--- title: "James Randi" description: "James Randi spent decades exposing faith healers and psychics. He offered $1 million to anyone who could demonstrate the supernatural under controlled conditions. Nobody ever claimed it." canonical: https://opendoubt.com/people/james-randi source: html --- # James Randi > James Randi spent decades exposing faith healers and psychics. He offered $1 million to anyone who could demonstrate the supernatural under controlled conditions. Nobody ever claimed it. Notable figure # James Randi Skeptic & Magician · 1928–2020 James Randi — “The Amazing Randi” — was a Canadian-American stage magician and escape artist who became the 20th century’s most consequential scientific skeptic. For over four decades, he investigated claims of the supernatural with the tools of a scientist and the eyes of a conjurer. His targets included faith healers, psychics, dowsers, and homeopaths. He exposed televangelist Peter Popoff — who appeared to receive divine knowledge of his congregation’s ailments — by revealing the hidden radio receiver in Popoff’s ear through which his wife fed him information gathered from prayer request cards. He dogged [Uri Geller](https://randi.org/library/uri-geller.html)for years, demonstrating that every “paranormal” feat Geller claimed could be replicated by any competent stage magician. In 1996, Randi founded the [James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF)](https://randi.org/), which administered the famous Million Dollar Challenge. The prize was never claimed. He came out as gay in 2010 at age 81, and married his partner Jose Alvarez in 2013. He died in 2020 at 92. Core positions Magicians are the best skeptics Randi argued that professional magicians have a unique qualification for skeptical investigation — they know exactly how deception works. When a psychic bends a spoon or a faith healer appears to cure disease, Randi recognized the techniques because he had used them on stage. The harm of supernatural claims His work was not purely academic. He documented cases where faith healing had directly killed people who refused medical treatment — children whose parents chose prayer over medicine. For Randi, supernatural belief was not merely false but actively dangerous. The Million Dollar Challenge For decades, the James Randi Educational Foundation offered a $1 million prize to anyone who could demonstrate supernatural abilities under controlled, agreed-upon conditions. Thousands applied. Nobody collected. Randi considered this the clearest empirical result in the history of parapsychology. Good faith investigation over ridicule Despite being relentless, Randi insisted on good-faith experimental conditions. He worked with claimants to design the tests. He wasn't trying to humiliate — he was applying genuine scientific method. The results spoke for themselves. > The only difference between me and the psychics is that I know I'm deceiving you. They don't. ## An Honest Liar — documentary The 2014 documentary _An Honest Liar_is the best introduction to Randi’s life and work — covering his career, the Peter Popoff exposure, and the surprising complications of his personal life. James Randi — exposing Peter Popoff ## Best quotes > “I've always said that I would challenge anyone to show me that homeopathy, or prayer, or laying on of hands, or any other form of supernatural healing, actually works. We've never had a claimant who could do it.” > “The only difference between me and a lot of other people is that I know I'm a conjurer. I know I'm deceiving you. The psychics don't.” > “A magician is an actor playing the part of a magician. That's the difference between me and Uri Geller.” > “People need a certain amount of nonsense in their lives — but not when it takes the place of medicine.” > “There's no such thing as a little faith healing. Either it works, or someone dies because they didn't get proper treatment.” Learn more [James Randi Educational Foundation](https://randi.org/) Related thinkers [ Michael Shermer Skeptic Magazine ](/people/michael-shermer)[ Carl Sagan Astronomer ](/people/carl-sagan)[ Richard Dawkins Evolutionary Biologist ](/people/richard-dawkins) Continue exploring [ Carl Sagan The other great popularizer of scientific skepticism — more poetic, equally rigorous. ](/people/carl-sagan)[ Michael Shermer Founder of Skeptic magazine — the intellectual heir to Randi's tradition. ](/people/michael-shermer)[ What is atheism? A clear introduction to what atheism actually means. ](/atheism)[ Pascal's Wager One of the most famous arguments for belief — and its problems. ](/pascal-wager)[ The argument from miracles The argument from miracles — and why they don't withstand scrutiny. ](/arguments/argument-from-miracles) ## Sources cited - https://randi.org/library/uri-geller.html - https://randi.org/ --- _Canonical HTML version: https://opendoubt.com/people/james-randi_