James Randi

James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge, August 7,1928 in Toronto, Canada), more often known as The Amazing Randi, is a stage magician, a skeptic, and an opponent of pseudoscience (including homeopathy). He is perhaps most known for the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, in which his James Randi Educational Foundation will award a prize of one million USD 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. He is also a regular on a television program called Bullshit!, which is hosted by noted skeptics Penn & Teller.

Professional career

Randi has worked as a professional stage magician and escapologist since 1946 (he appeared as "The Amazing Randi" on a TV show entitled Wonderama from 1967 to 1972). In the February 2, 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 1972 when he challenged the public claims of Uri Geller. Randi accused Geller of being nothing more than a charlatan using standard "magic" tricks to accomplish his allegedly paranormal feats, and he backed up his claims in the book The Magic of Uri Geller. The original edition book contained a number of factual errors, including the claim that Geller had been convicted of fraud in a criminal trial. Several publications that reprinted Randi's allegations were succesfully sued by Geller, or made settlements with him http://www.uri-geller.com/prom1.htm. Randi has since produced a new edition of the book with extensive corrections and revisions.

Related Topics:
Magician - Escapologist - 1946 - TV - Wonderama - 1967 - 1972 - February 2 - 1974 - Magazine - Uri Geller - Charlatan - Paranormal - The Magic of Uri Geller

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During Alice Cooper's 1974 tour, Randi performed as the dentist and executioner on stage. Also, Randi had built and designed several of the stage props, including the guillotine. An incident where the Royal Canadian Mounted Police searched the band's lockers during a performance has been cited by Randi as leading him to get American citizenship.

Related Topics:
Alice Cooper - 1974 - Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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Randi was a founding fellow and prominent member of CSICOP, the Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. Randi later resigned from CSICOP during the period when Uri Geller was filing numerous civil suits against him. CSICOP's leadership, wanting to avoid becoming a target of Geller's lawsuits, had requested that Randi refrain from commenting on Geller. Randi refused and resigned. He still maintains a respectful relationship with the group and frequently writes articles for its magazine.

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Randi has gone on to write several books criticizing beliefs and claims regarding the paranormal. He has also been instrumental in exposing frauds and charlatans who exploit this field for personal gain. In one example, his Project Alpha hoax, Randi revealed that he had been able to orchestrate a years-long and complete compromise of a privately-funded psychic research experiment. The hoax became a scandal and demonstrated the shortcomings of many paranormal research projects at the university level. Some said that the hoax was unethical, while others claimed his actions were a legitimate exercise in debunking poor research techniques.

Related Topics:
Fraud - Project Alpha

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Randi's comprehensive exposé of faith healer Peter Popoff resulted in a sharp decline in Popoff's influence and popularity.

Related Topics:
Faith healer - Peter Popoff

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In 1987, Randi became a naturalized citizen of the United States. In 1996, Randi established the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). This supports research into paranormal claims and attempts to test them in controlled experimental conditions, offering a prize of one million U.S. dollars 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.

Related Topics:
1987 - Naturalized citizen - United States - 1996 - James Randi Educational Foundation - Scientific

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Randi contributes a regular column, titled "'Twas Brillig", to The Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine. Asteroid 3163 Randi was named after him.

Related Topics:
The Skeptics Society - 3163 Randi

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