''Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions'' is a 1980 book by magician and skeptic
James Randi
James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; August 7, 1928 – October 20, 2020) was a Canadian-American stage magician, author, and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.#Rodrigues, Rodrig ...
about
paranormal
Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...
,
occult
The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...
, and
pseudoscience
Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable cl ...
claims. The foreword is by science fiction author
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov ( ; – April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...
. Randi explores topics which he says that scientists and the media are too willing to promote without
skepticism
Skepticism ( US) or scepticism ( UK) is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the p ...
and proper expertise.
Content
Timothy Ferris
Timothy Ferris (born August 29, 1944) is an American science writer and the best-selling author of twelve books, including ''The Science of Liberty'' (2010) and ''Coming of Age in the Milky Way'' (1988), for which he was awarded the American I ...
wrote that ''Flim Flam!'' "will enlighten any reader who does not clearly understand that not one shard of evidence exists to prove that the
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a loosely defined region in the North Atlantic Ocean, roughly bounded by Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Since the mid-20th century, it has been the focus of an urban legend sug ...
poses any special menace to ships and planes, that earth is being visited by alien spacecraft, that the unassisted
power of the mind can read closed books,
predict our future or induce
levitation
Levitation, Levitate, or Levitating may refer to:
Concepts
*Levitation (illusion), an illusion where a magician appears to levitate a person or object
*Levitation (paranormal), the claimed paranormal phenomenon of levitation, occurring without an ...
, or that the '
psychic surgeons' of the Philippines have relieved their patients of any burden more troublesome than their money."
Randi levels criticism at the
sloppy study designs and faulty controls of the investigations into
remote viewing
Remote viewing (RV) is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen subject, purportedly sensing with the mind. There is no scientific evidence that remote viewing exists, and the topic of remote viewing is generally regarde ...
by
Russell Targ
Russell Targ (born April 11, 1934) is an American physicist, parapsychologist, and author who is best known for his work on remote viewing.
Targ joined Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in 1972, where he and Harold E. Puthoff coined the term " ...
and
Harold Puthoff
Harold Edward Puthoff (born June 20, 1936), often known as Hal Puthoff, is an American electrical engineer and parapsychologist known for his work in laser physics, remote viewing research, and theories on zero-point energy.
Early life and c ...
.
George Kauffman wrote, "Randi explores and exposes the outrageous deceptions widely promoted in the sensation-seeking media."
The book calls on "researchers" to be accountable for their failures and
impostures.
Randi writes the public is badly served by scientists investigating the paranormal who
don't adhere to the standards of their profession and shows how sloppy research was followed with rationalization of their failures.
The book repeatedly explores the sloppy nature of research into the paranormal, pointing out how commonly carelessness and
selective interpretation that would not be tolerated in other fields of research is accepted in investigations of the
supernatural
Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
.
Randi documents how the
scientific method
The scientific method is an Empirical evidence, empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has been referred to while doing science since at least the 17th century. Historically, it was developed through the centuries from the ancient and ...
is often twisted and bent to accommodate the subject of investigation.
One anecdote in the book is Randi's experience as a newspaper
astrologer
Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
in Montreal under the name Zo-ran where he cut
horoscope
A horoscope (or other commonly used names for the horoscope in English include natal chart, astrological chart, astro-chart, celestial map, sky-map, star-chart, cosmogram, vitasphere, radical chart, radix, chart wheel or simply chart) is an ast ...
s from old
astrology
Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
magazines and randomly assigned them to the
twelve signs of the
zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...
, publishing the results. Randi also
debunks the book ''
Chariots of the Gods?'' noting, among other things, the author's
eurocentrism
Eurocentrism (also Eurocentricity or Western-centrism)
refers to viewing Western world, the West as the center of world events or superior to other cultures. The exact scope of Eurocentrism varies from the entire Western world to just the con ...
. The
Transcendental Meditation movement and
Edgar Cayce
Edgar Cayce (; March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945) was an American clairvoyant who claimed to diagnose diseases and recommend treatments for ailments while asleep. During thousands of transcribed sessions, Cayce would answer questions on ...
's
mystic medical practice are subjected to Randi's skeptical scrutiny. The author also
deconstructs the
Cottingley Fairies
The Cottingley Fairies are the subject of a hoax which purports to provide evidence of the existence of fairies. They appear in a series of five photographs taken by Elsie Wright (1901–1988) and Frances Griffiths (1907–1986), two young co ...
, particularly addressing how
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...
fell for the
hoax
A hoax (plural: hoaxes) is a widely publicised falsehood created to deceive its audience with false and often astonishing information, with the either malicious or humorous intent of causing shock and interest in as many people as possible.
S ...
. The complete absence of any physical evidence of
UFOs
An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
is also discussed.
Later sections of the book cover specific cases of paranormal feats where Randi was consulted as an expert or judge.
These include tests of
dowsing
Dowsing is a type of divination employed in attempts to locate ground water, buried metals or ores, gemstones, Petroleum, oil, claimed radiations (radiesthesia),As translated from one preface of the Kassel experiments, "roughly 10,000 active do ...
and
pyramid power. In these anecdotes the reader learns some of the methods used by charlatans including how to guess cards, tilt tables, read while blindfolded and produce photographs.
Randi announces an annual award for "the
psychic
A psychic is a person who claims to use powers rooted in parapsychology, such as extrasensory perception (ESP), to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance; or who performs acts that a ...
who fools the greatest number of people with the least effort" and the scientists, journalists and foundations they fool.
The "
Uri trophy" is a bent spoon on a "flimsy and quite transparent base". He writes that winners will be notified telepathically.
Reception
Timothy Ferris wrote in ''
The New York Times Book Review
''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...
'' it is "a healthy and often hilarious book."
He described the "Uri trophy" as typical of the "cheerful devices" of Randi's book.
Ferris cited Randi's "penchant for sarcasm and overemphasis" as a drawback and considered this "heavy-handedness" appropriate for
charlatan
A charlatan (also called a swindler or mountebank) is a person practicing quackery or a similar confidence trick in order to obtain money, power, fame, or other advantages through pretense or deception. One example of a charlatan appears in t ...
s who profit from fraud but less so for sincere if gullible
true-believers.
He noted Randi apologized for this, describing it as, "killing the gnat with a sledgehammer."
''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...
'' states ''Flim Flam!'' has a brisk pace and clear message.
They were also critical of Randi's "abrasive style" but state that after, "Randi has set forth the shameless frauds and money-making schemes, the outrageous misstatements and falsifications of data in respected scientific journals, the righteous harangue seems warranted."
The magazine describes the anecdotes about cases Randi was involved in as a judge or expert as absorbing and states they go far to make the point, "if you design the experiment adequately, no extraordinary powers are demonstrated." concluding, "By the end of the book, Randi's personal offer of $10,000 to be paid to anyone who successfully demonstrates paranormal abilities under proper test conditions seems safe beyond a doubt."
Dave Langford
David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science-fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'' and holds the all-time record for most Hug ...
reviewed ''Flim-Flam!'' for ''
White Dwarf
A white dwarf is a Compact star, stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very density, dense: in an Earth sized volume, it packs a mass that is comparable to the Sun. No nuclear fusion takes place i ...
'' #43, and stated that "Always he thrusts before your nose the parts of the story which believers' books omit: even if inclined towards the loony, I mean the uncritical viewpoint, you should consult these books for the devil's advocate arguments. They are important. In a world where an ounce of sensationalism sells better than a ton of rationality any day, they are very important."
Jack Kirwan writing in the ''
National Review
''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...
'' embraced the tone of the book describing the writing as "a juicy knock-'em-down style" and stating, "Randi takes on the heavies of the paranormal scene - von Däniken, UFOs, Uri Geller, TM - and feeds them into the meat grinder of critical investigation."
The ''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'' stated, "''Flim-Flam!'' is an excellent overview of paranormal claims that analyzes medical humbugs, psychic photography, Transcendental Meditation, ancient astronauts, UFOs, etc. Plentiful photographs catch hoaxers in the act."
In a review of the audiotape edition in the ''Journal of College Science Teaching'' George Kauffman wrote of Randi's analysis of the failures of paranormal "researchers", "In clearly pointing out their errors and misrepresentations, he provides a compelling and convincing case that will startle and enlighten the listener, especially one unable to distinguish between genuine scientific research and the pseudoscientific nonsense that results in fantastic theories and fallacies.
The ''
Lodi News-Sentinel
The ''Lodi News-Sentinel'' is a daily newspaper based in Lodi, California, United States, and serving northern San Joaquin and southern Sacramento
Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat ...
'' stated ''Flim Flam!'' succeeds in discrediting the supernatural.
In 2001 ''
Skeptic
Skepticism ( US) or scepticism ( UK) is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the p ...
'' magazine listed ''Flim Flam!'' at number three in its "Top Ten Recommended Skeptics' Books". Novelist
Christopher Brookmyre
Christopher Brookmyre (born 6 September 1968) is a Scottish novelist whose novels, generally in a crime or police procedural frame, mix comedy, politics, social comment and action with a strong narrative. He has been referred to as a Tartan Noi ...
listed ''Flim Flam!'' among four of the best, "works evincing a vivid, clear and entertaining rationalism." In a 2010 interview the magician
Teller listed it as one of four books "In My Library." ''Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions'' has been cited in newspapers, magazines and scientific journals, since its initial publication in 1980 to 2014
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text or metadata of Academic publishing, scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. Released in Beta release, beta in November 2004, th ...
lists 82 citations and 3 citations in 2023
During an interview at
TAM! 2012,
Penn Jillette
Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955) is an American Magic (illusion), magician, actor, comedian, musician, inventor, television presenter, and author, best known for his work with fellow magician Teller (magician), Teller as half of the t ...
stated that he read ''Flim-Flam!'' in high school and "Randi had already started changing
islife."
Publication history
''Flim Flam!'' was originally published in hardcover by
Thomas Y. Crowell Co.
Thomas Y. Crowell Co. was a publishing company founded by Thomas Y. Crowell. The company began as a bookbindery founded by Benjamin Bradley in 1834. Crowell operated the business after Bradley's death in 1862 and eventually purchased the compan ...
then by Lippincott Crowell (an imprint of
Harper & Row
Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins, based in New York City. Founded in New York in 1817 by James Harper and his brother John, the company operated as J. & J. Harper until 1833, when ...
).
The publication run by Harper & Row was planned to be 17,500 but was reduced to about 6,000 and the book was declared out of print by the publisher despite outstanding paid orders.
Randi charged this was due to the publisher's conflict of interest, as Randi described the market for books promoting belief in the supernatural as, "possibly the single greatest moneymaker in publishing today."
Harper & Row denied this.
A revised edition with an introduction by Isaac Asimov was published in 1982 by
Prometheus Books
Prometheus Books is a publishing company founded in August 1969 by the philosopher Paul Kurtz (who was also the founder of the Council for Secular Humanism, Center for Inquiry, and co-founder of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry). The publ ...
.
the book is available in English, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese.
Editions
* iPad / iPhone edition, 2011
* Norwegian edition 1994 (''Juks og Bedrag!'')
* Spanish edition by Tikal, Madrid, 1994 (''Fraudes paranormales'')
* Polish edition 1994
* Cassette tape (extracts) edition 1995 by Prometheus
* Italian edition 1999 (Fandonie)
* Chinese edition, 2001
* Punjabi edition, 2003
See also
*
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the U.S. non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to " ...
*
Confidence trick (Flim flam)
*
James Randi Educational Foundation
The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) is an American grant-making institution founded in 1996 by magician and skeptic James Randi. As a nonprofit organization, the mission of JREF includes educating the public and the media on the dange ...
Footnotes
External links
*
*
{{James Randi
1980 non-fiction books
Books by James Randi
Scientific skepticism mass media
Supernatural healing
Occult books
Thomas Y. Crowell Co. books
Prometheus Books books
Books about the Bermuda Triangle