Can Randi be tricked ?

[Kirk Olson]

Hi all, I'm a big fan of Randi and often check in on his amazing website. But I was wondering: I'm aware of the fact Randi is a gifted magician and I'm sure he knows every trick in the book, bu t since magicans are always searching for new tricks and methods of fooling people, isn't there a slight possibility someone can come up with an amazing trick even Randi can't see through and thus walk away with the million bucks ?

greetings from the Netherlands, keep up the good work !

[The Fool]

Originally posted by Kirk Olson
isn't there a slight possibility someone can come up with an amazing trick even Randi can't see through and thus walk away with the million bucks ?

greetings from the Netherlands, keep up the good work !

Hi Kirk, Welcome to the board.
If scamming Randi was all that was required, then yes, It would be possible to walk away with the prize by scamming Randi.... Randi does not Judge If an applicant is a "winner" the results must be self evident and agreed on in advance. Randi plays no part in determining success.

[!Xx+-Rational-+xX!]

Scientific fact!: Many people don't like randi and it's not because he's right or because of Peladophobia!

Peladophobia = Fear of bald people!

:randi: :crazy:

[Brown]

Originally posted by Kirk Olson
But I was wondering: I'm aware of the fact Randi is a gifted magician and I'm sure he knows every trick in the book, bu t since magicans are always searching for new tricks and methods of fooling people, isn't there a slight possibility someone can come up with an amazing trick even Randi can't see through and thus walk away with the million bucks ?Some people have said Mr. Randi is arrogant, and has claimed that he can never be fooled. I disagree. He is very knowledgeable about various techniques used by tricksters, and his expertise in this area is not arrogant puffery.

He has also acknolwedged a possibility that he might be fooled.

In an interview in the late 1970s, Martin Gardner mentioned an incident involving a performer who seemed to do the impossible. At first, Randi was at a loss to explain how the feat could be accomplished by trickery. With a little persistence, he figured out how the trick was done and called Gardner to let him know that the mystery was solved. Gardner described Mr. Randi as "delighted" in discovering how the trick was done.

So is it possible for someone to fool Mr. Randi? Sure. If he gets fooled, he might agree to a test that fails to eliminate the possibility of trickery. But I understand that he has quite a few other talented people who serve as consultants, and it's a little bit harder to fool them all.

[Quinn]

In the conjuring world, if you come up with an original trick or principle and decide to publish/market it, mentioning any well-known magicians who you managed to fool with it can be used as a selling point. I've read manuscripts for two effects that claimed to have fooled Randi (not to say that he then believed they were Real Magick, only that he couldn't deduce their methods). I won't say what they are or who created them, but I will say that if you go to TAM2, you might see both of them.

[Two Possibilities]

To think that you cant be fooled is arrogant. I dont think Randi has ever displayed this. Everyone given the right circumstances can be fooled. It is a matter of knowing the audience you are playing to. Randi can be fooled by knowing that you are playing to a critical mind and a magician. When most people will be looked to where a magician leads them, Randi would be looking elsewhere...to where the magician doesnt want them to look. Yes, of course Randi can be tricked.

I think Randi's strength comes from his lack of arrogance. He uses experts, controlled testing and scientific equipment to rule out the possibility of trickery. Even there you must be careful.

I remember meeting someone from a company that was seeling magnets in shoes who said it was good for your circulation. I asked his for the scientific tests so that I could see the results. He said that the only test that would be good enough for me would be to try it out myself...WRONG! I am not that arrogant to think I could not be fooled by a placebo...give me the scientific testing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SFB]

Originally posted by Two Possibilities

I think Randi's strength comes from his lack of arrogance. He uses experts, controlled testing and scientific equipment to rule out the possibility of trickery. Even there you must be careful.

Yes! And what Brown posted.

[PurpleChipmunk]

Could a knowledgeable scientist devise a trick that would appear to pass the scientific examination (similar to the way that mathematicians can create proofs that appear to demonstrate that 1=2) ?

[gnome]

Originally posted by PurpleChipmunk
Could a knowledgeable scientist devise a trick that would appear to pass the scientific examination (similar to the way that mathematicians can create proofs that appear to demonstrate that 1=2) ?

Possibly. But a competent mathematician could also spot the flaw in the proof--and so I imagine someone competent in science could see through most scientific trickery.

[synaesthesia]

Originally posted by gnome


Possibly. But a competent mathematician could also spot the flaw in the proof--and so I imagine someone competent in science could see through most scientific trickery.

There is not necessarily a flaw, one could simply define the system so that move is legitimate.

[!Xx+-Rational-+xX!]

F**k this it's all a part of randi's evil plan to take over the world with his crab people minions. I suspect that he will first try and turn all guys into metro-sexuals so they become a bunch of wimps. Then him and the crab people will take over the world!

[gnome]

Originally posted by synaesthesia


There is not necessarily a flaw, one could simply define the system so that move is legitimate.

Actually, mathematicians do this sort of thing all the time--but usually to make their system conform to an environment different than the classic Cartesian model of quantities and shapes.

To do so to prove something spurious would also be to generate irrelevancy.

Luckily, you can't "Redefine the system" in the real world.