The Amazing Randi and American “Skepticism” with Mitch Horowitz

Mitch Horowitz is the author of many books on esoterica, spirituality, mysticism and the occult. Among his titles are The Seeker’s Guide to the Secret Teachings of All Ages, The Miracle Club, One Simple Idea, and Occult America. His website is https://mitchhorowitz.com/. He recently wrote an article evaluating the legacy of James Randi that can be viewed at https://boingboing.net/2020/10/26/the-man-who-destroyed-skepticism.html.

Here he explains why, in his opinion, the sociologist Marcello Truzzi chose to label The Amazing Randi and others associated with the American “skeptical” movement as “pseudoskeptics”. He sheds light on the parallels between deliberate ignorance of facts in discussions of the paranormal and of politics. He points out how Randi and other “skeptics” have actually stifled scientific investigations into the paranormal. This activity actually resulted in Jeffrey Mishlove’s favorable lawsuit settlement in 1986.

Articles about James Randi’s “million dollar challenge” as referenced in this video can be found at:

https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/one-million-dollar-paranormal-challenge

https://www.dailygrail.com/2008/02/the-myth-of-the-million-dollar-challenge/

New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980).

(Recorded on November 10, 2020)

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OTHER PUBLICATIONS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:

Mitch Horowitz, Occult America – https://amzn.to/3nsFlDM

Mitch Horowitz, The Miracle Club – https://amzn.to/3kDu9Cp

Mitch Horowitz, One Simple Idea – https://amzn.to/3lFAD5q

James Randi, Flim Flam – https://amzn.to/32MoCDv

Marcello Truzzi, The Zetetic Scholar –

K. Ramakrishna Rao (Ed.), J. B. Rhine on the Frontiers of Science –

Corliss Lamont, The Philosophy of Humanism – https://amzn.to/36BjZxi

Corliss Lamont, On Understanding Soviet Russia –

Andrija Puharich, Uri Geller – https://amzn.to/3f46zxJ

Arthur C. Clarke, Childhood’s End – https://amzn.to/3f0rRMJ

Sigmund Freud, The Unconscious – https://amzn.to/2Ux12Gm

American Psychological Association, American Psychologist –

Parapsychological Association, Journal of Parapsychology –

William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience – https://amzn.to/2H38HJq

Charles Fort, The Book of the Damned – https://amzn.to/2H3njbM

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