James Randi's Blog, page 22

Paul Kurtz - Skepticism and Religion | For Good Reason

Paul Kurtz - Skepticism and Religion | For Good Reason


Paul Kurtz talks about how skepticism is continuous with the methods of science, and why skepticism and science should apply to religion. He explains why he rejects the traditional is/ought distinction in the philosophy of science, and why he rejects the NOMA theory. He posits that skepticism can be warranted in investigating claims of religion, including the claim that God exists. Regarding "untestable" religious claims, he suggests that if a supernatural or paranormal claim is untestable, it ought not be believed. He shares some reasons why he is generally skeptical of religion after looking into its various claims, including reasons resulting from historical criticism, psychology, and philosophy. He explains why he thinks a closed-minded atheist who rejects religion without investigation is similar to a religious believer who accepts religious claims on faith. He discusses the great skeptics Martin Gardner and Anthony Flew and their belief in God, and why they believed despite the lack of evidence. He discusses deism, and why skepticism is warranted in the face of no evidence either way. He describes pragmatic reasons one may avoid pronouncing skepticism of God. And he reveals why he often prefers other terms than "atheism" to describe his religious skepticism.
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165

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Time:
27:32
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Paul Kurtz - Exuberant Skepticism | For Good Reason

Paul Kurtz - Exuberant Skepticism | For Good Reason


Paul Kurtz discusses his new book Exuberant Skepticism. He details the origins of the contemporary skeptics movement, and whether or not it has developed according to plan. He contends that skeptical doubt is an antidote to foolish beliefs but explains why, for him, skepticism is not just doubt, but is more active, inquiring, and affirmative. He explains why the skeptics movement's focus may be too narrow and trivial, and why skepticism should not be limited only to those questions which can be scientifically investigated: that skepticism should be extended beyond science and the paranormal to questions in ordinary life, politics, religion, ethics, business, personal affairs. He details why this sort of skepticism is vital to the life well-lived. He explains why Pearce's principle of fallibilism is central to skeptical inquiry. And he describes why, for mostly pragmatic reasons, skeptical nonprofits have generally refrained from their critique of religion.
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75

2
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Time:
27:30
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James Randi - My Start in Magic and Skepticism | For Good Reason

James Randi - My Start in Magic and Skepticism | For Good Reason


James Randi describes his start in magic, and early experiences he had that inspired him toward skepticism, including mentalism shows when audience members believed him to be psychic, and sought financial advice. He talks about early predictions of his death. He relates the profound effect that the undue credulity of his audiences early in his career had on him. He also recounts the episode when he was in his late teens and arrested for disrupting a church service in Toronto when the spiritual leader used magic tricks in the service to inspire belief among the congregants. And he talks about why he feels magicians should become more active in the skeptical movement.
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Views:
236

22
ratings
Time:
29:29
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Tom Clark - Skepticism and Free Will | For Good Reason

Tom Clark - Skepticism and Free Will | For Good Reason


Tom Clark discusses his skepticism of the concept of free will, which he bases in the naturalistic view of the self resulting from research in the cognitive neurosciences and philosophy. He explores reasons why the skeptics community may be reticent to take on the issue. He explains contra-causal free will, and how it is different than freedom. He talks about the implications of adopting a thorough-going naturalism that advances free will skepticism, and what such a view means for our views of moral responsibility, crime and punishment, and our legal system, and also for the best strategies to advance the skeptical approach to fact claims. And he describes ways that the skeptics community may begin to address the issue of free will more directly.
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Views:
243

21
ratings
Time:
29:56
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Massimo Pigliucci - How to Tell Science from Bunk | For Good Reason

Massimo Pigliucci - How to Tell Science from Bunk | For Good Reason


Massimo Pigliucci talks about whether people believe in science too much or believe in science too little. He describes to what extent areas on the frontiers of science, such as transhumanism and life-extension, merit open-mindedness. He explains why he is skeptical of artificial intelligence, and why the skeptics movement generally dismisses transhumanism and why he does not. He talks about the responsibilities of the skeptics movement regarding public education about global warming, and why so many high profile skeptics are skeptics or deniers of global warming, including Penn and Teller, Michael Shermer, James Randi. He explores how the libertarian skepticism of big government may fuel global warming denialism. He describes the perils of the pleasures of skepticism. He argues that to be a skeptic means two things: first, a commitment to furthering critical thinking among the general public, and second, a defense of science. And he reveals the criteria for distinguishing pseudoscience, fringe science, and consensus science, and why some pseudosciences, while theoretically unsound, may be have more empirical evidence for them than some widely-accepted theories of consensus science.
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Views:
190

17
ratings
Time:
30:39
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Massimo Pigliucci - Nonsense on Stilts | For Good Reason

Massimo Pigliucci - Nonsense on Stilts | For Good Reason


Philosopher and skeptic Massimo Pigliucci discusses the "demarcation problem" in the philosophy of science, which is how to tell what is science and what is not science, and what is pseudoscience. He talks about Karl Popper's theory of falsifiability, comparing Einstein's theory of general relativity with Freudian psychoanalytic theory. He draws a distinction between theories that are "unscientific" and theories that are merely "false," and talks about Newtonian mechanics in this regard. He explains in what way astrology is more scientific than String Theory. He explains to what extent people, including the skeptics community, should just "trust consensus science," and when the public should get a "second opinion" when given bad news by scientists regarding public controversies such as human caused global warming. He argues that there are not actually two sides to some of these issues. He explains what it means to be a skeptic, and argues what responsibilities skeptics have regarding the promotion of consensus science. He explores why libertarianism may fuel global warming skepticism. And he details five questions to ask when evaluating someone's expertise.
From:
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Views:
127

11
ratings
Time:
34:58
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Ben Randford - Scientific Paranormal Investigation | For Good Reason

Ben Randford - Scientific Paranormal Investigation | For Good Reason


Ben Radford, one of the world's only full-time paranormal investigators, contrasts his approach with that of TV paranormal investigators, such as the Ghost Hunters. He explains why his methods are scientific, and why their methods are motivated by exaggerating the mystery of paranormal experiences, and are therefore less scientific. He argues that paranormal belief is not trivial, and that it impacts our daily lives, and even public policy. He describes how he is open-minded as a scientific paranormal investigator, and why he examines what are believed to be the best paranormal cases. He talks about the psychology of paranormal belief, and how our pattern-seeking minds play a part in undue credulity. He explores how responsible the media is in fostering uncritical acceptance of paranormal claims. And he recounts seeming paranormal experiences he has experienced himself.
From:
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Views:
166

12
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Time:
27:11
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Ray Hyman - The Life of an Expert Skeptic, Part 2 | For Good Reason

Ray Hyman - The Life of an Expert Skeptic, Part 2 | For Good Reason


In this second part of the discussion at the NSF for the occasion of his being awarded the 2010 Phillip J. Klass Award by the National Capital Area Skeptics, Ray Hyman explores the origins of CSICOP, and the role that both Israeli psychic Uri Geller and rock musician Alice Cooper had in bringing the founders of the organization together. He explains how the organization Sanity in Research, founded by James Randi, Martin Gardner and Ray Hyman in 1972, became CSICOP, in a sense. And he describes the influence that sociologist Marcello Truzzi had on the forming of the group, and what may have led to a split between Truzzi and CSICOP. He also criticizes Truzzi's approach to parapsychology. He explains why he finds parapsychology to be dull, and reveals whether or not he regrets the fifty years he has spent as its leading expert critic. He reveals why the approach of the skeptical movement over the last four decades may be mistaken, and argues that it should focus on education and outreach as opposed to an earnest exploration of the best parapsychological research. He also describes the futility of fighting against governmental research into psi, and details his involvement in such research over the years. And he explains why he feels that parapsychology research no longer merits attention from skeptics and scientists.
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Views:
163

11
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Time:
37:09
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Richard Saunders at TAM 6 on Bringing Critical Thinking to Schools

Richard Saunders at TAM 6 on Bringing Critical Thinking to Schools


Australian skeptic, podcaster, author, TV personality, and professional origamist Richard Saunders recorded at The Amaz!ng Meeting 7. Saunders discusses the origami Pigasus and dowsing as a model for teaching critical thinking to students.
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Views:
355

26
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Time:
26:31
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Ray Hyman - The Life of an Expert Skeptic, Part 1 | For Good Reason

Ray Hyman - The Life of an Expert Skeptic, Part 1 | For Good Reason


In this interview recorded at the National Science Foundation for the National Capital Area Skeptic's presentation of the Philip J. Klass award to him, Ray Hyman explores the intersection of skepticism, magic, and psychology throughout the course of his life. He talks about his experiences with spiritualist church services, including "question and answer" services purporting to demonstrate communication with the dead. He talks about his role as a skeptic of parapsychology even as he was a critic of the skeptical community, arguing that much of the earlier research in parapsychology was of a higher quality than skeptics believed. He explains why he thinks parapsychology is boring. He talks about his survey of the Ganzfeld Experiments of extra sensory perception, and the controversies that resulted. He explains why focusing on the flaws of parapsychology research is the wrong approach, because it shifts the burden of proof away from replicability. He responds to the camp in parapsychology that argues science should change its rules to make it easier to find evidence of psi. And he explains why he thinks skeptics are abnormal, or "mutants." Also, in this week's installment of the Honest Liar, Jamy Ian Swiss remembers when he and Ray Hyman joined a channeler on the radio.
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Views:
393

23
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Time:
54:28
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