Do you respect or detest James Randi?

He's the reason why I stopped bothering with tarot and astrology and pretty much pseudoscience altogether.

I think the reason why people hate him so much is the fact that he makes so much sense but no one wants to give up the personal beliefs they actually enjoy.

For some people, stark truth is fulfilling. For others, they need to believe in "something more" to be able to cope with living or find meaning in everyday life.

Which, honestly? I think is chill. To each their own. But a lot of people get crazy with their beliefs and try to impose them on others and that's when it becomes a problem.

Insofar as his work exposes actual frauds, it's good. Insofar as it reinforces the most ignorant breed of skepticism, it's bad. I think on balance, he's been bad for the human capacity of critical thought.

>>19197947
>Insofar as it reinforces the most ignorant breed of skepticism, it's bad. I think on balance, he's been bad for the human capacity of critical thought.

what are you referring to? i've never heard of randi reinforcing ignorance

>>19197955
Congrats on finding /x/, newfag.

>>19197914

I like a lot of the things he does.

But like anyone else, he eventually hits own points of 'belief', and dogma. Like when he starts applying Occam's Razor (No /x/, it is the most abused fucking Heuristic) as some sort of scientific reasoning. It is almost as pseudo scientific as using the 'scientific consensus' on some poorly stated or untestable hypothesis as some sort of scientific fact based rebuttal. And granted, he is not the only one that does this bullshit, and dodges being called out on it. (Dat Dawkins with Stein interview, the asshurt as Dawkins stumbled through his beliefs that he tried to pass of as scientific. Others on 'Team Science' learned after that one.) But he does end up in the same category as Black Science Man, Bill Nye, and others for it with me.

Pros:
Encourages critical thinking, promotes empiricism, humorous humanitarian, promotes rational skepticism

Cons:
Has briefly spoken on subjects he considers bullshit but admittedly won't criticism them do to fear:

- Scientology
- Most of Psychology
- Most of Psychiatry
- Social Hierarchy
- Socialism; Communism
- Transcendental Meditation

When I learned about him in 2015, his Million Dollar Challenge was still active. To me, that Challenge was the red pill that changed my belief on the validity of Satan/demons and subsequently, God/angels.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Million_Dollar_Paranormal_Challenge

>>19198032
This, though the most influential authorities in most any religion also do not test their God for petty show and demons have no reason to help a human under the microscope and instigate another inquisition.

God has shown out to btfo skeptics in the Old Testament; I really wish the pope would've taken the challenge

This fucker is part of the conspiracy to degrade critical thinking in the western world. His role is "promoting" critical thinking in ways that actually undermine it. He needs to go the fuck away.

Randi: arrogance ="science". How boring. Stupidity sells.

>implying he would have ever actually let anyone pass

>>19197914
I don't give a flying fuck about James Randi

>>19198274
If that's your contribution, put 'sage' in the Options section when you offer it up, so that your apathy will not bump the thread to the top in a manner counterproductive of your desires.

>>19198215
>He needs to go the fuck away.

He dead. Unless I shifted realities a la mandela effect

>>19198281
Buddy, have I got news for you...

>>19198281
The way you phrased that tells me you know full well he's alive, you snowflake.

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Stop being a skeptic.

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>>19197914
We'll, as he has had absolutely no impact on my life, neither. Which is really just a statement about influence.

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>>19198215
>>19198258
>>19198268

>these butthurt tarot card circle jerkers

>>19198281
Wait what he's alive? I usually think Mandela effect is bullshit but I swore he was dead. Maybe people have just been fucking with his Wikipedia page

>>19197937
>I think the reason why people hate him so much is the fact that he makes so much sense but no one wants to give up the personal beliefs they actually enjoy.
Nah, that's not why I hate him.
>>19198157
What the fuck...?

He's an O.K. guy.

He's got a niche to fill and we need people like that.

It keeps "believers" from flying too far outside a reasonable orbit of belief.

I don't think he's right all the time, and I don't think he's wrong most of the time either.

I've seen enough to know that things paranormal exist, but I also know that there are huxters, hoaxsters, and sheisters, looking to exploit peoples gullibility.

I like him for exposing the fakes, and the tricks.

He's a pretty good magician as well.

>>19198429
Couldn't have said it better myself B.

>>19198379
Pretty sure the man is ded.
Least last time I checked.

>>19198446
Just looked it up on Google and he isn't.

>>19198486
...

>>19198295
well shit anon, i should have taken you seriously.

>>19197997
I can understand Scientology and transcendental meditation. But the rest? People talk shit about that all the time. What they gonna do to him
>>19198032
Personally I don't care much for that stuff but I feel exposing peoples bullshit is kinda douchy

>>19198624
I seriously don't get the hate for trascendental meditation, it's just instropection done properly.

Psychology and psychiatry were and still are sacred cows for a lot of people and a really contrarian opinion on those by a respected skeptic could be extremely controversial.

Communism it's probably cause he likes it.

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>>19197914
detest, he's deliberate misinformation to discredit the spiritual side of life.

>>19197914
I honestly love him and was a major role model as a kid. He's btfoed so many obvious frauds. Paranormal enthusiasts should embrace him as he sifts through the bullshit. Better than he, in most of these btfoings, has directly explained to the public how these people were bullshit and not just saying 'uhh you're a fake.' He goes out and fucking proves it.

>>19197914
Absolutely love him, he's doing God's work.

>>19198429
>He's a pretty good magician as well.

Here's the redpill on Randi. Randi worked together with Uri Geller, who was a CIA/Mossad operative
>Look it up
Randi is a brilliant magician, in his case, hiding occult and paranormal from the masses.
He and Martin Gardner (A Mathematician) formed the "Skeptical Science" movement, which popularized using Ad Hominem attacks on anyone who claimed para or psi experiences.

Ironically, the same groups of people are connected to Stanfords Psi studies and the CIA/Stargate program which operated for 25+ years
>Stargate was the closer where they disclosed their "failures" immediately - which never happens in the field.

Randi is an illusionist and if you fell for "Skeptical Science" you are a mark. End of story.
>Unless you want to argue "Crank", "Crackpot" and "TinFoil Hat" are all scientific terms.
Society has been engineered to be afraid of critical thinking or even investigating unusual claims lest one be labelled a derogatory name.
Think about it.

>>19198848
To add one humorous quip:
>Randi is a real magician, in fact, his psi powers are so strong he actually prevented anyone from claiming his prize.
A great tagline for his saga. It would be just as easy to never let anyone claim it. The reality is those who might be able to wouldn't parade themselves to it. The prize itself is a preplanned honeypot for scammers in a way.

>>19198848
>he can't handle James Randi's banter
embarrassing. Also, along with his dad jokes and insults he actually has many times before explained his positions on specific paranormal phenomena and done it well.

I respect him, some people just can't deal with it when their "magical powers" are questioned, even more so if they're given a chance to prove it that they know they can't actually do.

But what about people who have actually experienced or witnessed the supernatural? I've encountered some supernatural beings that I will not mention the names of in lucid dreams, and seen spirits near me that quickly faded upon waking up from sleep. Those of course can be simply dismissed as fictitious creations of the mind.

But one time I saw something strange that lingered way beyond fully waking up from sleep that eventually disappeared (or my ability to see it stopped) after about a minute or more. That of course could be explained as schizophrenia or maybe a malfunctioning nerve in my eyes. But what if I took a photograph (which I didn't) and the image appeared in the photo? Anyone else would of course claim that this image has been photoshopped or has a logical explanation such as a malfunctioning piece in the lens.

Possibly one way a person can be evaluated is by their degree of spirituality or skill in the paranormal. If someone has no capabilities in either field, then what does that say about that person?

The easiest way to verify paranormal ability between two people would be to have a planned shared lucid dream experience with specific topics of conversation. Then each person would independently write a detailed report of what was said and other details of this shared shared experience before comparing their reports. If numerous details match, then this would be evidence between those two that the paranormal is real. But this experience would only be evidence for the two of them as anyone else would not have proof that they discussed what to include in their reports prior to writing them.

I despise him, because I despise the skeptics as a movement/political group.
The fact that there´s so-called "rational people" citing a contest as a proof of something, without questioning it at first, is the proof that he and others breeds the most ignorant militant scientism.
Literally the forefather of fedoras.
And this is coming from a guy who as fight with his family because I don't believe in supernatural bullshit.

I only heard about him for having a contest to guess a number in one million twice.
what more should I know?

He has exposed more than one scumbag who'd otherwise go on to take the public for a ride as long as possible. what's not to like about that?