Flim-Flam!: Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions

by James Randi Founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation, Kendrick Frazier Skeptical Inquirer: The Magazine for Science and Reason (Foreword by)

Overview

James Randi leaves a towering legacy as an internationally known magician, escape artist, and devoted investigator of the paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims that have captured the thinking of the public for generations. From ESP and psychokinesis, psychic detectives, levitation, psychic surgery, and even UF's and astrology, Randi dedicated his life to exposing frauds and swindlers. Forty years after the original publication of his landmark book, Flim-Flam! remains a classic, with insights that are still relevant today – and perhaps even more so.

In this timeless and timely book, Randi famously explores and exposes outrageous deceptions that plague our minds and 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. Mr. Randi provides readers with a compelling and convincing document that will startle and enlighten all who continue to seek out the truth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633888586
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/15/2022
Pages:	362
Sales rank:	571,683
Product dimensions:	6.09(w) x 9.04(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

James Randi was a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). He began his career as a magician, as “The Amazing Randi,” but after retiring at age 60, he began investigating paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims. Although often referred to as a "debunker," Randi rejects that title owing to its perceived bias, instead describing himself as an "investigator." He has written about the paranormal, skepticism, and the history of magic, and has published many books. He was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and was occasionally featured on the television program Penn & Teller: Bullshit!.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

Foreword for new edition of Flim-Flam! (2022) xiii

Introduction: The Deadly Misinformation Isaac Asimov xvii

1 Flim-Flam! 1

2 Fairies at the Foot of the Garden 12

3 All at Sea… 42

4 Into the Air, funior Birdmen! 55

5 The Giggling Guru: A Matter of Levity 93

6 The Paper Chariots in Flames 109

7 The Laurel and Hardy of Psi 131

8 The Great Fliess Fleece 161

9 The Medicaal Humbugs 173

10 The Will to Believe 196

11 OH the Deep End 210

12 Gods with Feats of Clay 239

13 Put Up or Shut Up 252

Epilogue 326

Appendix 327

Selected Bibliography 331

Index 335

Editorial Reviews

...a healthy and often hilarious book.

New York Times Book Review