Courtesy of The James Randi Educational Foundation
James Randi—a magician turned skeptic—has quite a history here. He orchestrated the “Project Alpha” hoax in 1983, sneaking two magicians into a parapsychology center, where they tried to fool researchers with their “powers.” The research‘s funder? James S. McDonnell, namesake of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium, now part of the Saint Louis Science Center. On April 28, 82-year-old Randi will lecture there (slsc.org).
Your speech is titled “The Sleep of Reason.” Please explain.
This refers to the fact that the media, generally speaking, has led us to believe in ridiculous things from fairies to psychics over the past few decades—what I call “woo-woo beliefs”—and they are largely responsible for the younger generation believing in everything from ESP to homeopathy.
What do you want to tell audiences?
Start to think about these things. Don’t believe what I say; I’m just another person standing onstage with a microphone. Do research and find out if it’s really true. Think for yourself, and question.
Is there a sucker born every minute?
Oh no. At least three every minute.
