nemckin's review against another edition
4.0
James Randi makes his case as he debunks pseudoscience, outright frauds, and well-meaning people who believe they have paranormal gifts. One of my favorites is the English girls who took photos of fairies in their garden and convinced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that fairies were real. Randi builds his arguments with all the evidence at his disposal and provides background information when he thinks readers may need it--lots of explanation of both science and conjuring tricks. It's a good read, funny in many places, and still relevant.
caddysnack's review against another edition
4.0
Even though this book was published 30 years ago, James Randi is always entertaining and informative. I particularly enjoyed him ripping into an Emeritus Professor from the department I got my PhD from.
ejdecoster's review against another edition
3.0
I would like to give this book a 4, but it's a little bit too dated ... It served more as a history of pseudoscience than a cutting-edge expose. The book does a lot to familiarize a reader with terminology and techniques common to pseudoscience, many of which remain relevant.
stephen_means_me's review against another edition
4.0
James Randi is the grumpy uncle (now, grandpa) of skepticism, and in this book (a famous one in skeptical libraries) he explains why. It turns out, when there are people who make lots of money on claims of supernatural powers and miraculous healings, and they are aided and abetted by credulous mass media or even scientists, that might be cause for getting a little bit miffed. FLIM-FLAM! is mostly an account of Randi's crusade against the "psi" workers that flourished in the late Sixties through the Eighties, with "psychic surgeons," clairvoyants, and metal-benders thrown in for good measure. Given how these "phenomena" are pretty much on the fringe now, instead of appearing on the late-night talk shows, it's sort of a funny trip. (On the other hand, consider the explosion of "paranormal reality TV" on cable channels...!)
But in detailing how even intelligent scientists can embarrass themselves so utterly in their desire to believe in miracles, Randi also demonstrates some of the dangers of going all-in on untested claims. He peppers the book with humor, mostly of the sarcastic kind, but the overall tone is one of frustration and exasperation.
Overall this is a good demonstration of just how damn much quackery there is in the world. In addition, I highly recommend the (now famous) footage of Randi making fools of various alleged psychics on the Johnny Carson Show, or the biographical documentary AN HONEST LIAR, as an introduction to Randi's life project.
But in detailing how even intelligent scientists can embarrass themselves so utterly in their desire to believe in miracles, Randi also demonstrates some of the dangers of going all-in on untested claims. He peppers the book with humor, mostly of the sarcastic kind, but the overall tone is one of frustration and exasperation.
Overall this is a good demonstration of just how damn much quackery there is in the world. In addition, I highly recommend the (now famous) footage of Randi making fools of various alleged psychics on the Johnny Carson Show, or the biographical documentary AN HONEST LIAR, as an introduction to Randi's life project.
samwisery's review against another edition
An intriguing read, but ultimately I'm disappointed. With this particular reader, Randi is preaching to the converted; I'm already sceptical of the paranormal, so I don't need to be convinced. By rights, I should have loved this. Instead, I found it distractingly self-congratulatory and occasionally repetitive.
It also suffers from a couple of blips in logic, missing evidence and hypocrisy. For example, Chapter 7 relies heavily on he-said-she-said 'evidence', the likes of which Randi would criticise immediately if it came from the other side. In Chapter 13, Randi describes an experiment in which he admits it's extremely important that a camera is running at all times, with its view uninhibited. Then he admits that it was not, but says it's fine because the camera didn't miss anything important. It seems reasonable to assume we can take his word for it, but... what if we couldn't? After all, if a parapsychologist said similar about their experimental conditions, he'd be immensely critical. In fact, he is - in that same chapter. There are other examples earlier on, but I hadn't started noting them down at that point.
I didn't hate the book. It was interesting, and I think it has plenty of really strong arguments - especially those that don't require us to take Randi's word for it. For example, I loved the sections about the Cottingley fairies, psychic surgeons and UFOs especially. I just wish it had been tighter than it was, and less pleased with itself.
Early on in the book, Randi points out that having a belief in the paranormal has no bearing on a person's intelligence. He then proceeds to spend the rest of it implying the opposite. That's a shame; I think that tone will probably have prevented it from reaching a number of people who Randi expressly wanted to convince.
It also suffers from a couple of blips in logic, missing evidence and hypocrisy. For example, Chapter 7 relies heavily on he-said-she-said 'evidence', the likes of which Randi would criticise immediately if it came from the other side. In Chapter 13, Randi describes an experiment in which he admits it's extremely important that a camera is running at all times, with its view uninhibited. Then he admits that it was not, but says it's fine because the camera didn't miss anything important. It seems reasonable to assume we can take his word for it, but... what if we couldn't? After all, if a parapsychologist said similar about their experimental conditions, he'd be immensely critical. In fact, he is - in that same chapter. There are other examples earlier on, but I hadn't started noting them down at that point.
I didn't hate the book. It was interesting, and I think it has plenty of really strong arguments - especially those that don't require us to take Randi's word for it. For example, I loved the sections about the Cottingley fairies, psychic surgeons and UFOs especially. I just wish it had been tighter than it was, and less pleased with itself.
Early on in the book, Randi points out that having a belief in the paranormal has no bearing on a person's intelligence. He then proceeds to spend the rest of it implying the opposite. That's a shame; I think that tone will probably have prevented it from reaching a number of people who Randi expressly wanted to convince.
cowardlylion's review against another edition
Well-paced, interesting topic, with an enjoyable bitchy tone, on occasions. Well-written and enjoyable.
mancolepig's review against another edition
4.0
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and no one is better suited to test such claims than the Amazing James Randi: Magician, skeptic, and researcher of the paranormal. Randi offers up $10,000 of his own money to anyone who can prove that they have paranormal powers, and then goes through this book testing psychics, mediums, conjurers, and spiritualists of various skills. The result is always the same. Under proper testing conditions, these folks can never replicate their supposed supernatural abilities.
Negative vibrations, Randi’s own “psychic powers”, or even the alignment of the planets in the sky are just a few of the excuses that have been used by each “gifted” performer to explain away their failures. Any bullshit excuse will work to prop up a claim that was bullshit to begin with. The most astonishing part is not that these frauds refuse to tell the truth, but that their followers still believe in them despite the evidence. Randi is just as discouraged by this, and I am sure he is even more discouraged today based on the number of mediums, bigfoot trappers, ghost hunters, psychics, and televangelists you see on tv today.
But for those of a skeptical bent, Flim-Flam! is a satisfying read, and one that proves that those of us who are suspicious of paranormal claims are not alone in a madhouse. Randi takes science very seriously, and takes claims very seriously. He takes his results seriously too, and I only wish that more people did. Maybe the folks who do will find this read as enjoyable as I did.
One last thing: Probably my favorite story in the book comes from a woman named Ms. DeWitt who demands to be taken seriously as a psychic because she also happens to be a scientist with her own research associates.
“Ms. DeWitt’s claim to be a scientist was based on a master’s degree she had earned in library science, and ‘Research Associates’ - which I was unable to find in any listings - she described as a private group she formed to provide to employers people she had trained as ‘psychics.’ It was all rather nebulous. And, reported Ms. DeWitt, she had lost her job with a library in Charles County, Maryland, ‘because I am a psychic.’” (278)
If I ever want to leave my current line of work, I now have a creative way of doing so.
Negative vibrations, Randi’s own “psychic powers”, or even the alignment of the planets in the sky are just a few of the excuses that have been used by each “gifted” performer to explain away their failures. Any bullshit excuse will work to prop up a claim that was bullshit to begin with. The most astonishing part is not that these frauds refuse to tell the truth, but that their followers still believe in them despite the evidence. Randi is just as discouraged by this, and I am sure he is even more discouraged today based on the number of mediums, bigfoot trappers, ghost hunters, psychics, and televangelists you see on tv today.
But for those of a skeptical bent, Flim-Flam! is a satisfying read, and one that proves that those of us who are suspicious of paranormal claims are not alone in a madhouse. Randi takes science very seriously, and takes claims very seriously. He takes his results seriously too, and I only wish that more people did. Maybe the folks who do will find this read as enjoyable as I did.
One last thing: Probably my favorite story in the book comes from a woman named Ms. DeWitt who demands to be taken seriously as a psychic because she also happens to be a scientist with her own research associates.
“Ms. DeWitt’s claim to be a scientist was based on a master’s degree she had earned in library science, and ‘Research Associates’ - which I was unable to find in any listings - she described as a private group she formed to provide to employers people she had trained as ‘psychics.’ It was all rather nebulous. And, reported Ms. DeWitt, she had lost her job with a library in Charles County, Maryland, ‘because I am a psychic.’” (278)
If I ever want to leave my current line of work, I now have a creative way of doing so.
kukushka's review against another edition
4.0
I don't consider myself to be a Skeptic. I run with a lot of people in the skeptic community, and I do think of myself and generally skeptical, but I'm not a big-S Skeptic. I knew of James Randi, of course, but I was never terribly familiar with him or his work. So when the Centre for Inquiry managed to book him for a pan-Canada tour, I figured that I ought to read up on him a little bit before he hit Ottawa.
Because I was reading Flim-Flam around the same time that I saw Randi speak live, the parallels between the two were made quite evident. In both cases, there's an ostensible thesis, although the experience is much more of a series of vignettes from Randi's professional life.
The tone throughout the book is light and conversational, like Randi's telling an acquaintance about the work he does. He covers a number of psychics and supernatural phenomena, explaining the tricks. He personally exposed most of them, although some, such as the Cottingley fairies, are merely explained.
I found Flim-Flam to be an interesting read - enough so to inspire me to want to learn more about conjuring and mentalism. And while it was written in the early '80s, it really isn't at all dated. Recommended for anyone with an interest in the paranormal, or with skepticism in general.
Because I was reading Flim-Flam around the same time that I saw Randi speak live, the parallels between the two were made quite evident. In both cases, there's an ostensible thesis, although the experience is much more of a series of vignettes from Randi's professional life.
The tone throughout the book is light and conversational, like Randi's telling an acquaintance about the work he does. He covers a number of psychics and supernatural phenomena, explaining the tricks. He personally exposed most of them, although some, such as the Cottingley fairies, are merely explained.
I found Flim-Flam to be an interesting read - enough so to inspire me to want to learn more about conjuring and mentalism. And while it was written in the early '80s, it really isn't at all dated. Recommended for anyone with an interest in the paranormal, or with skepticism in general.
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