“Religion is all magical thinking”

[Warren Stupidity]

Professional skeptic The Amazing Randi has a moral duty to debunk
James "The Amazing" Randi spoke with Salon about "An Honest Liar," the new documentary about his life's work
LAUREN WISSOT

Does it ever frustrate you that you’ve spent most of your career engaged in a Sisyphean battle? After all, there will always be tricksters – because there will always be people who need to be deceived. Magical thinking and denial just seem to be an inherent part of our makeup.

Well, a bit, but just because we — as a species — will always be affected by a disease, it doesn’t automatically mean that we are going to stop monitoring or treating it. It goes without saying that it’s our civil and moral duty to stand up for the less fortunate and the victims in our society. It’s our duty to provide them with tools so they can arm themselves properly in life.


Part of the “makeup” of a large proportion of the population is due to the influence of religion, which is all magical thinking, thoroughly well organized and well established.

Does it worry you that by exposing charlatans you’re also giving them free publicity? I’m thinking of the spoon-bending Uri Geller, who not only appears in the film, but claims that your attacks on his reputation actually helped his career.

Maybe, but that applies to anything. My focus is on informing people. That Geller response is Aesopian. My grapes are nourishing, tasty and satisfying. He can’t reach them.

How has the Internet impacted your work? Is it easier to get away with trickery in an age of avatars? Harder when all information is merely a Google search away?

It goes both ways. On one hand, there is now more reliable immediate information available to people, but at the same time more unreliable information as well.

Critical thinking is the tool that needs to be taught to our kids so that they can prepare themselves to properly evaluate and scrutinize fantastic claims. The Internet is affected by commercialism and promotion, and should be handled with great care and caution. The basic facts – that’s reality – are still available.

http://www.salon.com/2015/03/07/religion_is_all_magical_thinking_professional_skeptic_the_amazing_randi_has_a_moral_duty_to_debunk/

[onager]

1. Thanks! I really want to see this.

And how NICE - Salon has at least a week's worh of "religion" articles in the queue from just this one piece!

In the next few days, I expect to see the following Salon titles/subjects:

--"Why 'The Amazing Randi' Is Really "The Angry Randi'"

--"Attacking Other Charlatans OK, But Religious Charlatans Are Special"

--"The Non-Angry, Personal Spiritual Philosophy of Uri Geller"

--"Atheists Hate REAL Magic, Also Puppies and Babies"

--"Peter Popoff Cured My Grandma's Chronic Flatulence"

[mr blur]

2. Sadly, you won't need to go to Salon to see those.

I'm sure they'll be on DU in one place or another.