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  • The wise man proportions his belief to the evidence

    —David Hume

    William James used to preach the "will to believe." For my part, I should wish to preach the "will to doubt."... What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the wish to find out, which is the exact opposite.

    —Bertrand Russell, Skeptical Essays (1928)

    One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike—and yet it is the most precious thing we have.

    —Albert Einstein

    [T]he hallmark of scientific behavior is a certain scepticism even towards one's most cherished theories. Blind commitment to a theory is not an intellectual virtue: it is an intellectual crime.

    —Imre Lakatos

    A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.

    —Albert Einstein

    Selling eternal life is an unbeatable business, with no customers ever asking for their money back after the goods are not delivered.

    —Victor J. Stenger

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Last and least, Some Woowoos

Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions

Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions

Author: James Randi

Editor: Prometheus Books

Year: 1982

Flim-Flam! is a joy to read. James Randi's accounts are simply enthralling. Better than that, the book is intellectually edifying. How can it not be when it scrutinizes some of the most popularly known extraordinary claims around? One after another, Randi recounts audacious and weird claims and takes a no-nonsense approach to uncover their true nature, thus exposing the vacuity behind them; and at times, as a result, disabuses the innocent who honestly believe they have special paranormal powers.

Cutlery benders, water dowsers, psychics, levitation, magnet therapy, UFOs, sightings of fairies, table-tippings--he tackles them all, and more. Hailing from the Philippines, one of the sections that I read and reread is that on psychic surgery. I remember many years ago when I first heard of these "surgeons" I asked myself, "Could they be for real?" "How is that possible?" Today, of course I just laugh off such shenanigans (and scams). Randi has provided insights and info to dismiss such "operations" as plain hooey. He even provides several photos of how these tricks are performed, and tells us what those blood covered thingies purportedly pulled out of patients' innards really are. The real victims of these psychic healers, as Randi says, are the afflicted. Not only do they shell out not an insignificant amount of money for travel and lodging and various fees to avail of the services of these quacks, they risk endangering their lives by foregoing with the proper medical treatment by qualified medical doctors.

The skeptic in us all will love this work by the master of illusion. True to its title, it exposes hokum the world over. Believers in the paranormal and like phenomena will be wise to read this compendium in the hope that it will prod them to begin questioning their misplaced sympathies, to spark the necessary caution whenever any of us is faced with extraordinary claims. Before even being burned once Randi's indispensable contribution will--as it should--make us twice shy.

Rate: 10/10

Buy "Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions"

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