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James Randi
Magician and Scientific Skeptic
James Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). Randi began his career as a magician, but when he retired at age 60, he switched to investigating paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims, which he collectively calls "woo-woo." Although often referred to as a "debunker," Randi rejects that title owing to its perceived bias, instead describing himself as an "investigator". He has written about the paranormal, skepticism, and the history of magic. He was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and is occasionally featured on the television program Penn & Teller: Bullshit!.
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What makes the famous skeptic feel awe? Great magic tricks, of course. And sunsets.
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As a teenager in the ’40s, James Randi “would have gotten stoned” for being gay. But when he outed himself to the world in 2010, the reaction was “wonderful.”
3mins
Hi, Mom?…Yeah, I’m in a coffin at the bottom of the La Hogue River.”
3mins
The James Randi Educational Foundation has never met a “psychic” it couldn’t discredit—easily. Still, Randi understands why such frauds appeal to people.
6mins
What prompted the skeptic’s public crusades against Uri Geller, Sylvia Browne, and other self-proclaimed mystics?
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Real magicians don’t pretend to be mystical characters. By telling us they’re just performing tricks, they make their feats all the more breathtaking.