting the challenge) must agree in advance as to what conditions of the test constitute a "success" and what constitutes a "failure." This stipulation is seen by skeptics as the reason why many self-proclaimed practitioners of paranormal abilities refuse to take part in the Randi Challenge. Nevertheless, Randi's detractors claim that the offer is insincere, and that Randi will ensure he never has to pay out. He was quoted in the October 1981 issue of Fate magazine as allegedly saying "I always have an out;" however, this magazine article was written as a result of political infighting among the members of CSICOP. Observers of the ongoing debate between skeptics and their detractors believe this quote is being misapplied, and that it refers to the fact that Randi employs safeguards against cheating. The money is known to exist and is held in a Goldman, Sachs & Company account, and withholding payment would legally constitute fraud on Randi's behalf.
Parapsychologists generally try to downplay the Randi challenge because of these attacks on Randi's character, and also because of his harsh, uncompromising style of writing and presentation, which has won him enemies among those who claim to be paranormal experts. Randi's supporters note that there are other skeptical organizations that have their own similar standing offers to prove the existence of paranormal abilities, and anyone claiming to be an expert in their field of the paranormal can easily apply for any of these other prizes, avoiding Randi altogether.
See also
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