James Randi on Magic, Skepticism, and the Future

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  • čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
  • Keynote talk at Singularity Summit 2010.

Komentáře • 324

  • @sh6843
    @sh6843 Před 11 lety +38

    James Randi has done more good for humanity than any pastor or minister.

    • @swine13
      @swine13 Před 3 lety +1

      To be fair he's done more good than 99% of humanity will do in their lives _combined_
      We're pretty useless, on average... 😅

  • @giorgamikitta8938
    @giorgamikitta8938 Před 6 lety +9

    This man is brilliant. He understands more about the way the world works than anybody I ever heard speak. Not only that, he explains it so well. And as a bonus he is very entertaining!

    • @fjccommish
      @fjccommish Před 5 lety

      Um no. The proof that he doesn't understand how the world works is that he supported Obama as President. Randi was completely fooled or complicit in Obama's evil - one or the other.

  • @greenrobot5
    @greenrobot5 Před 11 lety +6

    I could listen to this man all day long

  • @larrysbrain1627
    @larrysbrain1627 Před 8 lety +29

    We either love him or hate him... Admire him or despise him...
    James, you're one hell of an interesting man. You've contributed so much to the scientific community!

    • @garlicyum9147
      @garlicyum9147 Před 7 lety

      ea1000000d

    • @calvaryapologetics
      @calvaryapologetics Před 4 lety +5

      As a Christian, i love him. He was completely correct, assume nothing and test all things.

    • @swine13
      @swine13 Před 3 lety +10

      The only people that dislike James Randi are shills, scammers and liars whose "careers" have been shot down by this seemingly harmless little gnome.
      Everyone else likes him because he strives for truth and what is real, which is something any sane and cooperative human being would also prefer to pursue. What's more, he is always trying to maintain the utmost respect for people even if he doesn't like them (uri geller for example).
      In this way, I love seeing when people are upset with him - I like to bet on how long they can go before exposing their ulterior motives behind disliking Randi. There's always a few.

    • @peteralleyman1945
      @peteralleyman1945 Před 3 lety +2

      @@calvaryapologetics
      So you're no christian anymore?

  • @MrXarontas
    @MrXarontas Před 11 lety +6

    Peter Popoff: "Ratnaw Ratnaw Jizz!"
    Jesus: "Wtf was that?.."

  • @theanalogman1
    @theanalogman1 Před 10 lety +36

    James Randi is fucking awesome!!!

    • @OfficialFatLip
      @OfficialFatLip Před 9 lety +1

      self hating gay jew who proved to be the biggest liar, he is great at exposing fake STAGE magicians both psychic or performers, but he himself was expose for hiding a illegal under aged male prostitute while using a stolen ID of someone, he thrived both via erection and financially using this desperate illegal alien as a hoax by presenting him to be a guru for son years under the disguise of someone else's ID

    • @theonewiththeeyeoftruth884
      @theonewiththeeyeoftruth884 Před 9 lety +5

      Fat Lip I think we'll all accept that as _you_ coming out of the closet.

    • @theonewiththeeyeoftruth884
      @theonewiththeeyeoftruth884 Před 9 lety +3

      Fat Lip It's okay. It's your choice.

    • @ZER0--
      @ZER0-- Před 9 lety +1

      +Fat Lip Oh dear, now its the Jews ! Again you can't spell and your grammar is atrocious. Why would anyone with a brain take an idiot like you seriously ?

    • @OfficialFatLip
      @OfficialFatLip Před 9 lety

      Paul L please give up your erection cause I ain't, I know it breaks you icky heart

  • @innovator1998
    @innovator1998 Před 8 lety +12

    i love this guy ! what a great great mentor 👍👏👏👏

    • @JohnKobaRuddy
      @JohnKobaRuddy Před 8 lety +1

      agreed

    • @larrysbrain1627
      @larrysbrain1627 Před 8 lety +2

      Yeah, James is a great man! He has invested so much to the scientific community.

    • @birdmanuk
      @birdmanuk Před 6 lety +1

      He's brilliant, I'm actually disappointed that ive only just discovered him.

  • @beachdancer
    @beachdancer Před 9 lety +15

    When he walked on stage I thought, "He looks like Darwin". Then he said the same thing. Magic!

  • @kietrivers
    @kietrivers Před 11 lety +12

    James Randi, now he is the man who will surely die smiling knowing that he did goods in this world =)

    • @krisraps
      @krisraps Před 3 lety +2

      RIP To Amazing Randi :(

  • @Goosemeyer
    @Goosemeyer Před 11 lety +2

    absolutely brilliant!!

  • @Lucifronz
    @Lucifronz Před 7 lety +7

    God damn it, he got me with the beard trimmer twice. Once in a previous video and once now.
    It's such a small thing, you really don't pay much attention to it. It's like what Leonard Dicaprio's character's father said in Catch Me If You Can. Something along the lines of: "Why do the Yankees always win? Because the other team is always looking at the stripes."
    In other words, you can distract people from the critical details and draw their attention away from obvious flaws in your lie. I noticed the microphone looked weird, but wasn't really invested in it because I was focused on him the whole time.
    It's simple, but clever.

    • @simonspacek3670
      @simonspacek3670 Před 4 lety

      I saw enough videos with him that now I always look for light reflecion on his "glasses" when he comes to the stage.

  • @trueblue374
    @trueblue374 Před 11 lety +2

    We need more people like James Randi because he exposes those whose intention is to make a lot of money out of the gullible. James Randi tries to help people realise that they are being conned but people like you criticise him. I suggest you take a look at Peter Popoff...he and his wife made millions from people who believed in Jesus and God..James Randi exposed him as a fraud.

  • @simonwilder1994
    @simonwilder1994 Před 11 lety +1

    Agree! Although I might swap out journalism for "wit", as it was almost certainly Hitchens' most valuable trait.

  • @etymos6644
    @etymos6644 Před 3 lety +2

    A life well lived.

  • @kennethbowell4605
    @kennethbowell4605 Před 3 lety

    Well said Larry I couldn’t have said it better myself…………👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

  • @puppetsock
    @puppetsock Před 11 lety

    The vids that they can't show are on youtube if you search for them. The best part is the "oh no, that dosn't come out." He puts it back!

  • @vinaynk
    @vinaynk Před 11 lety +1

    he is amazing, indeed.

  • @swine13
    @swine13 Před 3 lety

    I like to think that somewhere in the world, at some time, James will flick through the comments to videos like this, and maybe he'll see this comment telling him:
    "thank you for being you"
    😊

  • @gxbmb
    @gxbmb Před 11 lety +3

    he is a national treasure

  • @YeahThrashMaster
    @YeahThrashMaster Před 11 lety +1

    Indeed.
    He is deeply missed.

  • @skyerune
    @skyerune Před 11 lety +1

    Every premise presented in the beginning of the Bible requires an enormous amount of faith. Evolution does not require the same leaps, as evolution can be studied in little pieces, evidence can be absorbed. Scientific research can be duplicated. Observations can be understood. Human observations by people who have dedicated their lives to the search of truth. The Bible is a decree. They are entirely dissimilar.

  • @johnfeury961
    @johnfeury961 Před 11 lety

    The Astro physicist in question was Sam Nichols. A colleague/friend Steve Gratton attended soon after he graduated from London University. The James Randi show. Mike Roll,Director of The Campaign for Philosophical Freedom may have more info on the event.Sorry I can't be of further assistance.

  • @Grimblenork
    @Grimblenork Před 11 lety +1

    2:59 Made me forget what OS I was using for a second

  • @Chayraz2
    @Chayraz2 Před 11 lety +3

    Dawkins destroys superstition with science.
    Hitchings destroys superstition with journalism.
    Randi destroys superstition with magic.

  • @mikelheron20
    @mikelheron20 Před 11 lety +1

    It's obvious how your mind works but not everyone, believe it or not, is motivated by financial gain. I believe Randi is one of those and if his aim (as I believe it to be) is to promote rational thinking and debunk paranormal bullshit he would be even more effective if he refreshed his material - which takes us back to my original point.

  • @Andrew-vu9st
    @Andrew-vu9st Před 9 lety +2

    I want to see the recordings!!

    • @StephenDoty84
      @StephenDoty84 Před 3 lety

      They are on CZcams -- just search for "psychic surgery" and Popoff healing fraud on Tonight Show with Randi.

  • @tuschman168
    @tuschman168 Před 12 lety +2

    That's it, I'm not getting a Ph.D. if you can still be fooled like that.

    • @swine13
      @swine13 Před 3 lety

      I have to wonder about the person that assumes getting a PhD will make them impervious to being tricked just by nature of being a PhD.
      I mean... is someone that stupid really worthy of the title "doctor"?

  • @dumbo800
    @dumbo800 Před 11 lety +6

    I always love his homeopathic sleeping pills bit, though. Always amusing.

  • @Ilovelucyclassics
    @Ilovelucyclassics Před 11 lety +1

    When Randi dies, its gonna be a sad day.
    he is a legend and nobody can impose logical thinking into a mass public better than him.
    I can see nobody replacing him
    where ever there is bullshit
    randi would be there

  • @salasvalor01
    @salasvalor01 Před 11 lety

    Notice towards the end somewhere, Randi does acknowledge despite the validity of Kurzweil's claims, it's not an all or nothing deal- that if he's wrong, colossal advancements will be inevitably made (just without overkilled promises of things like a singularity).
    I've done research about this, folks, and I'm 21 and in the field of computer science, and honestly I think this way without even hearing Randi out. Honestly, big things are coming, singularity or not; and if not 20 years, still soon.

  • @robotpanda77
    @robotpanda77 Před 9 lety +22

    Well obviously Randi knows Jesus wasn't the son of god because he is old enough to have known him personally.

    • @MissKrissy2010
      @MissKrissy2010 Před 6 lety

      robotpanda77 so youre saying James Randi is over 2000 years old? Dont insult a man based on his age.

    • @Ometecuhtli
      @Ometecuhtli Před 5 lety +1

      @@MissKrissy2010 He can't be that old since he was a kid when he was recruited by Columbus

    • @jrny20
      @jrny20 Před 5 lety +1

      @@Ometecuhtli No matter his age, he was born WITH the beard.

  • @Chayraz2
    @Chayraz2 Před 11 lety +2

    That's right. But asking questions has nothing to do with superstition.
    Any speculation that arises from scientific progress, are not accepted until empirical evidence can be presented to support it.
    If evidence disproves an existing model, that model is updated with the new information.
    A lot of journalists will talk about how a discovery "sends scientists back to the drawing board." But this assumes that scientists ever leave the drawing board. Re-thinking things is a big part of science.

  • @illusionistdave1
    @illusionistdave1 Před 11 lety +1

    Care to elaborate?

  • @ThePBass
    @ThePBass Před 12 lety +1

    You completely misunderstand the genetic science behind Y-chromosomal Adam and mitochondrial Eve.
    Y-chrom Adam was never alive at the time of Mito Eve, nor in the same region.
    Y-chrom Adam and Mito Eve were not the first humans.
    They were not the only humans alive at their time, nor the only ones who have passed down genes.
    They are not the sole origin of all human genetic code today. They're simply the most recent common ancestors.
    It in no way matches the Genesis myth.

  • @salasvalor01
    @salasvalor01 Před 11 lety +1

    Kurzweil has one huge strike against him because of writing that book, and aside from that is surrounded by uncertainty and huge claims; James Randi, on the other hand, is a true voice for reason and the scientific method, and provides me with no uneasiness, chiefly because he advocates it, but also because of his way.
    By the way, I forgot to say in my first comment that RayandTerry is a website selling homeopathic drugs.....
    Please share your thoughts, anyone. But b4 that, one last thing...

  • @salasvalor01
    @salasvalor01 Před 11 lety

    You know all the good ones.

  • @WrongChannelBob
    @WrongChannelBob Před 11 lety

    I CAN'T UN-SEE THAT!!

  • @davidbennett60
    @davidbennett60 Před 11 lety

    pump up the volume!

  • @pulsarcolosal
    @pulsarcolosal Před 12 lety

    "the demon haunted world" introduced me to James Randi

  • @Hack3r91
    @Hack3r91 Před 9 lety +10

    Wow, those physicists embarassed themselves.

  • @YeahThrashMaster
    @YeahThrashMaster Před 11 lety +2

    Hitchens*
    And he destroys superstition by using facts, arguments, debating morality and logic. Journalism is not the bigger part of his debating style.

  • @gokoreapodcast
    @gokoreapodcast Před 11 lety

    Wiki is variable. Nature found Wiki was quite good for science articles. For most most major science topics, most wiki articles provide excellent summaries for the lay person with links to actual research.

  • @DelavarPix
    @DelavarPix Před 11 lety

    Thumbs up if you wondered why he would carry such an odd handheld mic before he revealed the trimmer for what it was.

  • @alexcastro7339
    @alexcastro7339 Před 3 lety

    The first thing I thought is what kind of microphone is he holding? Doesn't look like any I've ever seen

  • @dhs8533
    @dhs8533 Před 5 lety

    Whenever I need my chakras aligned I watch James Randi...

  • @illusionistdave1
    @illusionistdave1 Před 11 lety

    I can observe paranormal events too. That doesn't PROVE them, neither does observation only.

  • @Schleicherfreund
    @Schleicherfreund Před 11 lety

    Answer is simple, it is about the fame, the "myth" Houdini. That's what makes Houdini superior in that sense.

  • @jso2332
    @jso2332 Před 12 lety

    =)...this should be on top

  • @01andak
    @01andak Před 11 lety

    I wish he would speak about his voyage aboard the Beagle.

  • @skyerune
    @skyerune Před 11 lety

    The research into it can be reproduced. Evolution itself requires natural stressors that are difficult to duplicate in a lab setting (but that would be an interesting experiment).

  • @sSunbeamM
    @sSunbeamM Před 9 lety +4

    Quantumvibrations!

  • @ZuglaXeno
    @ZuglaXeno Před 11 lety

    hooohoooooo 1M here I come :)

  • @TheRealCalPerr
    @TheRealCalPerr Před 11 lety +1

    Stay a while and listen

    • @swine13
      @swine13 Před 3 lety

      ..(w)ell, GREETINGS, stranger!
      (Question is: do you remember which NPC that was?)

  • @BryonLape
    @BryonLape Před 11 lety

    You are correct. Science can only get you so far. After that, it is a matter of belief.

  • @taosan
    @taosan Před 11 lety

    stay awhile and listen

  • @BOBJABBA90
    @BOBJABBA90 Před 11 lety

    What a boss!

  • @RiTutorials
    @RiTutorials Před 11 lety

    Those who believe in death will face eternal death, unlike those who have faith in their creator.

  • @Sakura13kohime
    @Sakura13kohime Před 10 lety +4

    If Mr.James Randi broke all of Harry Houdini's records, then Mr.James should be the number 1 magician in all of known history. Even Jesus would pale in comparison.
    Oh, but I'm assuming that Houdini is the best magician in history.

    • @EJuliusF
      @EJuliusF Před 10 lety +10

      no one beats harry potter.

    • @jeronp420
      @jeronp420 Před 10 lety +3

      Houdini wasn't a magician. He was a escape artist.

    • @frankkelch4553
      @frankkelch4553 Před 8 lety +1

      +jeronp420 He was a magician who specialized in escapes. Randi also specialized in this when he was younger.

  • @SkyLess
    @SkyLess Před 4 lety +1

    42:00 In case you wanna watch the video, here you go: czcams.com/video/LjF1sUZEy2U/video.html

  • @suomynona
    @suomynona Před 9 lety

    happyyyyy new year

  • @Quasi-stellar_object
    @Quasi-stellar_object Před 12 lety

    Epic Randy.

  • @BigHugsFromHell
    @BigHugsFromHell Před 10 lety

    Shades of Asimov, certainly, more specifically from "The Last Question," perhaps... but also shades of the Technocore from Dan Simmons' "Hyperion Cantos." Hmmm...
    I wonder, I wonder, I wonder...

  • @illusionistdave1
    @illusionistdave1 Před 11 lety

    "Not a single claim of a paranormal event or ability has ever stood up to careful scrutiny." That's an assumption. Just because you haven't seen it, sir, doesn't mean that others aren't just as qualified as you and haven't seen it.

  • @HenryAshleyCooper
    @HenryAshleyCooper Před 11 lety

    Hitchens
    Hitchings are a series of knots.

  • @Spiderpope
    @Spiderpope Před 11 lety +1

    Er hate to correct you but no Satanists are atheists, and no atheist is a Satanist. You can't believe in Satan and then say you don't believe in deities, they are mutually exclusive positions.

  • @BR-ur2gk
    @BR-ur2gk Před rokem

    You the best

  • @VindulaP
    @VindulaP Před 7 lety

    It's interesting that Israel produces so many magicians. Now I know of three, the guy doing the match box trick, Uri Geller and Jesus.

  • @valeriegosselin4580
    @valeriegosselin4580 Před 11 lety

    he beat Houdini's records when he was young. he had the advantage of age on his side.

    • @swine13
      @swine13 Před 3 lety

      I would have thought "being alive" to be the bigger advantage, there, but ok! 🤷‍♂️

  • @PokeRapper5000
    @PokeRapper5000 Před 11 lety

    I'm desperetaley trying to reproduce the match box trick but I'm not able to do it. Must be real magic then.

  • @tomupton1921
    @tomupton1921 Před 5 lety

    Ridiculous copyright laws. Is anyone going to lose anything if we are able to view the Carson tapes?

  • @carsandguitars88
    @carsandguitars88 Před 3 lety

    I really like the way his beard moves when he talks and moves around. Is that weird?

  • @landonmiles97
    @landonmiles97 Před 4 lety

    Here's the thing... I am a Christian. I am unashamed of it. However, I think faith healers and psychics are frauds much like Randi. Mr. Randi is an atheist and I don't agree with his spiritual beliefs or lack thereof, but I do agree with him that psychics prey on the weak and it is incredibly disgusting. Just a small example of how those who have opposing views can agree. I have a great amount of respect for Mr. James Randi.

  • @Whereisjaygoing
    @Whereisjaygoing Před 10 lety +2

    Haha, I'm from South Africa and I can assure you there are no unicorns here!

    • @thunderfeet
      @thunderfeet Před 5 lety

      JayHfails you wrote this four years ago. Are still no unicorns there?

  • @MrJannieboy
    @MrJannieboy Před 11 lety

    he broke them when he was younger than when houdini broke them, which gave him a huge advantage.

  • @b.deville3236
    @b.deville3236 Před 3 lety

    When he is thanking his old dead colleague (at 34;28) and he looks up to the ceiling and says "Martin, thank you", to whom was he talking and where was he looking?

    • @GH-oi2jf
      @GH-oi2jf Před rokem

      Martin Gardner, who died in May 2010.

  • @jlastre
    @jlastre Před 10 lety

    Sadly Ronny Marcus has a website.

  • @ActuatedGear
    @ActuatedGear Před 11 lety +1

    Again, wrong. Try finding examples. You will not.
    Those who worship Satan are not worshipping the biblical satan.
    Laveyan Satanism is more common, but theistic Satanism is virtually exclusively non judeo-christian. There's always one nut, but it is the exception, not the rule. When you say Satanist, and you mean one who worships the biblical satan you are excluding 99% of those under that term. Satanism is a misnomer and has been for thousands of years.

  • @hologram70
    @hologram70 Před 11 lety

    other than the beard, you are the greatest.

  • @HansonProMusic
    @HansonProMusic Před 11 lety

    Hard to believe that this soft spoken humble man cut the head off of Alice Cooper many times.

  • @amichair
    @amichair Před 12 lety

    omg darwin is talking!!!

  • @IAwake1989
    @IAwake1989 Před 12 lety

    WOW.

  • @IAmMyOwnApprentice
    @IAmMyOwnApprentice Před 11 lety

    how does one do this mentalism trick?

  • @opensourcerob8420
    @opensourcerob8420 Před 12 lety

    I second this statement... Point me to the research.
    The bible contains a rough interpretation of history in the same way that the Indiana Jones franchise does. Science is not indicative that we came from two people. The scientific process can supply vast amounts of evidence that our species has evolved and that we and other primates share a common ancestor.

  • @BullyDefender
    @BullyDefender Před 11 lety

    Well played greenrobot5, well played!

  • @SlayRo9480
    @SlayRo9480 Před 12 lety

    Though I do believe in evolution, you cant say the Bible is COMPLETELY wrong. Science shows we all came from the same two people, though it is believed more than two existed. When biologists analyze the past of a species they often run into what they call genetic bottlenecks. Cheetahs had such an extreme genetic bottleneck recently (that is, so few remained) that all the Cheetahs we have now are essentially close relatives.

  • @WalterWhite-pl3ls
    @WalterWhite-pl3ls Před 9 lety

    i fucking love SANTA CLAUS, especially at CHRISTMAS : 0 )

  • @johnfeury961
    @johnfeury961 Před 11 lety

    It was a James Randi show...anyone is free to attend, Randi was making the presentation not Sam Nichols. Mainstream science UK still will not touch survivalist evidence which is why its not in most journals. One of the leading proponents of consciousness after brain death is the neuropsychiatrist Dr Peter Fenwick his work corresponds with his American counterpart Raymond Moody.

  • @salasvalor01
    @salasvalor01 Před 11 lety

    ..est disgrace to humanity. I suddenly got the urge to surf my memories of pioneers and leaders of reason and science, if any of them may had anything to say about Ray Kurzweil or Terry Grossman (I needed to find out about Kurzweil's integrity). I got to Google and stumbled across a nice blog about James Randi's performance here. The blog made it sound like it was behind closed doors, so I am very thankful and surprised to see it here, an hour's worth, too.
    All I know is this now:

  • @illusionistdave1
    @illusionistdave1 Před 11 lety

    We can reproduce evolution? It is my understanding that we have only just been able to clone in the last few years.

  • @markharrisllb
    @markharrisllb Před 3 lety

    When he first got with his husband we all thought it was a younger man taking advantage. They were together for several decades and remained totally in love. Assume nothing.

  • @thewizard2006
    @thewizard2006 Před 12 lety

    Just because you think something can exist doesnt make it true. People used to think dragons, witches, unicorns, santa and fairies existed (or still do). That you can never say with a 100% certaintity something is that way doesnt mean you need to leave open a small gap of interpretation because it might be the 0.00000000001% we didnt check. And you make the assumption (watch the video) that people who claim the bible looks like a fiarytale didnt do their research? That is a little to easy

  • @9288jjw
    @9288jjw Před 11 lety

    Iduno. If u find out let me know

  • @bumblingberry
    @bumblingberry Před 11 lety

    The greatest trick that was ever pulled upon humanity was religion.

  • @fjccommish
    @fjccommish Před 5 lety

    Yeah right, he was sitting there taking in the meeting as he wrote his speech. Canned comments.

  • @hu150
    @hu150 Před 11 lety +1

    you may or not believe that you are a psychic , but just claiming it isn't ever going to convince. If you want to be taken seriously then you need to show convincing evidence . Taking his tests is among the few ways I would be willing to believe you.

  • @SuperStrik9
    @SuperStrik9 Před 11 lety

    James Randi rules. Everyone who believes in the supernatural should know about him and the million dollar challenge. I wish people would stop wasting their time on psychic ghost crap and deal with reality! The world would be so much better off.

  • @SlayRo9480
    @SlayRo9480 Před 12 lety

    continued....
    In terms of humans, there was the Toba Event, an unknown disaster 75,000 years ago that may have reduced the population of humanity to just 5,000 people. More than were supposedly on Noah's Ark, but few enough you could have fit everyone left on Earth on board the Titanic. So, the Bible seems to be an actual recording of events, just explained away with things that they understood at the time of writing it.

  • @MrJannieboy
    @MrJannieboy Před 11 lety

    it cant be extreme. logical fallacy is either a logical fallacy or not. and yes he would have been more flexible than houdini would have been in his older age.

  • @brendonkauffman4962
    @brendonkauffman4962 Před 9 lety

    father time

  • @TunnelSnakes_Rule
    @TunnelSnakes_Rule Před 11 lety

    hitchings..?