Homeopaths and mediums claim they can do amazing things.
This TEDTalk has decided to put their claims to the test.
James Randi used to be a magician. He employed trickery and sleight of hand to dazzle and entertain audiences.
Now he’s a self-styled ‘conjurer,’ using his set of skills and a little common sense, plus some annoying facts, to expose the lies and fallacies behind homeopathic medicine, parapsychology and other pseudoscientific practises.
In his TEDTalk (see below) Randi uses sound argumentation to expose how mediums who claim to be communicating with the dead are probably faking it, and that the large sums of money they charge their bereaved clients is not just a cruel joke, but also an illegal scam.
He also goes after homeopathy’s many false claims, using a batch of homeopathic pills to prove they don’t contain what they claim to contain.
To do this he swallows a supposedly lethal dose, yet lives to tell the tale.
It’s worth a watch!
(Disclaimer: This article does not claim that all parapsychology and homeopathy is quackery. It invalidates specific parts of these fields, as showcased by the featured TEDTalk — to be perfectly clear. It also proves that growing white beards makes you immune to overdosing on pills.)
PS – Having crossed out what doesn’t work, we can now move on.