Secrets of the Psychics
"Secrets of the Psychics" | |
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NOVA episode | |
Episode no. | Season 21 Episode 3 |
Written by | Carl Charlson |
Presented by | James Randi |
Produced by |
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Original air date | October 19, 1993 |
Running time | 60 minutes |
"Secrets of the Psychics" is a 1993 episode of the
PBS' "NOVA Teachers" program produced a "Teachers Guide" to support the show. In the program, "Randi argues that successful psychics depend on the willingness of their audiences to believe that what they see is the result of psychic powers."[3]
Synopsis
At the beginning of the episode, Randi states that "Magical thinking...is a slippery slope. Sometimes it’s harmless enough, but at other times it’s quite dangerous. Personally I’m opposed to that kind of fakery, so I have no reservations at all about exposing these people and their illusions for what they really are." The documentary then covers several of Randi’s previous investigations into claims of the paranormal, using stock footage of Uri Geller, Peter Popoff, and others, and also includes new footage covering a variety of other topics. The documentary is divided into segments covering the following topics:
- The conjuring tricks of Uri Geller
- Peter Popoff and faith healing
- Psychic surgery
- Astrology and Barnum statements
- Palm reading
- Confirmation bias
- The popularity of psychics and alternative medicine in Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Reception
Writing for the
The Los Angeles Times described it as "a worldwide investigation into psychic phenomena", and conducted an interview with Randi which focused particularly on the Russian segments. The Brain Institute in Moscow was singled out, still working on ideas that had been "bombed out of existence" 25 years before because the researchers would not acknowledge that they are subject to the same cognitive distortions as anybody else. So they did not use, and did not see the need for, basic techniques like blinding, placebos, and control tests.[5]
The
The video has been covered in university courses on critical thinking. Southern Methodist University's Department of Physics analyzed it as part of their course KNW 2333 "The Scientific Method - Critical and Creative Thinking (Debunking Pseudoscience)", examining how Randi's methods compared to their own.[6] Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute showed and analyzed the video as part of their Critical Thinking course, although they put more emphasis on the mental factors that make people susceptible to such tricks. They take exception to what they perceive as the "believer vs skeptic" viewpoint in the video, and suggest that it would be best if we all acknowledge that we move along that scale all the time.[7]
VHS release
- "Secrets of the Psychics". 1996. ISBN 1-57807-040-6
References
- ^ "James Randi on Secrets of the Psychics". Center for Inquiry. Archived from the original on 3 February 2007.
- ^ Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "Secrets of the Psychics: Program Overview". PBS - NOVA Teachers. Retrieved 2 April 2007.
- ^ a b Goodman, Walter (19 October 1993). "Review/Television; A Look at the Paranormal: It Turns Out to Be Normal". The New York Times. p. 20, Section C. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ Koehler, Robert (17 October 1993). "James Randi: Opening Parapsychology's Box". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ Cotton, John L.; Fisher, Justin; Scalise, Randall J.; Norris, Scott; Sekula, Stephen. "Video: "Secrets of the Psychics" - by James Randi". www.physics.smu.edu. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ van Heuveln, Bram. "Secrets of the Psychics: An Analysis" (PDF). hass.rpi.edu. Department of Cognitive Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ Dembski, Bill (January 22, 2020). "The Faces of Miracles Chapter 6: James Randi: the face of expert skeptics". Retrieved 22 March 2022.