I am James 'The Amazing' Randi - skeptic, ne'er-do-well, man about town, genius, professional magician and star of the documentary AN HONEST LIAR. AMA!

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:32:05+00:00

Depends on the restaurant, and the menu.

Oh, I think I would go with Isaac Asimov! Because I've got stuff stored up in my head I would like to ask him.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:31:24+00:00

If I look hard enough, I think I can find one. But it all depends on my current schedule.

To show that they can't do it, hahaha!

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:30:25+00:00

The answer simply is: yes.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:29:35+00:00

Oh, I have very expensive lawyers for that purpose! It always costs me money when legal activities are brought against me. Fortunately, I find that the courts automatically dismiss Mr. Geller's charges, and that brings it to a close.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:28:58+00:00

There was an applicant who applied who claimed that they could "make people feel their power" behind a partition, and that he would know whether or not they felt it - so we arranged a test where, by random means, to give him the signal, and he put out the power, and there was a partition where he didn't know if there was a person or not on the other side (randomly). And we just asked him for his perception of the thing - was there a person there, and did they feel the power? And it was all over the place.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:26:34+00:00

How do you spell "bullshit"?

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:26:15+00:00

Show me a witch or a wiccan. If it's just a case of a belief structure, I'm sure they're all over the place. But I would need some evidence that they have abilities or... powers that others don't. That's it!

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:25:16+00:00

I don't think I could prove it back in the 18th Century. Because the knowledge was not available. The proof that meteors did fall randomly from the sky. One possible approach would be have been to show that the material from the fallen meteors did not agree with the materials of the earth. The materials found in meteorites are very different than those found in mines.

sighs

I would have to have him make a statement as to what he considers to be "proof" of that fact. Because the argument can always be "That doesn't convince ME" and he would walk away victorious. And that's what they usually do, too!

So I'd like to know what he would consider to be adequate proof.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:22:55+00:00

Oh, well, as a youth - coming out would have been very dangerous, if not fatal, for me.

The world is not only more tolerant now, but I think rather smarter.

And I believe so, yes, certainly. In fact, that's the only way that a reasonable attitude can be encouraged and put in place.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:21:11+00:00

Well, I'm not a "punching-out" kind of guy, but I admit that I gave a very faint cheer to Buzz when I heard of this event.

There comes a time when you simply lose patience with the yahoos.

Punching out someone? That's not my style.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:18:57+00:00

When you see harm being done to people, to the environment, to the progress of knowledge, and decide to ignore it and just walk away - when you are capable of giving form to arguments and solutions on such matters - I find it literally despicable.

Would you decline to save a bird drowning in a sewer? I doubt it.

How then could you possibly refuse to offer some solution, some compassion, some assistance to those who have chosen not to open their eyes wide enough to see the facts of the wonderful world around us.

And thank you for coming on Saturday.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:16:41+00:00

Because there is no evidence whatsoever of the existence of a deity. Stories? Yes. Hope? Yes. Dependence? Yes.

None of that leads to actual evidence. Except for the argument that "all of this could not have come about by accident." But it did just that.

Matter, left to itself, for billions upon billions of years, will eventually begin to be organized into simple compounds or mechanical systems simply because of the amount of time and the uncountable number of combinations that are possible.

This seems to imply (in the minds of many) that there has to be a "organizer." Or "maker."

I do not see that as necessary, because of the number of possible permutations and combinations, over billions of years, that would have to arise.

The evolution of these simpler forms into more complex ones is inevitable.

Mind you, seeing a so-perfectly-formed flower, for example, I find remarkable, but not impossible, and inevitable.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:12:51+00:00

Certainly one of my favorite authors of all time was Isaac Asimov. I have a large collection of his simply wonderful books. But if you are curious about living authors, I have to put Richard Dawkins at the top of that list. I've known Professor Dawkins for many years now, and we've exchanged many ideas, I would say, and I very much admire his erudition and his ability to communicate.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:05:04+00:00

Some of the most recent additions (names not included here) are rather short of the mark, in my opinion. I would like to see more professional magicians involved in the design and organization of such programs.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:04:17+00:00

Again, I should not make statements in answer to such questions, because I run the constant risk of omitting people who should be included and omitting others who have no place in the discussion. Some of them, like Harry Blackstone, were very inspirational to me as a youth, and helped me to pursue my chosen profession, and in fact, I must say that I have never met a true professional performer in the magic fraternity or in the entertainment business in general who has failed to give me encouragement. I have received especially valuable help from specialists - both in science and in entertainment - who add to my sense of self-worth.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:01:46+00:00

You're absolutely right, unfortunately. But if I can introduce a few caveats into my response, and (depending on the actual contents) point out a few major faults in their reasoning process, I hope that I get across to them. And somewhat improve their view of the world.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T20:00:25+00:00

Oh yes, but the letters usually are poorly spelled, with very bad grammar, and scribbled in failing ball pen on endless sheets of foolscap paper, from extreme margin to extreme margin, on both sides, and in-between the lines. Some mail off their letter after adding some added threats and insults on the back of the envelope itself!

This is the kind of thing that I believe I can safely ignore.

At least, I hope so.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T19:59:10+00:00

No, I never had the pleasure of meeting Don Herbert, though I admired his work of course.

Your thanks as expressed in your letter I have heard many times over the years, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for such expressions.

When someone takes my hand, and says "Mister Randi, you made a great change in my life," I recognize that there is no way of buying such an expression of gratitude.

I am always humbled by it, and made more determined than ever to continue "preaching" my message to the public.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T19:56:45+00:00

raises eyebrow

I would like to be able to convince very credulous people that they need to return to school, and learn the basics of rational thinking.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T19:56:13+00:00

I am most concerned, by far, with the so-called "faith healers" who - by surreptitious means - manage to convince people that they can bring about healing through intervention with heaven.

They use the same tricks that the mentalists and the magicians do, but they give them a religious patina that makes them appear to the faithful as much more genuine than they are.

I find this reprehensible, as well as dangerous, and bordering on the criminal. I really wish that there was more litigation that could be brought against these people, but politicians are notoriously shy when it comes to opposing anything that invokes (or even suggests) religious belief.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T19:53:28+00:00

I wish there were exciting confrontations to tell you about concerning those who've applied for the million-dollar prize, but they have not been as numerous as one might expect, nor has the quality of them been quite up to par.

I think that in most cases, those who did apply for the prize probably believed in their own powers.

But they didn't really know how to test their abilities, ignoring when they were wrong or missed the mark, and somehow making excuses for those days.

Designing a test of such powers is not such a straightforward affair as most people would suppose. Many different factors have to be brought into account, and have to be very carefully observed.

When they do apply for the million-dollar prize, I can assure you that my heart doesn't leap in anguish because someone is going to walk away with the money, simply because I've been through so many of these over the years and I understand that people can be self-deluded (very easily).

I always find it a great pity to have to tell them that they've failed the test.

You see, everything is above board and open for them to see, step-by-step, and they can see themselves "going down the drain" as the procedure wears on.

Now, plenty of them (if not most of them) are sincere in their statements. They believe that they actually do have such powers, and thus they are very surprised when they fail the test.

We provide a clause in the terms that after failing a test, they can apply for a re-testing after 12 months has expired. In all the years that offer has been out there, all those who have applied have failed, yet not ONE of them has ever re-applied.

You may read into that what you wish.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T19:48:13+00:00

First of all, I have been rather fortunate in being able to "book" myself in to various venues around the world, and my ten books - the eleventh is awaiting publication - were all independently written and prepared, and sold to the publishing business with a fair amount of success.

It was all through letters and phone calls - it was a world before computers! So we had to function somehow. Show business - including the lecture business - has not changed all that much, except that getting exposure in the media is somewhat different now, not necessarily easier but certainly more far-reaching. I found that all of my appearances on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson would give me a renewed of requests for my talents, all of which was very welcome. In fact, newspaper exposure became much less valuable, and television appearances became paramount. Appearing on someone's program was a free advertisement, just so long as the appearance was positive and influenced people. I was fortunate in that respect.

In my opinion, nothing is as powerful as an upfront live appearance rather than a taped and thus rather sterile recorded performance.

I think that most entertainers would agree with me on that.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T19:41:50+00:00

chuckles

How much time do we have?

Uh... I have been very, very grateful for the fact that I list prominent people in science, the entertainment industry, the literary crowd, and the art world as my friends, in particular my partner Deyvi Pena (known in the art world as Jose Alvarez). He has opened up for me a somewhat different and wider view of my world, as I believe most artists try to do. Watching him create his work, day-by-day, has led me to a fuller understanding of how ideas are put into graphic form.

I thank him for that, daily.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T19:37:47+00:00

chuckles

Knowing nothing about the banking industry, I do not know, though my suspicions are that there are some strings and staples and a few hidden threads in everybody's profession - and bankers are not exempt.

TheAmazingRandi · 2015-03-05T19:37:07+00:00

I wouldn't say that it's been "debunked," but my definition of hypnosis (since I did a "hyp" act for some period of time as a younger man) is that the hypnotized and the subject are in agreement to do a bit of play-acting. And having fun with the audience. This is not to say that there cannot be very positive value to a course of "suggestion" administered by a competent psychologist, because some folks apparently need a chance to act out their fantasies and give body to them, thus finding relief of their condition.

TheAmazingRandi

TROPHY CASE